‘Team Seychelles’ captain prepares for International Robotic Challenge |20 July 2018
• “We can make a huge stance in displaying the ideal that women can make it in the IT industry”
Following the victory of her school’s team during one of three Robot Building and Programming competition days held locally in April this year for International Girls in ICT day, Steffie-Ann Monthy, along with three other young girls from different schools, was nominated to represent ‘Team Seychelles’ at the 2018 First GLOBAL Robotic Challenge in Mexico.
As she prepares for the challenge which will take place in August, Steffie-Ann shares how she and her team won the local robotic challenge, and how she intends to take on her role as captain of ‘Team Seychelles’ in Mexico.
Background
“I am a student at International School Seychelles (ISS) and I am currently in S4, Term3. I have always been very studious at school and achieving high grades for tests or examinations.
“I go to the School of Dance, and I have been dancing since I was young. Apart from my interest in engineering and robotics, I am very fond of music, particularly the classical piano for which I previously attended classes, as well as art and poetry. I serve at my church as an alter server, and I take part in many activities that come my way, but not too much to overload and affect my education.
Victory at national ‘Robotics Competition’
“I chose Innovation Communication & Technology (ICT) as one of my electives for my IGCSE courses and found myself not only enjoying the subject, but being very alert and skilled when it came to coding activities which can potentially aid with the programming task for the robotics competition.
“As I have been taking part in a Duke of Edinburgh Programme, one of the challenges was to learn a skill, a service and a physical activity for 3 or 6 months. I chose dance for physical activity; alter server at my local church for a service; and for a skill, I chose robotics and decided to try out the robotics club. On my first day it was dominated by boys and I seemed out a place, but I continued taking part in the lessons because I wanted to learn more.
“Later, my ICT teacher asked if I would be interested in taking part in an all-girls robotics competition. It was a surprise to me, but I always endorse taking on challenges and obtaining new experiences, so I gladly accepted.
“I didn't think our team would have the chance of winning since we had little or no prior experience in robotics. Despite this disadvantage, we didn't take it as a reason to be discouraged; instead we were excited to learn, to represent our school, and hopefully bring back knowledge of robotics that we could share with our school.
“Surprisingly, we managed to win first place; in my opinion, I think it’s because we worked excellently as a team and communicated very well with each other. The teamwork allowed us to cooperate and to think strategically on how to approach the challenge.
Robotics Challenge in Mexico
“I think I was chosen out of my team for International Girls in ICT Day competition because I am the most appropriate choice when considering someone who has the initiative to be social, take on a bigger challenge, and handle it orderly. I am used to taking on many struggles, yet being organised and able to control things, especially with dance classes and school work.
“I think my teacher nominated me because I was best suited, being one of the oldest and most independent in the previous team, to take on this challenge, make something out of it, to represent my school, to make a difference, and make my family proud.
‘Team Seychelles’ Captain
“I have always been an independent character, and when working in teams, I always prefer to have a leadership role as I am very literate in taking control, and guiding tasks in an elaborate and achievable way that has always been successful.
“Also I like to ensure equality in the team and that all members work equally as hard. A captain’s job is not to control a team, and should be the main reason why a group is successful or not; it is simply their guidance that encourages teamwork and the members to tackle a challenge elaborately, so that the whole team can prosper together and make a difference on a larger scale.
“Since the first meeting, I was the more confident member in initiating discussions, giving potential ideas or generally being more confident in addressing ourselves.
“As captain, I will mainly be advising the team and creating a plan for us to carry out the job efficiently, thinking of strategic ways in how we can not only develop our skills, but also improve for the competition.”
Energy Impact
“This year the theme of the competition is ‘Energy Impact’ and participants will learn about real-world energy challenges, and the role of diverse sources of energy.
“Teams will be organised into two alliances comprising of three national teams per alliance that are randomized every game. It is played on a 6m by 7m field where each alliance of national teams work together to connect and power their respective villages, using multiple energy generation sources.
“Our job as the Seychelles team is to build and program a robot that can carry out these tasks efficiently, and to have a good gaming plan on how to approach this challenge.
First reactions
“When I was nominated for the robotics competition in Mexico City, it seemed very bizarre to me at first, as I never would have thought someone like me would ever reach as far across the globe. After a while, I was thrilled, realising what a huge, life-changing experience this would be.
“I immediately told my parents of the wonderful opportunity. They were just as thrilled and excited, but mainly anxious to know all the details about the competition itself. They are very thankful to the school and to the National Institute of Science Technology and Innovation (Nisti).
“At first I was doubtful if I was capable of taking such a responsibility and felt as though I would be one of the weak links in the group who wouldn’t be of much assistance. But after the first meeting and getting to know the other team members, I realised I was just as nervous as they were.
“In the end, now knowing details of the competition, my confidence has boosted greatly, and I believe that with the help of teamwork, and the guidance by Nisti, we can accomplish this, make the most of it, learning as much as we can out of this new experience.
Preparing for Mexico
“For the preparation of the competition, I am planning to do extensive research to learn every detail about this competition, analyse the instructions and information booklets we were provided with from Nisti, work day and night if I have to, to evolve the best approach to this challenge, and to carry the task.
“I plan to make calculations and predictions to aid with the structural design of the robot, to ensure that it is best fit to carry out the tasks. Perhaps, our team can also seek advice from the team who went to Washington D.C last year, so that we may gain knowledge of their experiences, and think about how to improve from what they had learned, so that this year we can make a greater stance.
Women can help build a better future for Seychelles
“Being an all-girls team, I definitely think that we can make a huge stance in displaying the ideal that women can make it in the IT industry, and that being a small island, we do have individuals that are interested in the technology of the future, and have the potential in elaborating ideas on how the world can develop, and to create a better future for Seychelles.
“I bestow this opportunity as a chance for me to make a difference in my country, and perhaps make a mark in the competition, to display my personal skills and ideas so others can know what I am capable of achieving.
“I am also proud to represent my school and I hope to push Team Seychelles further to reach a higher level this year, and make the effort worth trying. I hope this competition will encourage other young females to be interested in this field, and to not be doubtful of pursuing robotics despite with getting used to being in a room full of boys, as in my case it can lead to many greater opportunities.