West High Student Named to Robotics Competition Dean's List

Fikir Teklemedhin, a senior at West High School, has been selected to receive the FIRST Robotics Competition Dean’s List Award. The award is the most prestigious granted by FIRST Robotics and is given to students nominated by their teammates for outstanding leadership, interest, technical expertise, and contribution to the team. Of the nearly 4,000 FRC teams (from 34 countries and regions) and a projected 97,000 participants that participate annually, only ten students were selected as Dean’s List Winners. 

As a Dean’s List Award winner, Teklemedhin will participate in a virtual Dean’s Summit, where she will visit with top representatives of elite universities and STEM industries. She will also receive career counseling and be asked to participate in focus groups to improve FIRST Robotics. Dean’s List Award winners are expected to serve as ambassadors to FIRST Robotics and remain active in FIRST Alumni chapters and roles. 

Teklemedhin is currently the outreach captain for West High's FIRST Robotics Team, 3006 Red Rock Robotics. She developed community programs for middle school students, tripled the team size during COVID, and managed the team's social media. Teklemedhin started with robots in 8th grade when she joined the all-girls FIRST Tech Challenge team, the Roboraptors. She worked with the team for three seasons, helping program and design three different robots and participate in over six competitions, several of which included travel to Cedar City. Her team successfully qualified for State Championships each year.