Minister of Education, Science and Technology, Honourable Daryll Matthew, recently met with the members of Team Antigua and Barbuda as the country’s first ever all-girls robotics team continues preparations to represent the nation at the 2026
FIRST
Global Challenge in Incheon, Republic of Korea.
The meeting gave Minister Matthew an opportunity to hear directly from the five students about their journey into robotics, and taking a closer look at the strategy, as well as the engineering behind their competition robot.
The students walked the Minister through their approach to collecting, storing, lifting, climbing and scoring game elements, while explaining how their design has evolved through continuous building and testing. They also discussed the importance of competing with a robot that can cooperate effectively alongside teams from other countries to be able to make it into the finals.
The conversation naturally turned to one of the most important lessons from the team’s journey:
innovation rarely happens perfectly on the first attempt.
“One of the things that we take for granted is critical thinking, just because your first version doesn’t work, doesn’t mean you should give up, you should always keep innovating”
,
Minister Matthew
shared with the students.
Drawing on an example from his personal experience, he encouraged the young engineers to see each unsuccessful attempt not as a setback, but as part of the process of developing a stronger solution. He reminded them that the ability to identify a problem, rethink an approach and keep improving is an invaluable skill that extends far beyond robotics, but can even help them to excel academically.
That process is being captured in the team’s engineering notebook, where the students takes turns each day to document the development of their robot, including challenges encountered, and modifications attempted as the design evolves.
Beyond the robot, Minister Matthew spent time learning more about each of the students, speaking with them about what sparked their interest in STEM and where they hope those interest may take them. He congratulated the students on their progress and encouraged them to continue pursuing the things that inspire them.
Minister Matthew also encouraged the students to embrace the wider experience that comes with representing Antigua and Barbuda internationally – meeting young people from different cultures, exchanging ideas and making potentially lifelong friendships that could help broaden their perspectives.
Team Antigua and Barbuda is now entering the final stages of refining its robot ahead of travel to the Olympic-styled competition themed
“Igniting Innovation”
that will bring together students teams from 190+ countries to apply STEM principles, while promoting collaboration and cross-cultural exchange.
For the five young women preparing to carry the national flag it’s an opportunity to demonstrate what Antigua and Barbuda’s next generation of innovators can achieve on the global stage.
From team highlights to behind-the-scenes moments, follow the students via social media on their journey to represent Antigua and Barbuda in Incheon, Republic of Korea: @dadlibots
Source: Antigua News Room Young Innovators Share Their Journey with EducationMinister Ahead of Global Robotics Challenge.