From May 6 to May 8, 2025, my team and I had the chance to compete in the VEX Robotics World Championship—held at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas. This annual event brings together the top-performing teams from around the globe for the VEX IQ, VEX V5, and VEX U competitions. We were there to represent Team 66475C – Ex Machina in the VEX V5 High School division.
Since 2021, my teams have qualified for Worlds five years in a row—each time representing Washington as one of the state’s top contenders. This year, we were proud to win the State Championship, earn our ticket to Dallas, and compete in the Design Division, which included 83 qualified teams from all over the world.
And we made it count:
🏆 Design Division Champions
🌍 Top 8 globally among 831 teams
💥 Quarterfinalists overall
Huge thanks to our incredible partner team 1010G (TenTon Robotics) from British Columbia, Canada, who helped make our division title possible. If you’re curious about how it all unfolded, you can catch the recap here:
👉 Watch the recap
My Role
As Main Builder, I utilized 3D modeling software to design the robot, ensuring efficient planning and resource management. I was actively involved in constructing all aspects of the robot, including the drive base and various subsystems. In this role, I also managed the team of builders, ensuring their work was properly integrated and aligned with the overall design, fostering collaboration and maintaining high standards throughout the building process.
Participating in this kind of international competition is incredibly rewarding—not just for the technical skills, but for what it teaches you about teamwork, dealing with pressure, and adapting to the unexpected. And honestly, one of the best parts is just making friends from all over the world.
If you’re interested in robotics, I highly recommend giving this competition a shot.
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Coming soon: I’ll be sharing updates on my summer AI projects—stay tuned!
— Andrew
CompLing Insights 
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