Aruba is proud to return for its third year competing in the FIRST Global Challenge! Representing our “One Happy Island” at the 2025 FIRST Global Challenge are five talented students: Guiyan de Nobrega, Oriana Paneflek, Ruarth Lampe, Yong Chan Li, and Kevin Li Wu. These students earned their place on the national team after winning the second edition of the Youth Robotics Hackathon: Cant’i Lama Challenge, organized by The STEM Embassy a local nonprofit dedicated to advancing STEM opportunities for youth across the ABC islands. This year’s challenge asked students to design innovative robotic solutions that protect and restore Aruba’s beautiful beaches and oceans.

Though small in size, Aruba boasts rich ecological diversity. From mangrove forests and cactus-covered hillsides to vibrant coral reefs teeming with life, our island is home to unique and fragile habitats that are increasingly under threat. With tourism making up nearly 90% of our GDP, the pressure on natural resources is immense, and the balance between development and conservation has never been more important.

Team Aruba is deeply aware of this reality. Their shared passion for environmental protection and technological innovation drives their mission: to develop robotics-based solutions that contribute to a thriving planet starting right here at home. While some members have years of experience in robotics and engineering, others are new to the field, but all have come together with a common purpose and a deep respect for the natural world.

As they prepare to join young innovators from around the globe in Panama a biodiversity hotspot in its own right—Team Aruba is ready to compete, collaborate, and create with one goal in mind: protecting the incredible variety of life that sustains us all.

Team Media

info@thestemembassy.com

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