Booz Allen Mentors Support Teams at FIRST® Robotics Alamo Super Regional Competition

This weekend, mentors from Booz Allen Hamilton will support three teams of San Antonio high school students as they compete alongside more than 200 other groups - comprising up to 5,000 students - in the FIRST® Robotics Alamo Super Regional Competition, to be held at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center. Teams will showcase their hard work after an intense six weeks of designing and building an original robot, and compete for bids to the FIRST® Championship to be held April 27th- 30th at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, MO.

Booz Allen Hamilton is proud to sponsor teams from South San Antonio High School, Virginia Allred Stacey High School, and the “Screaming Chickens,” a team representing students from several area schools. Booz Allen gives each team a grant of $2,500 along with the guidance of a skilled Booz Allen employee as a mentor. The firm is also a sponsor of the San Antonio event.

Booz Allen is a top employer for STEM professionals and many of its employees donate their free time in support of a broad range of STEM programs and mentorships like FIRST. During the 2014-15 season, employees mentored 72 FIRST teams (1,600 youth) in 15 states and the District of Columbia. Earlier this year, the firm joined the ranks as a designated FIRST® strategic partner—one of only 18 organizations to achieve such recognition. 

Booz Allen Principal Tony Zertuche has been involved with FIRST for 2 years and serves on the FIRST regional Board of Directors for San Antonio. He says, “The San Antonio community at large benefits so much from FIRST, which helps thousands of area kids each year develop a love for STEM. Many of these kids will go on to major in engineering and related STEM degrees at major universities and continue to build Texas’ reputation as a leader in STEM. At Booz Allen, we are invested in building the STEM pipeline, and particularly in developing a more diverse STEM workforce.”

As part of the weekend’s events, three Booz Allen women – Alison Lambert, Kelly Vanoy, and Monica Simpson - will participate in the “Women are FIRST” networking breakfast for girls who are interested in STEM.

Texas is leading the way in introducing kids to STEM, with robotics named a University Interscholastic League activity. Read more.

Read More about FIRST.

Read more about Booz Allen Hamilton’s commitment to STEM.