In just her second time competing in an international robotics competition, Jeongwon "Lucia" Han '23 and her team bested more than 150 teams to earn a medal!
The Seoul native (below, center) jetted to Geneva Switzerland in mid-October for The First Global Challenge, competing as part of Team Korea from October 12 through October 16.
The days were long — 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. (and that’s after working toward the competition during the summer, too) but the effort was worth it. Han’s team scored a silver medal, “which means that our alliance with Team Mexico, Tonga and Tanzania won a 2nd place among about 160 countries!” Han reported.
“I wanted to participate in this event because I was interested in robotics, and this is one of the biggest events for robotics,” said Han, who is studying AP Computer Science at Brooks, among other courses.
Her experience in the contest last year was markedly different since the challenges were all executed online. “Doing well in the competition this year meant a lot to me,” she said.
The benefit of collaborating in person, also added to the fun of the experience. “This event happened all over the world with people from various countries, so it was great to explore different cultures,” she said. “As we do in Brooks, we shared each other’s cultures by sharing some snacks, gifts and experiences.”
Communication and language skills Han has learned at Brooks came in handy, too, “because we had to form alliances with other countries and cooperate,” she added.
Han called the trip and the competition “rewarding,” for much more than just the satisfaction of medaling: “I had so much fun meeting people from all over the world!”
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