Students meet with legislators to advocate for STEM funding

HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — School was out for many students across Central Virginia on Monday, but despite having a day off, several STEM students spent the day advocating for their education.

78 students from six robotics teams across Virginia gathered at Deep Run High School for a STEM advocacy seminar, before taking a field trip to the General Assembly.

At the seminar, students had the opportunity to learn about legislation, ask questions, and prepare to meet with Senators and Delegates.

Some students traveled up to three hours to represent their school and advocate for other schools that may lack the funding needed to start up a robotics team of their own.

“I think it was important to come down here so that we could all see firsthand that we can't take STEM grants for granted, even though it's really easy for us, and that there are so many kids in this area that really, really need us to do the work so that they will be able to get the same opportunities we have access to," said Naija Shah, a STEM student in Loudoun County.

This is the second year that these students have held this event -- and they’re hoping their advocacy encourages other high schoolers to champion for change

“We want to ensure that voices are heard consistently throughout each session and that we want young people to know that they can affect change, not with only a vote but with their voice,” said Neil Tawney.

Because of the advocacy work these students have been doing – they were able to get a bill passed – designating March 31st as the first state-wide robotics day.