Optus supports Eastwood students heading to Texas for global robotics competition
Sydney 09 April,2025
*Community support-media release
The ‘Phoenix Tech’ team is made up of three Sydney students led by team captain 15-year-old Mia Chen, who have honed their robotic skills for five years at the Creator Academy schools program.
To win the national championships, the students competed in a series of challenges with their self-constructed robot.
They used coding and programming skills learnt at the Creator Academy, which specialises in teaching robotics, AI and coding incursions to schools around Sydney, as well as extracurricular activities for young children with an interest in STEM.
Optus, who has been a long-standing supporter of the academy, has pledged $8,000 in sponsorship to help the team travel to Dallas, Texas in May this year to compete in The VEX Robotics World Championship.
The team has previously visited Optus’ satellite in April 2024 where the children were able to get a behind-the-scenes look at Australia’s cutting-edge space and telecommunications technologies.
Creator Academy student and Phoenix Tech team captain, Mia Chen said that she really enjoys working with her team, Phoenix Teach and finds the leadership process very rewarding as her second season of being captain.
“I’m so proud of my team for achieving the tournament championship this season. We’re all very excited to go to the VEX championships in Texas as it’s one of the biggest robotics competitions with 500 competitors in the middle school division.
“I’m most looking forward to interacting with others from all over the world at the competition as it’s great to be surrounded with people who have the same passion as me,” Mia said.
Founder and Head Coach of Creator Academy, Garry Law said the support from Optus has been life-changing for the students and their families.
“Thanks to Optus’ sponsorship, the team will be able to fulfil their dreams to compete in the US championships in Texas, Dallas in May,” Garry said.
Local General Manager at Optus, Nick Gibson is proud of Optus’ history in supporting the community in Eastwood.
“Optus has also been involved in the Eastwood community in many ways, such as through local festivals such as Granny Smith Festival, and cultural moments like Lunar New Year.
“Upon hearing about small business Creator Academy, Optus jumped on board to sponsor their initiative which focuses on helping children in STEM and contributes towards a growing industry in Australia. We look forward to seeing the young team go overseas to compete and continuing to support local programs like this,” Nick said.
