The Robot Doctor

In 2022, there was a palpable sense of isolation throughout all layers of the Pittsburgh community. To help rebuild community relations, I volunteered at the University of Pittsburgh’s Community Event Center in the Hill District to deliver a robotics-based after-school program, called The Robot Doctor. In collaboration with Carnegie Mellon University, we aimed to serve underprivileged middle-school students in the community, developing a lasting framework for future STEM-related after-school courses in the Pittsburgh area. As the head instructor of this six-week pilot course, I outlined, prepared, and delivered all the lesson plans, purposely focusing on retaining our student’s excitement about robotics by connecting the material to examples in their everyday life. I had the privilege of establishing a safe learning environment where students could fearlessly explore robotic concepts and gain hands-on experience assembling robots without judgment, criticism, or expectations.