The three who started it all
In 2018, a beloved local STEM event for girls was cancelled. Three Saguaro High FIRST Robotics Competition students refused to accept that. In three weeks, they built their own event from scratch, and Sisters in STEM was born.
Kayli Battel
Class of 2020
Safety Captain · Head of Marketing & Chairman · President · Director of Public Relations
Kayli has been an officer on Sabercat Robotics since joining, earning the only freshman Robotics Varsity Letter her year. She served as Safety Captain for three years, Head of Marketing and Chairman in 11th grade, and President and Director of Public Relations in 12th grade. She was the Tournament Director for the 2019 Scottsdale FIRST LEGO League Qualifier and became the first Scottsdale Unified School District student to be recognized as a FIRST Robotics Competition Dean's List Finalist.
Outside of robotics, Kayli was a member of the Visions art program at Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art and a Varsity volleyball player. She graduated as one of three Valedictorians and was recognized as Junior Achievement's 2020 Arizona 18 Under 18 award recipient. She is now attending Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, majoring in Human Factors Engineering with an Engineering Education minor.
Eli Arnold
Class of 2019
Chief Software Engineer (2 years)
Eli was a four-year member of Sabercat Robotics and returns regularly to mentor. While on the team, she was the Chief Software Engineer for two years and is extremely knowledgeable in several programming languages.
In addition to graduating from Saguaro's Math and Science Academy with Distinction, she participated heavily in the fine arts, holding positions as technical director for choir, member of Tri-M Music Honor Society and Thespian National Honors Society, and President of Saguaro's Swing Dance Club. She is now a full-time student at Arizona State University Barrett Honors College majoring in Computer Science with an Organ performance minor, and a member of the Society of Women Engineers and Women in Computer Science.
Laney Olson
Class of 2019
Safety Captain · Director of Public Relations
Laney was a member of FIRST Robotics Competition all four years of high school. She served as Safety Captain her freshman and sophomore years, then spent two years on the business team as Director of Public Relations. She was Tournament Director for the Scottsdale FIRST LEGO League Qualifier in 2017 and 2018, and organized mentoring for FIRST LEGO League teams across the district.
Laney was also a dedicated member of choir, swing dance club, and was inducted into the International Thespian Honors Society. She is now pursuing an education degree and remains passionate about working with students and STEM outreach, continuing her involvement with Sisters in STEM and FIRST.
Meet the full team
Get to know the mentors, leaders, and volunteers who pour their time into making Sisters in STEM what it is.
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