Robotics reward critical thinking, problem solving for future engineers

photo by Grace Schellinger

WAVE robotics consistently leaves ripples of impact throughout the community, participating in competitions all over the state of Wisconsin. This year, the group is creating a robot that shoots yellow spheres up while maneuvering through a track. The team hopes to equal the vast success of the past, when teams even went on to national-level competitions.

With many things happening all at once, teamwork is a critical part of creating a successful robot, according to junior Grace Schellinger.

“Our season starts in mid January, when we are given a game and rule book, and tasked to design a competitive robot, which scores the most points and can work with two other robots on the field,” she said. “We then work to design, build, and program this robot to score the most points with our teammates in a match.”

For this season, the team must imagine a whole new robot. Working together, they have been tasked with creating a new design that fits into the description and requirements of this year’s competition, according to senior Sydney Kuen.

“Our team has been doing great things this year. Every year we must create a whole new design for a robot using only parts we made to create a robot that weighs about 115 pounds,” she said.

However, there is more to WAVE than just building robots. Schellinger finds that the impact of WAVE goes well beyond competitions and into community building with other schools, social media, and other new experiences.

“Not only do we create a competition robot, we are additionally active in our community and stay active on our social media accounts,” she said.

Kuen appreciates the responsibility WAVE brings, specifically the vast amount of community service that is required in order to attend specific meets.

“Wave helps our community by requiring 20 hours of volunteering from our students to attend competitions,” she said. “We have over 30 outreach events where we help our community learn about STEM.”

Sophomore CiCi Enli, along with many others,  takes on lots of responsibility within the team by juggling multiple roles both within the squad and in the wider Wisconsin community.

“I am the subteam lead for Unity and Access as well as Impact, and I am also in marketing, mainly social media at this time of year, as well as outreach,” she said.

This marketing certainly pays off, as it drove Enli to take part in the team. This outreach inspired her, empowering her to take on her current role within the hierarchy.

“The original reason I wanted to join WAVE was actually for marketing!” she said. “All of the cool buttons, earrings, social media posts, t-shirt designs, and creative opportunities brought me in.”

For Schellinger, she recently decided to join the team because of the career opportunities it provided. She knew that it would give her the skills necessary to advance her future career in engineering.

“I joined the summer of 2025 because it was recommended by my youth apprentice to help build my resume,” she said. “I want to do something in the engineering field as a career one day, and this was an amazing opportunity to get a feel for it.”

WAVE has brought Enli many new experiences, including the chance to compete in a national competition. The memories and skills she gained from participating will last a lifetime.

“My favorite part about competitions is definitely the fun times I have with friends there. Last year, we went to World Championships in Houston and it was the most exciting time, especially because of being with my friends,” she said. “Even at local competitions, I love the girlhood of robotics.”

Kuen has many proud accomplishments that come from being a part of the team. Being a part of WAVE brings the chance to win unique awards that show hard work and problem solving when it comes to engineering.

“My favorite memory in WAVE is winning the Engineering Inspiration award with CiCi as we had worked incredibly hard to earn this,” she said. “We had to write an essay, paragraphs, make a presentation, memorize and write a script, and present in front of judges.”

The community that is fostered within the WAVE robotics club extends beyond just the team. Enli takes advantage of the ability to get close with competitors from other school teams, building new bonds for the future.

“These kinds of spaces really foster friendships among minorities, like Women in STEM, which is why I have become so close to a lot of girls from other teams that I see at competitions,” she said.

by Chloe Lusvardi and Kayden Brandt

Published March 20, 2026

Oshkosh West Index Volume 122 Issue VI