Illinois-Based Youth Robotics Team Places 5th In International Finals

Sawyer Rinn and Tristan Souza, Both Aged 12, Came In Top 5 Out Of Over 100 Teams

NAPERVILLE, IL, UNITED STATES, December 10, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Twelve-year old American students Sawyer Rinn and Tristan Souza recently finished 5th in the world at the World Robot Olympiad (WRO) International finals in Izmir, Turkey. Running from November 28-30th, 2024, the competition featured over 100 teams from 90 countries. The team, under the name Johnny 5 v2.0, were representing Team USA after having qualified by finishing 3rd at USA nationals in July.

Sawyer and Tristan are members of the Robotics Academy at Chasewood Learning in Naperville, IL. They are being coached by William Wong, the founder of Chasewood Learning Robotics Academy. Wong has previously coached 14 National Champion teams over the course of his career. To celebrate these young students’ exceptional achievement, Congressmen Bill Foster will officially enter a Records Statement on their behalf on December 14th. The exact details of the event are as follows:

Date: December 14th
Time: 10 am
Location: Chasewood Learning Facility, 1701 Quincy Ave Ste 9, Naperville, IL 60540

“It is a privilege to watch these bright young students' perseverance and dedication pay off,” says William Wong. “Their placement in the global top 5 is a testament to their immense hard work and ingenuity. To have attained such an accomplishment at their age is a powerful indication of the bright future that awaits them in engineering and robotics.”

The WRO competition required the two students to design, build, and code robots to autonomously complete a wide variety of tasks. The team spent over 700 hours of practice to ensure that their robot performed with the utmost reliability and efficiency. During this period, they continually refined, revised, and adjusted it to ensure that it was competition-ready.

This latest achievement is part of an extensive track record of success for this young team. Sawyer and Tristan previously finished 1st place at the WRO Americas Open in September in Puerto Rico. In addition, Swayer won a national title in 2022, representing Team USA in Germany and placing runner-up nationally in 2023. Previous students learning under Wong have successfully been admitted to nationally top-ranked universities.

“Placing in fifth at the WRO international finals really is a dream come true,” says Sawyer. “I’ve learned how hard work pays off, and I’m so thankful to Tristan and Mr. Wong for being such a great team. I can’t wait to see what next year holds for us.”

The recognition from Congressman Foster serves to highlight the national importance of Sawyer and Tristan’s accomplishments. The team’s success is not only a boon to youth STEM education in Illinois, but raises the stature of the USA as a whole on a global scale.

About Robotics Academy at Chasewood Learning

The Robotics Academy at Chasewood Learning is a premier provider of after-school STEM programming. Offering a wide variety of programs encompassing all skill levels, from beginner to elite, the Robotics Academy aims to nurture the future of STEM in the U.S. by making quality education more accessible to youth from a variety of backgrounds. Offering everything from robotics and coding camps to birthday parties and competitions, the organization provides youth with a mix of fun and education.

Darryl Brisebois
MackaseyHoward Communications
+1 514-518-4328
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Johnny 5 2.0 RoboMission Elementary