This spring, High Tech High San Diego’s robotics team made history at the FIRST Robotics San Diego Regional. Team 1538, known as The Holy Cows, went undefeated and earned the prestigious Excellence in Engineering Award. Their standout performance secured a spot at the FIRST World Championship! This is one of the top stages for student-led robotics in the world!
The San Diego Regional, held at UC San Diego, brought together dozens of high school teams from across the region. For The Holy Cows, this wasn’t just another competition. It was a test of precision, preparation, and teamwork.
“We won the whole event undefeated and we also were awarded the Excellence in Engineering Award,” said Jose Pena-Varela, a veteran member of the team.
The Excellence in Engineering Award is reserved for teams that demonstrate not just performance, but a high level of design and execution. Judges recognized The Holy Cows for their innovative approach and technical precision.
This win didn’t happen overnight. Leading up to the event, the team made key upgrades to their robot. They focused on improving their climber and added a ground intake system for the coral game piece. These changes helped them move faster and score more points during matches.
“We improved our robot from our first event to the San Diego Regional by enhancing our climber for better consistency and adding a ground intake mechanism for the coral game piece, significantly reducing our scoring cycle time,” Jose explained.
Using detailed scouting data, the team adjusted their strategies match by match. Their ability to collaborate with alliance partners and adapt on the fly made all the difference.
At the heart of the team’s success is a strong commitment to strategy and support.
“Going into the competition, our mindset was clear: execute to the best of our ability, and the rest would be out of our hands. But after our initial matches, it became evident that we had the potential to win the entire event if we played strategically,” said Jose.
Beyond building and coding, Jose also mentors new team members and helps manufacture parts. Like many teammates, he credits their sponsors, parents, and mentors for being a key part of the win.
“Their generosity, guidance, and countless hours of hard work have been instrumental in our journey, and we are incredibly grateful for their contributions.”
Team 1538 is based at High Tech High Mesa and represents High Tech High San Diego. The team was founded in 2004 by David Berggren, a former engineering instructor. Since then, the team has become a leading force in high school robotics, earning national recognition, including a place in the FIRST Hall of Fame.
The Holy Cows approach each season like a full design cycle. Students work through prototypes, performance testing, and iteration—key elements of the project-based learning model that defines HTH schools. Their engineering work is hands-on and collaborative, building both technical skill and leadership.
The FIRST Robotics Competition is one of the largest high school STEM events in the world. FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) brings together more than 3,000 teams from over 110 countries. It was founded by inventor Dean Kamen to inspire students to pursue careers in science, engineering, and math.
Now, with the World Championship ahead, The Holy Cows are already back at work. Their focus: refining their intake system and developing new autonomous paths to gain an edge in high-stakes matches.
They carry not just their tools and hardware, but the lessons of every round, every design decision, and every late night in the workshop.
For HTH, this win is more than a trophy. It’s a celebration of what students can accomplish when given the freedom to explore, create, and problem-solve together. It’s also a reminder of how HTH’s project-based learning model prepares students for real challenges—and real impact.
As The Holy Cows look ahead to the World Championship, they carry with them the spirit of innovation, teamwork, and determination. They are engineers, makers, leaders—and a source of pride for the entire High Tech High community.
To learn more about High Tech High and student-led projects like this, visit www.hightechhigh.org or explore our robotics team’s website https://team1538.com/site/
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