Oakland County commissioner presents proclamation honoring Girl Bots robotics team

At Larson Middle School in Troy, Oakland County Commissioner Ann Erickson Gault presented a proclamation honoring Girl Bots, an all-girls middle school FIRST robotics team, after a brief introduction by a school presenter.

A presenter at the school said the team "has received 17 official FIRST Robotics awards, including three consecutive first place standings in the Inspire Awards category," and noted the team earned one of nine spots in its division at the global premier tournament scheduled for later this month, where it will face nearly 100 competitors.

"I'm Commissioner Ann Erickson Gault of the Oakland County Board of Commissioners, and I love programs that lift up young people, especially young women," Erickson Gault said, presenting the proclamation. "When we invest in young women in STEM, we invest in the future of Oakland County."

Krithika Chandra, the team's coding captain, introduced the robot and its name: "I'm Krithika Chandra, and I'm the coding captain of Girl Bots FTC team 22918, and our robot is named Caitlin Clank after Caitlin, the WNBA player, because our game this season is very similar to basketball, and we want our robot to score as precise as her." The comment explained the team's naming choice and the season's game strategy.

The recognition ended with the team and audience responding "Girl Bots!" The school presenter and county commissioner did not specify the exact date of the global tournament in the remarks on the record.