“At Consumers Energy we know how important STEM careers are, because this talent powers many areas of our company,” said LeeRoy Wells Jr., vice president of operations support for Consumers Energy and FIRST in Michigan board member. “Many of our recent STEM hires have prior robotics experience, so we know our support of this competition provides an excellent opportunity to inspire the next generation of Michigan leaders.”
The event is at Saginaw Valley State University’s Ryder Center now through April 14 and features 160 high school robotics teams from across Michigan vying to win their matches and advance to compete at the world FIRST Robotics Championship in Detroit April 25-28.
In 2017 the Consumers Energy Foundation contributed more than $425,000 to support STEM programs, including FIRST teams at elementary, middle and high school levels across the state. With help from the foundation, FIRST in Michigan now boasts 500 high school teams, more school robotics teams than any other state.