IBERIA PARISH — This week, students in Iberia Parish traded summer downtime for a hands-on dive into the world of robotics, but walked away with a whole lot more than just technical skills.
Hosted by 4-H, the robotics workshop welcomed 4th through 8th graders for a week of building, coding, and problem-solving. But what made this camp stand out was who was leading it: older students from the parish’s state-ranked robotics team.
Throughout the week, these teen mentors guided younger students through the process of designing, programming, and competing with their own robots. The goal wasn’t just to teach technology— it was to inspire confidence, teamwork, and leadership.
“It’s a lot more than just learning about how to build and code a robot,” 4-H agent Lexie Lagrone explained. “A lot of it is problem solving, learning how to think critically.”
For many of the mentors, the experience was just as rewarding as it was for the campers. Ayden O’Connor described it as a full-circle moment, applying what they’ve learned through 4-H while helping others find their footing in STEM.
The week wrapped up with a friendly competition where students put their robots to the test. But for organizers and participants alike, the real success was in the growth they saw— in how they thought, worked together, and rose to new challenges.
Because for 4-H, the goal isn’t just building robots. It’s building leaders.
