Support Texas A&M Vex Robotics’ Journey to the World Championships

The Texas A&M Vex Robotics team is raising funds to send over 40 engineering students to the VEX U World Championship in St. Louis, Missouri, as they prepare to compete on the international stage.

According to team members, the group consists of two competing teams: WHOOP, which will participate in the VEX U Design Division, and WHOOP8, which will compete in the Research Division. The students have been designing, building, and testing their robots at the Axel Box tech firm in College Station, Texas, in preparation for the event.

The team is raising money to cover the costs of their 800-mile trip to St. Louis, a journey that presents greater logistical challenges than previous years when the championship was held in Dallas. Board Secretary Evert Guzman emphasized that planning logistics and fundraising largely falls on the students themselves.

The team recently achieved several notable victories, including a 44-22 win over the University of Texas Robotics Team “GHOST,” a 45-34 victory over Queen’s University, and a 61-22 win over the University of Puerto Rico. These results demonstrate their competitive readiness heading into the world championship.

Many team members work late into the night to ensure their robots are competition-ready, applying skills that directly support their future careers in engineering. One student highlighted an internship with Traxs North America connected to Axelbox, where they helped build an electric construction vehicle — an experience they noted is rare for college students.

Graduate Advisor ‘Cougar’ Styles pointed to the value of the Project Management Academy in preparing students for real-world engineering challenges, noting how such experiences translate into professional readiness.

In past competitions, Aggie Robotics has earned recognition beyond technical performance. At the 2025 VEX Robotics World Championship in Dallas, the WHOOP team advanced to the divisional semifinals and received both the Energy Award and the Workforce Readiness Award. The Energy Award was attributed to the team’s consistent momentum and coordination during matches, while the Workforce Readiness Award acknowledged their professionalism and teamwork.

Team members and supporters described a strong culture of mutual encouragement, with coordinated chants of “Farmers Fight” from the stands serving as a morale boost during matches. Evert Guzman noted that this spirit of uplifting peers is a distinctive trait of the Aggie community and contributes significantly to team confidence and performance.

The team is seeking community support to offset travel and competition expenses, with a GoFundMe campaign established to help fund the trip. Supporters can contribute through the campaign linked to the team’s effort to attend the 2026 VEX U World Championship.