Sumter's Next Generation, presented by TheLINK: Wilson Hall's Newman, Cseh build resilience in robotics

At Wilson Hall, inside a classroom filled with the quiet whir of 3D printers, clacking of computer keyboards and the scattered hum of conversation, something bigger than battle bots and drones is being built.

It's here where Robotics 3 students, 18-year-old senior Kadence Newman and 16-year-old junior Andy Cseh, not only learned how to piece together machines, but also how to build grit. How to build trust. How to build a future.

But their paths to these life lessons differed.

Andy had a choice his freshman year - engineering or robotics. He chose robotics mostly because it sounded interesting. Kadence, after having originally signed up for engineering to get her technology credits, realized quickly she needed something less screen-based and more hands-on.

Neither one of them set out knowing robotics would mean so much to them. Neither of them sugarcoated how building anything worth being proud of takes time and patience. And a few battle bots and drones that maybe don't behave exactly like you imagined.

Kadence still laughs about the bot she built her sophomore year, a pink crab-shaped creation cleverly named "The Grabby Patty", that would do less battling and more spinning on its one good wheel. Andy can't help but smile remembering how the difficulty of wiring a handmade drone made for a sweet victory when it finally took flight. It's creations like these that become "prized possessions," physical reminders of what comes of hard work.

"It taught me that even if you don't get it at first, if you just keep going, you'll eventually get there," Kadence shared.

It's those moments - the ones where nothing works, where giving up would be easier - that taught them the most.

But the one thing that stood out to both Kadence and Andy was that in robotics, you don't build resilience alone.

"Honestly, I wasn't even sure if I wanted to take robotics again, but the people around me encouraged me to keep going," Andy said of his classmates Henry Jones and Daniel Kirby, Kadence nodding along as she thought of her classmate Maggie Garrity.

Learning to collaborate is a skill that, while it sounds easy, can be hard to execute. So, to not only find people whose interest and skills align with yours, but their work ethic also encourages you to be better, for yourself and for the project, is a gift.

The pair agreed that "teamwork really does make the dream work."

Through their years in the robotics program, through battle bot day blunders and numerous tries at connecting wires, the lessons they've learned go beyond the textbooks.

Kadence, who is about to cross the finish line of high school, knows now what work ethic and courage should always outweigh procrastination and self-doubt. She impressed upon Andy and other underclassmen that if they ever wonder if a class or a club could actually mean something, be brave enough to find out.

"If you think it's gonna be fun, just do it," she said. "Try it and keep going."

Andy, with another year left ahead of him, is already carrying the lessons he's learned into life beyond robotics: Don't rush. Trust the process. Care about the work even when no one's watching.

And maybe most importantly: When it feels like everything's spinning in circles, keep building anyway. That's when you're closer than you think.