(ROCKWALL, TX — September 6, 2018) Rockwall High School students from FRC Team 1296 the Full Metal Jackets recently attended the 2018 National Advocacy Conference in Washington D.C. to advocate for STEM funding on Capitol Hill. The conference was attended by President – Lauren Knoff, FIRST Alum – Brandon Taylor, VP of Robotics Construction – Joshua Sadler, Team Member Austin Taylor, and Team Member Andrew Ortiz. The conference was attended by just over 40 FRC teams from across the nation, with six teams from Texas. The team was accompanied by 1296 Chairman’s Mentor – Danna Taylor and 1296 Safety Mentor – Cathy Knoff.
These students were able to visit several of the incredible sites that our nation’s capital has to offer including, the Capitol Building, the Library of Congress, multiple Smithsonian Museums, the National Mall, and Fort McHenry in Baltimore. The students also had the opportunity to visit the both exhilarating and humbling Arlington National Cemetery. Visiting the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Kennedy gravesites, and the Eternal Flame. This short amount of time was crucial to making a profound impact on our students.
Students and mentors alike then took part in the two-day conference. During the conference, students listened to talks from multiple speakers (including Steve Hyer, Dr. Jeffrey Weld, FIRST President Don Bossi, Erin Duncan, and Camron Razdar) and learned the important process of creating, and passing bills. Students were also taught the basics of talking to members of Congress. After two days of hard work, our students were finally ready to go to Capitol Hill!
Our team, along with other FIRST Texas teams met with Texas Senators John Cornyn, and Ted Cruz and had the opportunity to show them the incredible power of STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math). Our team then met with Representative John Ratcliffe where we discussed the need for more STEM workers. Congressman Ratcliffe was overjoyed to learn that we had been working to solve problems that we had discussed with him the previous year! After conversing with him on the subjects of cyber security and women in STEM, we were able to show that our team is really changing the world!
After receiving a tour of the Capitol, the team attended the FIRST NAC after party where they met with other students to celebrate the incredible work that was being done. These students were able to share their knowledge that they had gained, and the incredible journey that they had experienced.
For more on the Rockwall HS Robotics Team, the Full Metal Jackets, visit www.RockwallRobotics.com.
Submitted press release by Josh Sadler, VP Robotic Construction.
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