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Black History Month 2021 Feature: Angela Wells

February 17, 2021
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Angela Wells is studying to receive her Masters of Computer Science Artificial Intelligence at Louisiana State University in Shreveport. She currently teaches courses at the City University of Seattle. Previously, she’s taught courses in China and Vietnam.

How did you become interested in STEM?

One day, I was watching multiple engineer types of engineering on Youtube with my students. The next day, I was writing code to control robotic arms. At the end of the day, I fell in love with engineering and problem-solving. 

Who are your mentors?

My mentors include Dr. Maurice Dawson, Dr. Darrell Burrell, and Reuben Ajayi.

What’s your favorite quote?

“Strong people stand up for themselves, the strongest people stand up for others.” – Chris Gardner

Angela believes that education should afford students the opportunities to achieve personal and professional goals, while at the same time training them to perform skills in demand in today’s increasingly interconnected workplaces. In her courses, she’s taught students to succeed in “the real world” by bringing innovative technology, case studies, and global business “lessons learned” into the classroom. Her expatriate work in Asia enabled her to infuse diversity and inclusion throughout the curriculum and help students formulate their own strategies to build the cultural bridges necessary for success in the 21st Century business environment.

2025-2026 Signature Event Updates

  1. An Event Partner wanting to apply to host a Signature Event must have hosted events for at least 2 seasons prior to applying. 
  2. Signature Events must use the officially branded award banners for the Excellence Award and Tournament/Teamwork Champions Award.
  3. When hanging field skirts the VEX Robotics logo/brand name can not be covered up on the competition fields.
  4. VEX V5 Robotics Competition Signature Events may have regional capacity and max per organization restrictions lifted 8 weeks before the event if the event is not full (similar to the process already in place for VEX IQ Robotics Competition Signature Events).
  5. Minimum pit size reduced to 8’x 8’ instead of 10’x10’.
  6. Beginning in the 2025-2026 season, the REC Foundation will collect $10 instead of $5 per team registration on all Signature Events. This is to help offset travel costs for REC Foundation staff to support these larger events.

2025-2026 Signature Event Application Reminders

  1. Existing Signature Events only need to complete the Final Application (due by March 31, 2025)
  2. New Signature Event concepts will need to complete the Initial Proposal by January 31, 2025 and if approved, complete the Final Application by March 31, 2025.
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