Alongside hard-earned victories and new friends from around the world, Canada Cup of Robotics - Niagara 2026 participants emerged with confidence, career-ready skills and new possibilities they may have never otherwise imagined for themselves.
Members of Lincoln's Lazarus Lizards compete in the FIRST Lego League Challenge at the Canada Cup of Robotics. The team received guidance from Brock's Department of Classics and Archaeology while developing their archaeology game presented at the event.
The event brought thousands of students, mentors and spectators to Brock University's main campus and the adjacent Canada Games Park from June 13 to 20. Hosted by the University in partnership with FIRST Robotics Canada, the international competition drew participants from nearly 30 countries to compete in the FIRST Tech (FTC) and FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Challenges.
"We're proud to have welcomed teams from around the world. Hosting the Canada Cup of Robotics gives students a unique opportunity to experience a global community of innovation right here in Niagara," says Peter Berg, Dean of Brock's Faculty of Mathematics and Science. "It reinforces the University's commitment to cultivating meaningful learning experiences both inside and outside the classroom."
Brock continues to grow its connection with FIRST Robotics Canada, hosting the FTC Provincial Championship for the second consecutive year this past February, in addition to the Canada Cup.
"Canada Cup of Robotics is about much more than robots on a field. It is about young people discovering what they are capable of when they are challenged, supported and connected to a global community of peers, mentors and innovators," says Dave Ellis, President of FIRST Robotics Canada. "We were proud to partner with Brock University to bring students from around the world together in Niagara, where they could build their skills, grow their confidence, make friends and see new pathways for their futures."
Fourth-year Brock Computer Science and FIRST Robotics Canada alumnus Skyler Serwa knows first-hand how much those early interactions with robotics can impact a person's path.
Serwa's experiences in competitive robotics began while attending Orchard Park Secondary School in Stoney Creek. He joined the school's Team #2056 and dedicated his time to building robots, testing fields and collecting competition data as a scout, all supporting his later pursuit of Computer Science in post-secondary.
Over time, he came to realize how impactful the skills he was developing through robotics would be for his career. His earlier experience, paired with his time at Brock, led to three co-op work terms as an Asset Management Intern with the Town of Fort Erie, where he helped manage municipal asset and infrastructure data using GIS mapping tools.
"Robotics really helps you gain different types of experience quickly," Serwa says.
It's a sentiment shared by many who engage in competitive robotics, says Paul Zelisko, Brock Chair and Professor of Chemistry and a member of the University's organizing committee for the Canada Cup event.
"What makes robotics incredibly valuable is that students are learning much more than engineering concepts," he says. "They're developing leadership, project management, analytical thinking and communication skills that translate to virtually any career path."
That impact on young learners has influenced the work of FIRST Robotics Canada Chair Dorothy Byers' (MEd '12) for more than two decades. Returning to the University for the Canada Cup of Robotics was a full-circle moment for the Brock Master of Education graduate.
"It's always special to return to a place that helped shape my own learning journey," she says. "Brock is a place of learning, and seeing students develop their skills and discover new opportunities in the same environment makes coming back especially meaningful."
Her robotics journey began when two students at St. Mildred's-Lightbourn School, an independent all-girls school in Oakville where she previously served as Vice-Principal of Curriculum Innovation and Implementation, asked for help with their goal of building a robot.
Byers embraced the challenge.
"If students want to do something, it's the educator's responsibility to figure out how to do that," she says.
That decision led to the creation of Team #771 Canada's inaugural all-girls FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) team.
Over the years, Byers has witnessed first-hand how robotics develops technical and interpersonal skills.
"It gives students an incredible co-curricular opportunity to be engaged in a team experience where they are learning about leadership, what it's like to be a member of a team, problem solving and creative thinking," she says.
For her master's research, Byers studied the long-term outcomes of Team #771 participants.
She found that 85 per cent went on to study STEM (science, technology, mathematics and engineering) subjects. The most significant impact, however, extended beyond academic pathways.
One former team member told Byers that FIRST had given her a voice because, through robotics, she realized her ideas matter, and she can contribute meaningfully to discussions and decision-making.
"To give someone their voice is a life-changing opportunity," Byers says. Robotics, she adds, can help open the eyes of students to new dreams they may not have otherwise known existed.
