[Jon Stratis]

During the chat, I read a couple of quotes the team has collected. For those who want, here they are:

From a second grader who saw the team compete:

I like the Robettes and I think what they are doing is cool. I go to their website a lot. I like looking at the pictures of what they are. Last year my dad, he is a medical engineer at HCMC, took me and my sister to see the Robettes compete. I really liked the soccer game and the area where they did the building. I like building things. I build a lot of things at my house. When I was little, like five or six, I thought building things was boyish. When I saw the Robettes I just changed my mind.

From the grandmother of one of our current captains:

My granddaughter is a member of the Robettes. I grew up in the era (1950’s) where women who attended college could be teachers or
nurses. These were the only career paths offered to women. I choose business administration and to major in finance and accounting. I was the only woman in most of my classes for 4 years and I actually had professors ask why I was taking classes in those majors. I am thrilled to see a program that offers girls a chance to compete in a science and technological fields, to make it possible for them to aspire to careers in math, science and engineering, something unheard of in my day. Our country cannot realize it’s true potential when 50% of the students (women) are left out of the most promising fields of advancement.

From the parent of a former team member:

My daughter, Kate, was quite shy and quiet when she first attended Visitation freshman year. She asked if I could take her to the Robotics informational meeting that fall. After listening to the presentation, she was scared of joining, worried about the time commitment, and she also didn't know what she would bring to the team. During the summer between freshman and sophomore year, Kate and several friends all decided to join the Robettes together. Kate joined the programming team and took computer programming that year, eventually going on to take AP computer science. Kate also became a leader on the team and was elected captain her senior year. Kate's experience on the Robettes has inspired her to win a National Aspirations in Computing award from NCWIT.I have watched the Robettes allow my daughter to grow, teach, and inspire others to learn to program. I think that joining the Robettes has been the most significant event that has allowed Kate to develop as a young woman and leader.

From another student of the team:

They have inspired me to try new activities that I thought only boys could do. The Robettes encourage me to try new things and break down barriers. Also, they have taught me that it is cool to like math and science and that engineering is fun.

From a teacher at the school:

■ I continue to be impressed by the girls who make up the Robettes team. Their robots are always among the most attractive and smooth-running in the competitions I have seen. In addition, the girls seem truly committed to working together as a team, and their captains speak so eloquently to the student body about their progress and their achievements. I also love that the Robettes seem to pull from a wide cross-section of students: quiet girls, talkative girls, girls who are good in math and science, girls who are stretching themselves to try something new, girls who are natural leaders, and girls who know how to join a team and contribute their all to make success a reality. I continue to be impressed by the Robettes and hope that my daughter joins them someday should she choose to attend vis.