The Cayman Islands National Robotics Team achieved its highest placement to date at the 2025 FIRST Global Challenge in Panama, finishing 34th out of 191 national teams.
The team, supported through Dart’s Minds Inspired programme, finished just two spots shy of advancing to the finals, marking its strongest competitive showing yet, said Dart in a press release.
“This top 40 finish is an amazing achievement for Cayman,” said Glenda McTaggart, team mentor and senior manager, education programmes at Dart. “The team’s performance, teamwork and poise showcased the strength and potential of Cayman’s growing STEM community. They should be incredibly proud of how they represented their country.”
Cayman’s team stood out not only for its performance but also for being one of the few teams with three girls and an all-female drive team, the release said.
Dezira Tatum, one of the drivers at the helm, described STEM as a pathway to solving global challenges, saying it was interesting to “see new minds explore the different perspectives of a game based on world problems and then come together to solve them”.
Tatum added that this experience has shaped her interest in many other fields, not just engineering and coding, which aligns with FIRST Global’s report that 90% of participants become more interested in pursuing science or technology careers after competing. “I saw my future shine brighter than ever at FIRST Global,” said Tatum.
The five-day competition was filled with activity and cultural exchange, including the display of national booths, an opening ceremony and a cultural night, where the Cayman team proudly waved the Cayman Islands flag before a packed stadium, said the release.
The Cayman Islands delegation featured students from nine local schools, which individually nominated each participant: Logan Collins and Isaac Conly (St. Ignatius Catholic School), Jean-Matthew Downie (Triple C School), Emily Hansraj (John Gray High School), Sean Higgins (Cayman Prep & High School), Jamie Johnson (Clifton Hunter High School), Hallie Malcolm (John Gray High School), Nathaniel Shaughness (Cayman International School) and Dezira Tatum (Grace Christian Academy).
Each team member was selected by a committee following the Minds Inspired FIRST Tech Challenge tournament, the precursor to the FIRST Global Challenge, which was held earlier this year.
Looking ahead, McTaggart said that the Mind’s Inspired programme will be expanding with the introduction of a new Junior VEX IQ Challenge in 2026. “We need to nurture the next generation of innovators even earlier than at high school age. The introduction of a junior programme will allow us to pique the interest in STEM fields from middle and elementary levels and to build an even stronger foundation for up-and-coming innovators,” she said.
The Junior VEX IQ Challenge will be held on 27 Feb. 2026 and the Minds Inspired Robotics Tech Challenge is set for 28 Feb., both taking place at the Arts and Recreation Centre in Camana Bay.
To learn more about these events and Minds Inspired, go to mindsinspired.ky.
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