Helen Keller once said, “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” That spirit is evident in Fremont, where students are uniting education and advocacy to make a meaningful impact in their community.
For Polaris Robotics #18340, a FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) team, building and programming robots is only one part of their story. Over the past several years, the team has taken on a broader mission: expanding and advocating for STEM opportunities for students across California and beyond.
What began as volunteer work in local schools has grown into statewide advocacy by participating through the California Advocacy Leadership Conference (CALC) and the Student Association for STEM Advocacy (SASA).
Building STEM Pathways in Fremont
Polaris Robotics recognized that many younger students lacked access to hands-on STEM programs. To close those gaps, they created the Fremont Robotics Academy (FRA), a nonprofit offering robotics and engineering lessons at multiple elementary campuses.
FRA mentors have taught students at Harvey Green, Hirsch, Mission San Jose, Azevada, Chadbourne and Guy Emanuele Elementary Schools, introducing engineering and problem-solving skills through a curriculum inspired by FIRST Lego League.
As AI, automation and advanced technologies reshape the future workforce, the team believes early exposure to STEM is beneficial to the students.
Their outreach also reaches far beyond the Bay Area. Polaris has emailed and petitioned the office of the Education Minister of India, advocating for reduced import taxes on LEGO Spike Prime kits so more students can access robotics programs.
Team members have also spent time teaching programming and engineering to students in India, Africa, Vietnam and Denmark, and they have donated Spike Prime kits to Title I schools to support learners who have the fewest resources.
One team member summed it up: “We aren’t just building robots, but we’re building opportunities to spread STEM awareness among the students.”
Bringing Fremont’s Voice to Sacramento
This past November, Polaris Robotics attended the SASA Conference and CALC in Sacramento, where students met with policy specialists, educators and state leaders to learn how California’s education budget influences STEM programs.
During the conference, students learned about major statewide funding programs, such as the Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELOP) and Career Technical Education Incentive Grant (CTEIG).
Currently ELOP is funded at $4.5 billion with advocates striving to increase it to $5 billion to support after-school robotics and STEM programs. The funding for Career Technical Education Incentive Grant (CTEIG) has remained at $300 million since 2021 despite a 4.5% increase in CTE courses offered by public schools.
Armed with this knowledge, Polaris Robotics visited the offices of State Senator Aisha Wahab and Assemblymember Alex Lee to share how funding gaps affect robotics programs and limit opportunities for students across the community.
Another student reflected on the experience: “Speaking with lawmakers showed us that our voices matter.”
