By: Richa ’28 and Sofia ’29
The Janksters recently competed in two major competitions over spring break: the Contra Costa District Event (CCDE) at Pittsburg High School from April 2 to 4, and the California Northern State Championship (District Championship) at The Cow Palace in Daly City from April 9 to 12. At the Contra Costa event, the team achieved a historic milestone by earning their first-ever FIRST Impact Award, automatically qualifying them for the District Championships.
CCDE officially began with Janksters Nora ’27, Avianna ’28, Kavya ’28, and Delisha ’28 performing the national anthem with their instruments as the “Janky Band.” The Janksters delivered strong performances in the qualification matches, finishing ranked 10th. During alliance selection, they were chosen as the first pick of Alliance 4, joining Team 7137, Project 212, and Team 2288, Hydra Robotics. Working closely with their partners, the alliance advanced to Round 3 and tied for 5th place.
Throughout the event, The Janksters presented to judges, explaining their outreach initiatives and engineering process. As part of the FIRST Impact Award evaluation, select team members also participated in a formal presentation and Q&A, highlighting their long-term commitment to expanding STEM access. They further embodied the spirit of FIRST by assisting other teams, often volunteering their time and materials, even for those on different alliances.
Following the final matches, the team celebrated their historic FIRST Impact Award win. This prestigious honor recognizes teams that promote and share STEM within their communities. The achievement was the result of months of preparation, including an original video, a multi-page essay, an executive summary, a seven-minute presentation, and years of documented outreach. These outreach initiatives span a wide range of efforts: hosting multiple events and workshop series for the robotics community; creating seven FLL teams that focus on fostering an early interest in STEM among middle school students; raising thousands of dollars through their food and hygiene product drive, Bots for Tots; and organizing LGBTQ+ in FIRST socials to promote inclusivity within STEM. In addition, the Janksters collaborate with Team 1869, Space Cookies, to help ensure that all FRC competitions across California have 100% menstrual product coverage. Reflecting on this accomplishment, long-time mentor and Notre Dame alumna Tamara ’16 shared, “I started our team's Impact Award process in 2015. Seeing that same passion in today’s students makes me incredibly proud. This award shows that with perseverance and support, anything is possible.”
At the California Northern State Championship, the robot performed consistently throughout the qualification matches, shooting and scoring at a higher capacity than ever before. During one match, the robot’s intake broke; however, the team was prepared and had brought a spare to replace it. After making the switch in about five minutes, they were ready to compete in their next match without any issues. By the end of the qualification matches, The Janksters were ranked 26th with seven wins and five losses. Although they were not selected during alliance selection, the team remained proud of their accomplishments.
Isabelle ’27, the team’s robot driver, reflected, “Playing with the top NorCal teams at this event really pushed the drive team to improve with every match, and it allowed us to show how much we've improved from our previous competitions. I hope that our performance makes the team proud of their own hard work to build and maintain a consistent robot that can perform at its full potential.”
Throughout the competition, the team thrived in the highly competitive atmosphere, delivering their best performance of the season at the District Championships. The event featured the top 60 teams in Northern California, and The Janksters ultimately finished ranked 90th out of 296 teams across California. During the awards ceremony, Clarina ’27 was honored with the FIRST Leadership Finalist Award, which recognizes a student leader who promotes the values of FIRST and STEM within their team and community. She will advance to compete at World Championships in Houston.
From attending their first District Championships to celebrating individual and team achievements, this season was filled with growth and lasting memories. Now, The Janksters are ready to finish up the season on a high note with their annual Robotics Appreciation Night on Saturday, May 16!
