Fort Worth students battle it out in robotics competition

Dozens of Fort Worth's brightest high school students battled it out in a tough competition.

The group gathered at Texas Wesleyan University for a robotics competition. But it's much more than just a contest.

The robotics class came down to a final showdown of mechanics and the mind. The robots were evenly matched. The brains and competitive spirit come from the students who built them.

"I let her be the competitive side,” said student Louis Anguiano. “I just get to have fun. I built the robot.”

Teammate Yendy Avila is competitive. But when she thinks about winning, it's about securing a future.

"At first, I wanted to be a robotics engineer. But after that, I found out I wanted to be an animator,” she said. “This helps me a lot by knowing more about the movement and how it works."

The competition is a clash of titans — students with a driving force. They're from four Fort Worth high schools taking a summer robotics class at Texas Wesleyan University.

The class is part of Upward Bound, a college prep program. Many of the students in it will be the first in their family to go to college.

The object of the competition is for the teams' robots to pick up letters and spell ‘TX WES’ by tacking them up on a board. But there are several ways to score points.

The big prize is a stuffed toy. It's good for a lot of extra points if your robot is first to snatch it up and drop it in a tin box.

The enthusiasm from the students tells you it is a lot of fun. It is a lot like a crossroads with no stop sign. But it's the path these students will have to learn to negotiate to succeed.