The MHS Robotics Team flew to California Feb. 15 to compete in a Signature Event, VEX Robotics Tournament, hosted by Google. The competition is a nationwide, invitation-only event, reserved for those who have won tournaments and/or received distinguished awards in their respective states. MHS Robotics was the only team to represent Illinois.

“Though we were unable to participate in the final elimination bracket, our team was able to compete and score in every match throughout the day,” said Manny Aldana, Robotics Team advisor. “It was a great opportunity for our students and they remain fired up for state competition this weekend,” he said.

Aside from the competition, the team also had the chance to spend some time with an MHS graduate, Peter Kowalczyk, Class of 2012, who works at Google. He took the group on a tour of the Google Campus in Mountain View. “During the tour, he was able to share stories about the time when he was in Robotics at MHS gave advice to our students about how to create a path leading to a career that is both lucrative and fulfilling,” Aldana said.