WCTEL supports Due West’s Robotics team on its competitive path

The Due West Robotics team is on a path to winning, and it just got a boost from WCTEL.

WCTEL presented Due West Robotics with a $2500 donation March 19, as the Due Westerners compete in the second of two PCH District Qualifiers March 21-23. If they qualify, they will compete in the PCH (Peachtree) District Championship in Macon, Georgia, April 4-6.

“We even have the potential of qualifying for the FIRST® World Championship in Houston, Texas, from April 17th to April 20^th,” says Due West Robotics President Charles Angel.

The Due Westerners is one team within Due West Robotics, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation run entirely by volunteers. The teams impact hundreds of students every year in the counties of Greenwood, Laurens, Abbeville, and Anderson in the upstate of South Carolina.

“When we started our robotics program, we were told that we could not sustain a STEM program in rural South Carolina, and that even if we did, our small population would make it impossible for our youth to compete at a high level against teams from much larger areas,” Angel says. “Our students have a lot to be proud of, and they are inspiring other rural areas to believe great things are possible regardless of where they live.”

“West Carolina has a tradition of supporting our communities’ youth,” says Shannon Sears, WCTEL director of commercial operations. “We watched Due West Robots compete in the world championship last year, and have no reason to believe they won’t get there again this year. These kids inspire us every day, and we’re honored to be one small part of their support system.”