Eyes attentive and excitement bubbling, freshman Angela Diosdado attends a robotics meeting, continuing her streak of perfect attendance. Although only a freshman, Diosdado is a member of one of West High’s robotics teams, the Blue Brains. The Blue Brains compete in weekend competitions throughout the school year through an organization called VEX. Every year, teams create robots to compete in different events that are essentially games that the robots participate in. This year, the game is officially called “Push Back”. The object of the game is to attain a higher score than the opposing alliance by Scoring Blocks in Goals, Controlling Zones within Goals, and Parking in defined zones at the end of the match. As a member of the team, Diosdado has contributed to the team’s accomplishment of winning at least one award at every competition she competed in. However, Diosdado’s passion for robotics started long before she became a Longhorn.

“My dad’s an engineer, so I grew up with machinery and being taught things engineering. I really got interested in [the] hands-on [aspect], which is why I’m interested in STEM, specifically mechanical engineering,” Diosdado said.

This year, Diosdado took Design & Technology 1 to take the next step in her engineering journey. The class gave her the opportunity to formalize her passion in the form of projects, and also introduced her to her future robotics coach and Engineering teacher, Chris Donaldson.

“In our Design & Technology 1 course, [students] had a design challenge to create a 3D model of a working prototype [to] find a solution for storing office supplies. Angela created very cool and effective concept sketches. The unique design required a high level of precision. She had to measure down to the hundredths of a millimeter using dial calipers. [She] really stretched and persisted during a design challenge to create a very innovative solution,” Donaldson said. 

The semester-long course covers topics such as technical drawing, 3D modeling and applying the engineering design process. The course not only allowed Diosdado to gain exposure to West’s engineering courses, but to the staff members, as well.

“[During my class, I notice that] Angela is an independent thinker who willingly and very effectively collaborates with others. She has a keen eye for opportunity, is quick to contribute and responds well to constructive criticism,” Donaldson said. 

West’s winning community

Here at West, Diosdado has become part of an incredibly tight-knit community. 

“[The team is truly] a second family to me, and we’re all really good friends. I don’t really see it as having to prove myself. They all know what I’m capable of and how I can become better,” Diosdado said. 

While Diosdado has currently found a group of people who do see her as a talented mechanic before a woman, Diosdado has faced adversity through her journey due to the systemic sexism that women often face in STEM. Just less than a decade ago, the U.S Equal Employment Opportunity Commission reported that women accounted for a mere 29.3% of STEM federal workers. 

“Ever since I was young, I’ve been interested in hobbies that are [male-dominated]. Along with robotics, I’m also a part of Scouting America, which used to be called ‘Boy Scouts [of America],’” Diosdado said. “I’ve always wanted to prove to guys that girls can do the exact same things [as them] and that [they] do not have to mansplain things to us. Even when I [first] got on the team [here at West], I always thought I had to prove myself because I didn’t know anyone [and] they were all guys and older than me.” 

Fighting the stereotypes that women face specific to the STEM world, robotics competitions have allowed Diosdado to find those similar to her.

“[At competitions], the girls from the other teams and I support each other because there [are] very [few] of us. We are [still] competitive against the guys, trying to prove ourselves, and against each other, [but] no matter [the] situation, we are not mean to each other,” Diosdado said.

As a member of the Blue Brains, Diosdado consistently attends competitions that strengthen her ability to work with the rest of her team in a high-pressure environment. Community, sportsmanship and teamwork are backbone values that the robotics team relies on to not only function, but thrive in both competitions and their overall learning process. Robotics officer, mechanic and junior Adam Thomas has been a major supporter in Diosdado’s journey.

“When we interviewed Angela to join the team, we [immediately] saw that she has amazing [artistic] skills. She was interested in [the roles of] both a notebook and a mechanic at the same time. We liked that because I know I will be super busy as a senior next year, so we [needed] a third [mechanic] to cover for us,” Thomas said.

On the team, the “notebook” is in charge of drawing designs and sketches of ideas. This role allows the team to visualize their designs, which is a crucial step in the overall process of building the robot. Diosdado’s interest in taking on this role, along with a mechanic role, was convenient for the team, but their reason for choosing her was far from just convenience. 

“[In the interview], [Angela] was great. She was smart, she was adaptable, but [more than that], she was willing to learn. [This quality showed itself when] we were building the robot [for the] state competition. I was building this really complex part, and I was teaching Angela how to make the parts in a way that they didn’t hit each other. [I remember] the whole team being confused and a bit bored, [but] Angela [stood out] to me, however, because she was super attentive. She has the ability to learn, which is something a lot of people struggle with,” Thomas said. 

Prepared, positive and pumped for the World Championship

Angela’s positive qualities, such as the ability to learn, have made her essential to the team achieving their recent accomplishment, qualifying for the VEX Robotics World Championship. Teams from countries around the world must qualify for the competition through stellar performance during the regular season.

“I’m super pumped [for Worlds]. It’s one of the best experiences you can have, especially as a freshman. We get to meet people from all over the world, and the fact they’re going there means they’re [some] of the best teams [in the world],” Diosdado said.

In the past, the Blue Brains have qualified for Worlds for five consecutive years (from 2019 to 2024) and placed in the top eight in 2021. Although not shy of achievement, qualifying for the highly competitive event requires practice, talent, and, most importantly, teamwork. 

“Angela’s curiosity and willingness to ask compelling questions will help her team ensure they are inclusive of different ideas/perspectives, [which will help] continue to develop innovative solutions,” Donaldson said. 

While the competition has previously been hosted in Texas and Kentucky, this year the competition will be hosted in St. Louis, which has alleviated concerns of damage transporting the actual robot. Now, the Blue Brains are able to solely focus on their preparation. 

“So far, we’ve stuck to a pretty strict schedule. [We set aside] two and a half weeks for building the bot, tuning it and printing everything we need. Then, the [remaining] week and a half is when we’re going to start coding and practice driving,” Diosdado said. 

“Currently, two of our team members are in sports [meaning] they have practice every day after school. One is [Thomas], [who is] a team lead, and the other is [sophomore] Theo [Branch], who hurt his ankle, so he can’t move around much right now. [They’re both the other] mechanics, so it’s been pretty hard to build [without them]. We’ve had to meet during the weekends, [which is when] we usually like to hang out. However, because [we can’t] stray from the schedule and [we can’t work after school], we’ve really had to prioritize work,” Diosdado said. 

There are many awards that teams have the potential to win at the World Championship, but the Blue Brains have chosen to target a very specific one.

“We are hoping to get an innovative award or design award. It’s what we put most of our time into: [making sure] that our bot is not only good, but [that] we tried to make something unique or complex that other bots don’t have,” Diosdado said. 

While this season is drawing to a close, Diosdado’s journey has only just begun, as she has three more years to grow, learn and succeed.

“[To all the aspiring women in STEM], don’t give up and don’t be afraid. As a girl, people will tell you, ‘Don’t touch this,’ or ‘Don’t do that,’ because they’re afraid you’ll break [something]. People will [assume] you don’t know what you’re doing, [but they’re wrong]. You’re there for a reason, so go out of your way to show them that you can do it and [that] you [don’t belong] on the sidelines,” Diosdado said.

Edited on May 1 for spelling and clarity.