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RALEIGH—In order to compete in the regional Make it or Break It: First Robotics in North Carolina event, students had to bring creativity and ingenuity to the table in order to reach the goal: to build a state of the art robot.

The students were required to follow strict guidelines to meet the rules and regulations regarding their robot, all the way down to the exact weight by the pound. The robot must be able to kick or roll a ball across the goal line to score points. Forty-four teams in all compete for the best builders’ bragging rights.

It is an exercise in engineering and teamwork, but students also learn lessons that extend far beyond the classroom and build character for the future.

“This was honestly one of the greatest experiences of my life. With Robotics, I feel like I’ve matures a lot. I feel like I’ve become a better leader, and a better person,” said David Illing, Pine Lake Preparatory.

Time Warner Cable focused on the event as part of its Connect a Million Minds program.

“What they’ve done is really amazing because they’ve made science and technology and engineering and math. They’ve made it really fun for kids and they’ve taken it out of the classroom environment. As a judge, it was great because I had the opportunity to go around and talk with the kids about their robots and about kind of how did they approach the problem-solving,” said Susan Leepson, Regional VP of Communication and Public Affairs, Time Warner Cable.

Many will tell you it took a lot of trial and error, but eventually they’re satisfied with the outcome.