We are Team Cayman Islands, a group of dynamic high school students and FIRST Tech Challenge competitors from seven Cayman Islands high schools. Our team consists of 8 members aged 14 to 17 years old. Strong teamwork, collaboration, and friendship is at the heart of who we are.
The Cayman Islands robotics journey began when the Cayman Islands participated in the 2018 FIRST Global Challenge in Mexico City. Following that event, the Cayman Islands began a FIRST Tech interschool program that included all Cayman Islands high schools. Our national team has representation from each of our high schools across our three islands – uniting as one national team.

United by our passion for robotics, we share a love for STEM and tech innovation. As a team, we share our passion for STEM through community outreach and by inspiring Cayman’s youth to get involved in robotics. We are excited that FIRST Global provides us with a platform to help raise robotics awareness and Team Cayman Islands is determined to be a country that recognizes robotics as a sport.

We feel deeply connected to this year’s theme ‘Feeding the Future’. As a small island nation with limited productive capacity, we import most of our food. We are excited to help develop solutions that can address food security.

Members:

Liam Benson attends Cayman Prep and High School.
Robotics is important to me because it merges my love for technology and problem-solving, enabling me to create innovative solutions and collaborate effectively. Through robotics, I’ve developed skills in programming, engineering, and teamwork, which have ignited my curiosity and determination.

My career goal is to become a mechanical engineer, specializing in designing and building advanced mechanical systems in the automotive industry.

I enjoy working on cars, participating in community service, tinkering with gadgets, and exploring new technologies. This year’s FGC theme, “Feeding the Future,” resonates deeply with me. With climate change causing significant food shortages globally, including in my home country of Cayman, innovative solutions in farming are essential to ensure no one goes hungry. The theme highlights the urgent need for sustainable agricultural practices, especially as 2024 marks one of the hottest years on record, affecting crop production across the Caribbean.

Abe Mohammed attends Triple C School.
From a young age, I have loved building and assembling things, from complex LEGO sets to toy vehicle sets. When I discovered robotics, I fell in love with it to express my passion for engineering. Robotics has taught me crucial teamwork and communication skills, and I am excited to represent my country at a national level and work alongside brilliant minds.

Personally, I have a love for motorsport, particularly Formula 1. In the future, I aspire to become a Formula 1 trackside performance engineer, traveling the world with the team and optimizing car performance. Next to robotics, I enjoy football and playing the saxophone. Fun facts: I love gaming on PlayStation, especially EA FC (FIFA), Gran Turismo 7, and F1.

Aryan Ramsammy attends Layman E Scott Sr. High School, Cayman Brac.
Robotics is important to me because it gives me a window to express my ways of thinking and ideas into material standards. Through my ongoing journey in robotics, I have learned how to cope with problems regarding robotics and critical teamwork skills.

In the future I aspire to work a job in the aviation industry such as a pilot. The extracurricular activities I participate in are football, basketball and pickleball. My hobbies include playing videogames and I have a dog named Apollo.

Daeniell Pink attends Triple C School.
Robotics has awarded me with the chance to improve both my technical and communication skills. For me, the most exciting thing about this opportunity is being able to compete with others on a far grander scale. The Cayman Islands are small, and I feel that witnessing how other countries compete and build their own robots will enhance my perception of how to approach robotics.
I have not decided on future studies however I currently aspire to major in computer engineering. Other than robotics, I spend time playing the trumpet in bands.

The theme this year “Feeding the Future,” evoked my response “How are they going to incorporate this into this years’ challenge?” I later realized this was a brilliant theme because while some people don’t even have to think twice about where their food is comes from, while others that can only think about getting their next meal. This theme also draws attention to the issue of inequality when it comes to food security on a grander scale.

A fun fact about me is that I love rugby.

Harry Cowell attends Cayman International School.
After participating in underwater robotics and FTC for two years, robotics is clearly a passion for me. Robotics is important to me because it provides the opportunity to develop in many areas, including design, engineering, collaboration, team building and problem solving. Over the past four years, I have become more knowledgeable about the impact of design on the performance of the robot and learned to never to give up, even when the robots don’t perform as you planned. I am looking forward to representing Cayman in Athens, meeting new people and learning new skills. I am interested in using my experiences from the robotics and STEM programs to build a career in entrepreneurship and development of new products.

Besides robotics, I enjoy art and digital design. I also play football and tennis and keenly follow Formula One. Outside of school, I’m involved in community projects including fundraising for cancer and environmental and sustainability initiatives. This year’s theme “Feeding the Future” is very important because it is a global issue that needs to be resolved. We need to find solutions to sustainable food production and bringing all countries together to find solutions is valuable.

Jamie Johnson attends Clifton Hunter High School.
Since my childhood, I have been captivated by constructing things, starting from Lego and moving on to robots. The process of dismantling and reassembling them brings me immense satisfaction, and each set holds special memories for me, making robotics a significant part of my life. I am excited about the collaborative spirit that ignites our team. Each member will bring a unique set of skills and perspectives, which I believe will be the cornerstone of our success.

In my free time I’m shooting hoops, losing myself in the rhythm of a favorite song, or diving into a virtual world, each activity offers a unique way to unwind and recharge. The basketball court is where I challenge myself physically, pushing my limits. Music provides me with an emotional escape, transporting me to different times and places. Video games offer me a thrilling mental workout, combining strategy, quick thinking, and a touch of escapism. I am interested in this year’s theme, examining soil degradation and food distribution challenges stemming from a growing human population.

Megha Cherayath attend St. Ignatius Catholic High School.

Robotics is important to me because it has taught me so much. It helped me with my self-confidence, my ability to work with others, and helped strengthen my problem-solving skills. From robotics I have gained valuable friendships and developed critical thinking skills which are valuable in many situations, not only robotics. I am looking forward to making memories with my Cayman teammates and utilizing the opportunity to learn from our advisors and the other countries we will meet. I hope to someday work as a genetic engineer or molecular biologist.

I love nature and being outdoors, I especially enjoy trekking and want to visit as many countries as possible. I also love to read, dance and like many of my team members enjoy building with Lego. I participate in: Junior Achievement, Rotary Science Fair, Seaperch, Duke of Edinburgh award, Key Club, Girl Guides. I am also a Rainbows volunteer and 100 Women Girl Force mentee. This year’s theme is very relevant as food insecurity has grown due to ongoing global conflicts. Important questions about consumption patterns and management of food waste need to be addressed.

Garson Gardiner attends John Gray High School.
A key reason robotics is important to me is its potential to drive innovation. Through robotics, we can create solutions for some of the most pressing challenges facing our society. The field of robotics pushes the boundaries of what is possible and encourages us to think outside the box, constantly seeking new and improved ways to enhance our lives. As a member of the Cayman Islands National Robotics team, I’m looking forward to representing my country and bringing our talents and skills to the global stage.

One day I plan to become a mechatronic engineer and apply everything I have learned throughout this program into developing useful solutions to our daily lives. Apart from robotics, I am a member of my school’s debate team, involved in music and have been playing the violin for 7 years. I also enjoy reading and playing basketball. This year’s theme, ‘Feeding the Future’ will not only be intriguing in observing robots carry out tasks towards this goal and will be beneficial given our global situations.

Thank you to our supporters!

Team Media