For the BectoBots, this year marks a historic achievement, as their own Medhasree Suram advanced to the First Tech Challenge (FTC) World Championship as a Dean’s List Finalist, in Houston, Texas, from April 16–19 at the George R. Brown Convention Center. This milestone highlights the team’s continuous growth and passion for robotics design, programming and engineering.
This is the first time that a student from a North Jersey has ever been deemed a Dean’s List Finalist! “I was very grateful to be honest,” Suram shares, “I never thought I would experience this in my high school career.”
Suram is the team’s Co-Captain and Lead Programmer of Becton’s BectoBots team, “I keep our team organized, code both TeleOp and autonomous, manage social media and ensure we met deadlines. I work closely with our captain, Nina Podkalicka, and coach, Mrs. Mackanin, to strategize, troubleshoot and make key decisions about our robot’s design.”
The qualifications for advancing to the FTC World Championship are competing and winning at the state level, which Becton successfully accomplished for the first time in their career. Their journey to state was fueled by an exceptional autonomous code, which made them stand out from other teams. Despite their strong programming skills, at state, they went up against faster, high performing teams, ultimately leading to their elimination. Although their robot did not advance, Suram’s nomination for the prestigious FTC Dean’s List made all the difference.
Coach of the Robotics Team, Mrs. Elizabeth Mackanin, chose to nominate Suram, emphasizing, “I cannot put into words how excited I was for Suram! I nominated her because I believe she would be the best representative for FTC. When they announced her finalist win, I screamed and cheered and then cried!”
A compelling interview and coach-written essay is required of all nominees to be selected. Suram competed against students from all over New Jersey for this honor and was chosen by the state as one of just four finalists in NJ, which earned her a spot at the world championships. In addition to excelling in the selection process, each nominee must also embody the core values of the FTC—leadership, dedication, and innovation.
Suram divulges on her role throughout that weekend, “They asked me to volunteer to be the Student Ambassador, and I went around showing companies what FIRST is about. It is an important role because normally people can’t volunteer for that, only the awardees can volunteer.”
On her trip to the FTC World Championship, Suram was accompanied by her teammates Angel Wei, Lhaze Kunsang, and Nina Podkalicka, as well as Becton science teacher, and their coach, Mrs. Mackanin.
Suram narrates the weekend schedule, “On the first day we were watching matches, and on the second day I was showing the sponsors from Google, Meta, and more how the matches work, and we went to different teams’ pit stations where they showcase the robot and its features. On Friday afternoon, we had a luncheon where we got to meet college representatives from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Yale and Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and they awarded the ten finalists.”
“It was really cool to see teams from other countries too,” Suram notes enthusiastically, “It was fun to talk to them in their own language– we used Google Translate! Teams from other countries brought something from their homeland – Vietnam brought a fan which they handmade right before the event. It was amazing to see people have the same passion from other countries.”
Each year the Robotics Team keeps getting better, “Last year we came very close to states and minor glitches held us back,” claims Mrs. Mackanin, sharing, “This year’s captains, Nina and Suram, have done an amazing job leading the team. They have worked hard to make the team more organized and professional, both in and out of competitions.”
Suram credits her team for their dedication and progress this season. She shares, “Making it to state was a big deal for the BectoBots. Even though we didn’t advance further, the team worked really hard and improved a lot.” Suram shared how proud she is of her teammates, listing Nina, Lhaze, Angel, Reilly, Jayden, Akansha, Zack, Brandon, Gerlina, RJ, Akash, Sai, Artur, Aliana and Cid, “Many started with little experience but we learned together and made it a successful year.”
Mrs. Mackanin has been a huge part of their success. Suram dubbed her “The Heart of BectoBots” because she stays after school almost every day, not only coaching, but also helping with building, troubleshooting and even school subjects like physics. She mentions, “Mrs. Mackanin goes above and beyond and we’re so lucky to have her.”
“Medhasree understands what FTC is all about and more than that, she is a phenomenal organizer. She has taught herself how to code and build through researching and resources provided by FIRST. She is extremely dedicated and cares about all members of the team – this is just a small portion of the reasons she made Dean’s list finalist,” Mrs. Mackanin returns gratitude on behalf of Suram.
Suram also highlights her role models, Becton alumni, Timothy Pineda, and current senior captain, Podkalicka. She praises, “Watching them work on the robot last year inspired me to step up and become a leader.” With this, Suram has learned that leadership is not just about giving directions, but also about helping and supporting the team.
Looking ahead, the team has big goals for next year, including improving the robot’s navigation by making it smaller and more efficient, and switching to Pedro Pathing—a system Suram learned about at Worlds. Suram explains that the team will also switch their robot parts’ manufacturing company to goBILDA for a more lightweight build. “We also plan to mentor the Ridgefield FTC team, qualify for States and expand outreach by promoting FIRST and FTC in rural areas. Lastly, I’ll help new members learn Java and pathing mechanisms,” Suram lays out.
“We want to keep growing as a team and introduce more people to robotics,” Mrs. Mackanin shares, emphasizing the importance of expanding STEM opportunities—especially in smaller communities.
The BectoBots are more motivated than ever to push boundaries and inspire the next generation of engineers, coders, and creators. Suram’s journey to the world stage proves that with passion and teamwork, even a small team from North Jersey can make a global impact!
