U.S. Army recruiters supported Seneca High School students in their FIRST robotics competition on the weekend of March 26, emphasizing the service’s career opportunities for those interested in robots and other STEM-oriented fields. The recruiters who visited Seneca are part of a mid-Atlantic battalion that goes to high schools not only to educate but also observe what students have accomplished with their robotics.
Michael Halloran, chief of advertising and public affairs for the Army Recruiting Station, noted his connection to the development director of FIRST Robotics Mid-Atlantic, Herb Katz, whose group covers all of New Jersey, greater Philadelphia and Delaware to bring recruiters to school events.
The Seneca event is one of seven mid-Atlantic visits the Army will make in March, and a regional robotics competition will then be held at Lehigh University from April 7 to 9, with district winners competing for the first championship title.
The robotics competition combines a sports-like feel with technology. Seneca students who compete are required to raise funds, design a team identity, fabricate and program robots while developing teamwork and advance their STEM skills, according to Allison Luchnick, public affairs officer for Army Mid-Atlantic Battalion. That unit brought its own robots to show students what they could do, including picking up cookies from a table.
Halloran said the school event enables recuritiers to share knowledge of the Army’s scholarship and career opportunities, such as technology and electronic intelligence.
“There’s some amazing career field opportunities that they [the students] can stick with for 20 years, or they can leave with amazing skills that are going to be applied to fields outside the military,” Luchnick explained.
She said connecting with students is important to everyone involved, especially as it relates to the FIRST robotics competition.
“It gives us that face-to-face time, those connections, which lets us develop these relationships that allow us in the door to … talk to students and educate the guidance counselors, educate other teachers, so that they can help the students make informed decisions about their next step in life.” Luchnick added.
For more information, visit the high school website at https://www.lrhsd.org/seneca
