We’re sharing stories from our global community. Real accounts of how robotics and WRO® have helped shape the lives of students, coaches, and mentors. This one is about a coach in the Philippines whose commitment kept learning alive through storms, and school closures.

When heavy rains flooded Quezon City in July this year, classes at Betty Go-Belmonte Elementary School were cancelled for a week. Roads were impassable, and some students could only get around by small boats.

July is also when the World Robot Olympiad™ national competition takes place, so coach Michael B. Armentia was determined to not let a typhoon cancel his after-school robotics classes as well.
“For students who were lucky enough to have brought a robot home, we could work with that through our group chat,” he says. “For the ones without a robot, we talk strategy, discuss the program, and watch videos together on YouTube.”

Michael started the school’s robotics club in 2019 with just six students, volunteering his time to teach robotics as it isn’t part of the public-school curriculum.
“I want our students to explore robotics and programming, to experience competing at nationals and representing our country,” he says.
Today, the club has 30 members from grades 4 to 6, and it’s the only school in the area with a dedicated robotics centre.

The country’s first WRO international final
That determination has taken Michael’s students from after-school training sessions to national championships – and, in 2022, to the Philippines’ first WRO International Final. Training had been reduced to once a week during the pandemic. The students practiced on printed maps at home and could only meet in person with special permission from the local government. Still, the team returned with a Robo Mission bronze medal — proof that they could make it at an international level.

The impact of Michael’s coaching extends far beyond medals. One of his students, 12-year-old Nick Josef M. Demetillo, is already showing the leadership Michael hopes to inspire. One stormy day in July, Nick’s mother called Michael to ask if her son could help another team whose program wasn’t working and risked missing the local competition. Michael agreed, and later that evening Nick quietly repaired their code. When the team realized what he had done, one of the students cried and hugged him. In a heartfelt letter, they wrote:
“Nick showed us what robotics really means: problem-solving with heart, and community above competition.”

Paying it forward
Nick is not alone. Older students also return to help the coach train new teams. Michael’s dream is to scale this spirit into a national alumni community of coders and builders who can inspire younger students, and ultimately open doors to scholarships, build the confidence to stand on a stage, and create experiences that reach far beyond the classroom.

Through its partnership with WRO, Aramco supports initiatives like WRO Learn, offering free robotics courses, and the Future Innovators Project, where students tackle real-world challenges. Together, we aim to inspire the next generation of innovators.These initiatives help support continued learning,even when resources are scarce or schools close due to extreme weather. Just as Michael’s students do when the floods come.