Girl Power Giving Tuesday Spotlight:
Claire Bishop

Claire Bishop is a 9th grader who has been homeschooled for most of her academic career but has just begun attending some classes at Greenfield-Central High School while continuing her homeschool learning. She has been part of a VEX Robotics team for 4 years and is currently a member of 1115B Team Ramrod.

What’s the most inspiring thing about being on a robotics team?

The most inspiring part of being in robotics for me is absolutely seeing the impact I can make in others’ lives. One of my favorite memories from my robotics career was last year at Worlds: a third grade girl from Florida ran up to me and asked for my autograph. I laughed a bit and signed her game piece and took a selfie with her. I didn’t think much of it. However, her dad came up to me shortly after and told me that she was freaking out after she met me and that I was her inspiration. That was so awesome to see that my actions were inspiring young girls.

What would you say to girls who might be intimidated by the thought of joining a robotics team?

DO NOT BE SCARED AT ALL. Jump in. Do your absolute best and ask thousands of questions. Don’t think that you can’t do it because you aren’t smart enough or you’re too young. Set your mind to it and go all in! I joined not knowing ANYTHING about robotics and now I love it. Don’t get discouraged because you are smart enough, brave enough, and more than able to crush it! You got this!

Why is it important for girls to engage in STEM (in school and in their careers)?

Robotics prepares you for so much! Not only looking at things from a creative point of view, but also the public speaking skills you learn! You develop an eye for catching problems and instantly come up with hundreds of ideas on how to fix them. You also get a ton of practice speaking in front of people and that will definitely benefit you in so many areas of your life!

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