Built to Impress: MAS Students Take Their Robot to Nationals

We’re very proud to celebrate three of our own — MAS Charter School juniors Yair Reyes, Malcolm Molina, and Luke Stroud — who recently traveled to Chicago, Illinois, to compete in the VEX EDR Robotics Competition at the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) 51st Annual Convention.

Held at the McCormick Place Convention Center from March 5-9, 2025, the VEX EDR Robotics competition prepares students to become future innovators, with nearly 100% of participants reporting an increased interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) subject areas.

Yair, Malcolm, and Luke are members of Greater ABQ NSBE Robotics, which supported them in designing and building a robot from the ground up. After six months of hard work and innovation, they earned the opportunity to showcase their creation on a national stage during a four-day event that brought together over 15,000 conference attendees from around the country.

Upon their return, they treated MAS students in grades 5–11 to a special demonstration of their robot (see video below)… an impressive machine capable of performing complicated tasks, showing exactly what’s possible with passion, creativity, and persistence.

We’re so proud of Yair, Malcolm, and Luke for representing Albuquerque with pride and ingenuity!