Valor partnered with Canyon Ridge Middle School Robotics to host our first FLL Bootcamp in prep for the new FLL season. The camp included a presentation by Emily Hyde from UT Austin's Marine Science Department, workshops that focused on hardware, software, the innovation project, learn more about their scrimmages, and get a better understanding of the FLL Challenge.

By engaging with industry experts who resonate with Valor's mission, we had the opportunity to present and engage in discussions at Box’s Austin office, a content cloud company. This experience allowed us to raise awareness about FIRST and demonstrate firsthand the impact of investing in STEM education for youth.

Every February, The University of Texas at Austin Women in STEM organization hosts a “Girl Day” to give elementary and middle school students, families, and educators a chance to explore STEM through grade-appropriate, hands-on activities hosted by scientists, engineers, astronomers, mathematicians and other STEM enthusiasts from student organizations, research centers, corporate partners and community organizations. Valor attended this year guiding young girls through various activities while also connecting with other educators in the area. Bringing girls of our own enabled us to encourage participation in FIRST as well as general robotics programs through a personal lens.

Through our involvement with the local GirlStart chapter, which focuses on empowering girls in grades 4-8 through STEM education, Valor successfully presented an exciting pathway for girls to explore their potential. By resonating with GirlStart's core principles of promoting risk-taking, nurturing curiosity, and fostering creativity, 6800 had the privilege to interact with young girls from the organization. Through an interactive session and a glimpse into the world of FRC, we managed to inspire more than 30 girls to consider this exciting field.

One of our most empowering local organizations is OutYouth which aims to offer youth of all sexual orientations and gender identities a place where they are loved, acknowledged, and accepted for exactly who they are. These strong values aligned with Valor’s mission of including all to be inspired to participate in the next generation of STEM learning. To involve and meet OutYouth members, we invited them to our facility and gave them a full tour (shop, marketing room, labs, etc) and even gave them a full robot demonstration and overview.

Valor hosted its first annual sponsor night on November 7th. The 2-hour RSVP event had over 20+ participants from companies such as PayPal, BAE Systems, FireFly, Screen Innovations, ProDevBase Technologies, and even Nokia. These companies came to observe what we have been up to throughout the season and see how their investment has impacted their local community.

For the second year in a row, Valor gave a robot demonstration and presentation for children aged 5-7 at the Jeremiah Foundation, a national organization dedicated to breaking the cycle of poverty for single mothers and their children by providing safe housing and education. This year, Valor gave a robot demonstration and then guided the children through an age-appropriate STEM activity to instill values in the engineering design process.