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 Mikaella Sevilla from the Philippines – who started out as a shy fifth-grader, but ended up mentoring others and building an underwater robotic drone prototype at just 13.

When Mikaella Jannielle Sevilla was 10, she describes herself as being in a little cocoon of fear and shyness. So on her very first day of robotics training, she tried to avoid it altogether.

“I didn’t know anyone, and I was super nervous. So I said to my mom: ‘Can you please tell the coach that I am sick because I cannot handle it’,” she recalls, laughing.

Her mother agreed to give her one day off – but also gave advice that stuck: you won’t lose anything by trying. You will probably gain something.

Now, Mikaella is no longer trying to hide. She is designing an underwater robotics drone, mentoring the next generation of Future Innovators – and she’s only 13 years old.

Not Just Any Robot
Starting in RoboMission in her elementary years, Mikaella was her team’s lead designer. Since her school didn’t have endless parts for robot building, this limitation became her training ground.

“I became highly skilled and strategic in how to make the robot fully functional with the materials available,” she explains.

When competing at the World Robot Olympiad, Mikaella was inspired by the Future Innovator category and the real-world problems they addressed. She wanted to innovate too. Researching for a project of her own, she discovered that only 5% of the ocean has ever been observed, and she noticed that only few robots are capable of underwater work.

“That’s when I knew. I wanted to create not just any robot, but something that could help researchers in our ocean.”

Her project became CORALES, an underwater robotics drone designed to scan coral reefs and monitor their health. At first CORALES was supposed to look like a turtle.

“It was very cute and friendly to the fish,” she laughs. “But when we started building, we didn’t have enough materials, and making a robot really detailed is very hard.”

Instead, CORALES became a colorful box with propellers, motors, wheels, and a camera on top. It’s a prototype built from LEGO components that can move in all directions, designed to one day support coral reef researchers.

A Mentor at 13
When she started junior high school, Mikaella wanted to give back to her robotics club at her old school. She began mentoring the Future Innovators elementary team, helping them improve their robot, prepare for questioning, and believe in themselves. But it’s clear that she is getting just as much back:

“I am curious about their innovations: how they came up with that concept, what did the design process look like, how did they test it? The same questions are applicable in the innovation that I’m doing – as I improve them, I can improve from their answers.”

Mikaella has already learned a truth many adults take years to discover: mentorship changes both sides. Your mentees sharpen your thinking and make you grow. And while she wants to be a role model for the kids, she also knows they need to see her as a builder with her own challenges.

“What matters is what you do when you don’t succeed. Do you give up, or do you stand back up and try again? Success always involves failure.”

Never Give Up
CORALES is still a prototype, but Mikaella plans to build a version that can be tested underwater in the Philippines to help local researchers.

“Considering everything that is happening right now, with pollution and over-fishing. I think this would be a big help for our country.”

Her dreams don’t stop at the Philippine borders. She wants to use her robotics experiences to travel and discover more of the world. Not just the hard skills such as programming, designing, and building, but what robotics taught her on a deeper level.

“In robotics, the fact that you never know what comes next has allowed me to be strategic, resourceful, and prepared for anything that comes my way.”

When asked what piece of advice she would put on a billboard, her answer is simple: Never give up.

“Because if you do, how will you be able to solve any problems? I think the curiosity of robotics is the fuel that helps you pick yourself up and start fresh when you fall.”

Mikaella Jannielle Sevilla profile:
Age: 13
Role in WRO: Former participant in RoboMission, now mentor for Future Innovators, elementary-level at Betty Go-Belmonte Elementary School.
Current studies: Junior high school
Standout: Mikaella has already represented the Philippines twice at the World Robot Olympiad – in Germany 2022 and Panama 2024.