students competed in the held at in Japan in November. Competing as Team Â鶹´«Ã½ Robotics, led by advisor Assistant Professor Norman Takeya, students competed with students from different countries across Asia.
The students were exposed to the Japanese culture, made new friends with international students, and experienced competing on a world-class level. Honolulu CC was the only two-year college represented in the competition and second team from Â鶹´«Ã½. The other was from Waiākea High School.
“I believe that every competitor in the competition had the same build and design process but different ideas emerged from different teams, some a lot better than others,” shared Jarrett Kahoʻokele, a liberal arts major.
“Although we didn’t place in the top three, I feel very proud of myself and the team for placing 6th and competing in general. We were competing with, and did better than, some four-year colleges,” said Mabel Wong, a student who built a robot that danced Psy’s Gangnum Style.
For Jasmine Hoapili, a Honolulu CC student and IKE Scholar, she found similarities with the Hawaiian and Japanese cultures. “When we visited Atsuta shrine it made me feel respectful, just like the spiritual sites on Oʻahu. It created a desire for me to embrace my culture and learn more about it.”
Team Â鶹´«Ã½ Robotics is comprised of students from various University of Â鶹´«Ã½ campuses including , Honolulu CC, , and .
The team has qualified for the to be held in Anaheim, California. They will be competing with 80 other collegiate teams from around the world in April 2014. Last year Team Â鶹´«Ã½ came in 15th place, the third highest ranking U.S. team.
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