The VEX Robotics Club is one of many technology-focused clubs at Lexington High School. In this current age of technology, starting robotics early is important in order to excel in the field. 

VEX is the largest robotics competition in the world, with over 14,000 teams worldwide all competing for a spot at the World Championships in late April. Despite not qualifying in the past two seasons, captain Jeff Li is confident that this year will be different.

Although I compete in VEX as well, I spend my time on a private team which is a vastly different experience than a school team. This week, I had the privilege of attending one of their meetings as a guest, and their outreach is incredible. Despite already having 20+ people on teams, they have many freshmen and sophomores interested in joining.

From Oct. 16 to 18, the club attended their first competition of the year: “Lobstah Bowl”. This was a Signature Event, giving teams the opportunity to qualify for Worlds early. Li’s team 15797A made it to the semifinals, where they lost to the world champions from the 23-24 season. Although disappointing, it adds credibility to Li’s confidence for the upcoming season. 

We are witnessing a dramatic shift in technology today. With the recent AI boom and a political push for manufacturing to return to the U.S., high school robotics can lead to future careers in these growing industries. A member from the team said, “reliability is more important than possibility. [The teams] both had robots without a dominant mechanism but still made up for it with consistency”. These skills gained from VEX, such as time management, project planning, and interviewing, can be applied beyond  robotics as well.

The future of VEX at LHS looks promising, and Li is hopeful that the rising success of the club within the region will continue past his graduation.