Senior Diana Maldonado has learned and achieved many things while being the president of the Robotics club. Robotics refined her leadership skills even more and introduced her to a new world. 

Although she won’t be the president of the Robotics club next year due to this being her last year in high school, the skills and experience she acquired from being president of the Robotics club will carry on in her future and aid her throughout her adulthood.

“Due to my love for robotics, the club’s members, and creating change in my community and school I decided to pursue becoming the president of the Robotics Club,” said Maldonado. “I also attribute my position to the past leadership that saw merit in my work and guided me through my years as a member.”

Robotics has overall had a positive impact on Maldonado’s life, giving her insight to useful knowledge and skills.

“Robotics has impacted my life in a variety of ways. It has exposed me to the wondrous world of real-world STEM applications. I have gained new insight into coding, design, robot manufacturing, and community outreach. Robotics has made me a better communicator, problem-solver, and leader.”

Maldonado is very hardworking and has shown dedication to robotics, which is evident in the various accomplishments she has made while being a part of the team.

“Last year, I coordinated the effort to submit a Chairman’s Award for our FRC competition season. I gained a lot of valuable knowledge, and this year, I am pursuing a Woodie Flower’s Award, Chairman’s Award, and Entrepreneurship Award. This year I am also very proud of both Kappa and Gamma for participating in a wonderful VEX season. Kappa went as far as qualifying for state.”

Maldonado describes her experience as president of the robotics club as a great one. 

“My experience as president of the robotics club has been wonderful. I have formed a family with the members of the club and have learned a variety of skills that will serve me well in the future. I am grateful for the amazing opportunity to lead such an incredible club,” she said. 

Although Maldonado is a great leader, it was not always easy to lead the club.

“There were some points in which I felt that I lacked the skills necessary to be a proper leader for the club. In some cases, I felt as if I had too many activities to balance in my life. Fortunately, my friends and mentors have always kept me motivated,” she said. “I believe that the problems we encounter will always have accompanying solutions. Although there were times, I felt like it was very difficult, the learning opportunities and relationships I have formed within my extracurriculars have made my high school experience unforgettable.”

Maldonado loves many things about Robotics, from the people to the activities to the experiences, but the one thing that Maldonado enjoys the most about robotics is competing.

“My favorite part of robotics is competing. This is the culmination of all the work done throughout the building, designing, and coding stages. It is an experience full of pride and strategy. I do, however, love and believe all aspects of robotics to be essential,” she said. 

David Cemer, the robotics club sponsor, acknowledges how essential Maldonado is to the team. 

“As a team we would not be able to do half of what we do without her. She has literally come in and filled in the blanks which allowed this team to grow,” Cemer said. “We are running 3 vex teams right now plus a 4th FRC and she is overseeing team sigma which is doing entrepreneur awards and academic awards, the academic piece is also included in robotics. So, she has a lot to oversee and we wouldn’t be able to do half of that stuff if it weren’t for her.”

Cemer summed up Maldonado in three words.

“Productive, Diligent, and thoughtful,” Cemer said. “There are no random actions from her, everything she does ends up being effective. You can tell that she is deliberate and intentional by what she does with her time.”