Sweera Kshitij Sharma, 14, has been building robots for years.

It started with a programming toy – a mouse that could navigate simple mazes – her father gave her when she was just five years old. But it wasn’t until two years later when she took a STEM exploration class where she really discovered her love for building physical robots.

“I really enjoy anything technical and mathematics, so robotics was like the perfect fusion of those two,” the Neuqua Valley High School freshman said. “I find it super enjoyable. It’s solving problems, and that’s one of the things that I really love.”

That love of building became more serious over time for Sharma, who competed in her first robotics competition at 10 years old. Her father, Kshitij Sharma, subsequently found himself roped into that world a

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