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 Shayan Waseem from Pakistan – who fell in love with RoboMission as a teenager, and returned as a judge and mentor to raise the level of competition for teams across the country.

Two shy siblings in Lahore were ready to leave the competition before it had even started. They kept to themselves, only testing their robot when the table was free. But a 20-year-old judge named Shayan Waseem saw them struggling. He asked how they were doing, made sure they got table time and encouraged them to practice. By the end of the day, the children’s mother came over to thank him. What Shayan didn’t know, was that before he intervened, the kids wanted to go home.

“They didn’t feel like they belonged there. But once I encouraged them they found the confidence to step up and practice,” he says, and adds with a smile: “They ended up winning their category.”

This moment perfectly captures who Shayan is: not just a judge, but a mentor who remembers what it feels like to be a young participant.

Growing up with robots
The young judge’s connection to robotics started early. Shayan’s mother worked in a robotics lab and often brought him and his sister along. Some of his earliest memories are of building small LEGO robots in her lab.
At 12, he began competing in different robotics competitions. WRO’s RoboMission quickly became his favorite.

“It is purely focused on robotics and the missions. You have to do all the tasks in one single run. Having to think at that pace and put that all into one robot, that was really interesting,” Shayan explains. “The more challenging something is, the more I want to solve it.”

He competed in RoboMission for two years, and represented Pakistan internationally in another robotics competition, before college studies forced him to pause. But he wasn’t ready to say goodbye to RoboMission.

Returning as a judge
Shayan came back to RoboMission in the judge’s chair. Knowing the competition from the inside, he thought he could do a good job. But it was also to stay close to the competition and help the next generation. He smiles when he talks about those moments: seeing the kids’ smiles when something works, the nail-biting during practice rounds.

“And the confused faces when the surprise rule is announced and then lighting up as everything becomes clear.”

Despite being just 20 years old, this is Shayan’s third year as a judge, and it’s clear he’s not done nudging young participants to do their best – just like he did with the siblings in Lahore.

Raising the bar with the surprise rule
In Pakistan, RoboMission took a new step forward when the surprise rule was introduced: a challenge revealed on competition day that forces teams to adapt quickly. Back then, Pakistan’s teams never saw the surprise rule until they reached the international stage — leaving them at a disadvantage.

“I wanted to challenge the kids with the surprise rule, to see if they could think on the spot — and to prepare Pakistan for the international finals by giving them that same level of challenge.”

With WRO Pakistan’s support, he designed the first national surprise rules: easy at first, then tougher in 2024. The impact was immediate.

“Since we launched the surprise rule and made it more challenging, RoboMission participants from Pakistan are now competing at a higher level: they are more prepared and have higher scores at the international finals.”

Watching over RoboMission
Even though the surprise rule raised performance, Shayan points to the real prize: teamwork, communication, and problem-solving.

“I had to develop problem-solving and communication skills too, and WRO was a huge part of it for me. These life skills will be useful, whether you’re building a small WRO robot or a big industrial project.”

Looking ahead, he hopes to manage WRO events in Pakistan and serve as a head judge at international finals. At 20 years old, Shayan already speaks like an old soul:

“I feel that this is where I belong. Encouraging young minds, serving as a mentor and watching over the RoboMission category.”

Whether he ends up in Formula 1, NASA, or somewhere he hasn’t dreamt of yet, Shayan’s journey from participant to judge shows the ripple effect at the heart of WRO: young changemakers returning as mentors, giving the next generation the courage to step up — and showing them they belong at the table.

Shayan’s story is one of many made possible because WRO is a strong community – with National Organizers on the ground and strong partners opening doors for young people to discover their potential.

Muhammad Shayan Waseem profile:
Age: 20
Role in WRO: former participant in RoboMission, now judge and mentor
Current studies: Accelerated master’s program in mechanical engineering, the University of Nottingham, Malaysia, full scholarship.
Standout: Shayan’s goal is a career which encourages innovative engineering, and the dream is to work either with Formula 1 engineering or for NASA.