It Happens Here: Brockton High School's drone program breaking barriers in competition
BROCKTON - There's a group of students at Brockton High that are flourishing in the school's drone program.
The team's name is the Altitude Angels and they're all about shattering stereotypes.
"It feels like I have a chip on my shoulder. I have people to represent and have people to show out for," 12th grader Aris Cardoso told WBZ-TV.
There are not many teams led by young women of color.
"It feels really empowering because seeing people like me with the same color and being female show that I can really go out there and do anything," said 11th grader Amieiya Cudjoe.
"Being in spaces especially when people have their preconceived stereotypes, you have to work 10 times harder to break those stereotypes," 11th grader Lizberte Celestin told WBZ.
They're getting ready for the New England Aerospace Robotics Competition. It's a contest that gives high school students the experience in building, programming and flying drones on a competitive level.
The students are involved in the Empower Yourself non-profit, where the mission is to create critical thinkers for the future. When the drones arrive, they are in pieces.
"I thought it was going to take me at least a month to do it but doing it now, it takes me almost a day to finish it," said 10th grader Marcelo Resende.
"Getting to know the drone for the first time made me feel like I was wearing a tiara on my head, especially if I did something wrong. If I broke something, if I set something on fire or crashed my laptop. It was the most exhilarating feeling," 11th grader Maura Barrada told WBZ.
"To be a part of this group, we are all like a huge family. We all make fun of each other constantly but it also brings us up. We all work together so well and we manage to get stuff done," said 11th grader Jamya Evans
