Technology is the future and it is up to the education system to prepare students for the dynamic and ever-evolving technology that will no doubt be increasingly influential on the careers that our generation could pursue.

At San Pasqual High School, there is a robotics club called SuperNURDs. This group is led by one of San Pasqual’s math teachers, Yun Lutgen. Robotics involves engineering and science andcombines mechanics, electronics, information engineering, and computer science all in one. S.T.E.M. which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, is a big part of robotics as well.

“More people should join [robotics] because it gives them an opportunity to broaden their horizons and helps them figure out who they are,” junior and SuperNURDs member Kiana Tristan said.

Some members of the SuperNURDs didn’t know anything about robotics before they joined.

“You don’t need to know anything before coming into robotics. I didn’t, and I’m now the president,” SuperNURDs president Jessica Kamman said.

Like Kamman, many team members joined their freshman year and have stuck with it throughout their four years  at San Pasqual. For the most part, the first year on the team revolves around discovering where your strengths are and learning as much as you can. Later years on the team are spent refining those skills and taking them as far as you can for the team and for yourself.

“I joined robotics my freshman year and my older brother was on the team so I already knew a lot about it. Once I did [join], I learned so much so quickly,” Kamman said. “It became a really big interest of mine.”

Currently there are around thirty people participating on the SuperNURDs robotics team, ranging from freshmen to seniors. They often get visits from alumni who help mentor students and give feedback to those who need it. Many of the alumni made it into colleges such as Cal State San Marcos and San Diego State University where they are continuing to pursue robotics and other careers in STEM fields.

“[Robotics is] great for college applications… so many jobs are impacted by technology, so it’s really useful,” Kamman said.

“[Robotics has even] changed what I wanted to do, [including] my major,” Tristan said. “After high school, I plan to be a mechanical engineer. [Robotics] has determined my future.”

Many people on the robotics team think that robotics is the future. The incredible advancements in S.T.E.M fields, specifically in robotic engineering, supports the idea that robots will one day be much more capable and be potentially able to take over some jobs.

“Robotics is the future… not only my future, but the future of the world because everyone uses technology,” Kamman said.