White Center Youth Robotics Team Rolls into West Seattle Parade

Kids from Burien and White Center are rolling their homemade robots into the spotlight, proving that hands-on STEM learning can be as exciting as any summer tradition.

The High Tekerz, a youth robotics team based near White Center, just wrapped up an energizing appearance at Gather for Goals, a June street festival celebrating youth empowerment. On July 18, they're taking their momentum to California Avenue for the West Seattle Grand Parade, where thousands will see competitive robotics up close for the first time.

At Gather for Goals, the team set up a demonstration booth where curious kids could talk with student members about how robotics competitions actually work. Their station drew steady crowds throughout the afternoon, with parents asking about enrollment and summer programs while younger children watched the robot demonstrations with wide eyes.

The response showed organizers they'd hit their mark. The Tekerz embodied exactly what the festival celebrates: young people discovering that technical skills and creativity aren't separate worlds but powerful partners.

Now the team is preparing to showcase multiple student-built robots along the parade route. Team members will walk alongside their creations, driving the bots and interacting with spectators as they roll down one of West Seattle's main streets at 11 a.m.

For many parade watchers, it will be their first glimpse into the world of competitive robotics. The Tekerz hope that seeing peers their own age building and programming sophisticated machines will plant a seed: if these kids can do it, maybe I can too.

The Ripple Effect

The High Tekerz operate out of an education center at 11427 3rd Ave S, just north of Burien, where they offer robotics classes and competition team training for elementary through high school students. By showing up at community events, they're doing more than demonstrating cool technology.

They're showing young people from underserved neighborhoods that engineering isn't just for someone else, somewhere else. When a kid from White Center sees another kid from White Center programming a robot, the path forward becomes visible in a way no brochure can match.

The team draws students from across South Seattle, creating a community hub where coding, engineering, and teamwork come together. Each public appearance plants more seeds, reaching families who might never have considered robotics as something their children could access.

As the Tekerz roll down California Avenue next month, they'll be carrying more than robots—they'll be carrying proof that the future is being built right here, by kids who decided to give it a try.