On April 9, the CEDIA Foundation hosted a one-hour presentation at the South Florida FIRST Robotics Competition, an annual event to empower high school students to engage in real-world engineering challenges, build teamwork, develop leadership skills, and prepare for STEM careers through hands-on robotics competition
Walking into the competition, the energy was undeniable. Students proudly represented their teams in full uniforms, cheering each other on and celebrating the spirit of collaboration as much as competition. A behind-the-scenes tour of “the pit,” where teams were actively building, repairing, and refining their robots, made one thing immediately clear: the level of talent and ingenuity among these students is remarkable.
As part of the session, Mike Hench of Coastal Source and Ron Callis of OneFirefly led an engaging outdoor living design challenge. Using design thinking principles, students were invited to create a high-quality outdoor entertainment experience. Armed with large blueprint layouts and dot stickers representing speakers, amplifiers, and lighting, participants mapped out functional and immersive environments, highlighting their creativity and problem-solving abilities.
The CEDIA NextGen presentation, hosted by CEDIA representative Buzz Delano and integrator Jesse Miller of Midtown Video, also proved impactful. Following a compelling display of what the professional smart home industry is all about, seven participants immediately reached out to explore summer work opportunities at Miller’s local firm. Many students shared that they had no idea just how many career paths exist within the industry, expressing both surprise and excitement at the possibilities.
One particularly memorable moment came when a group of students gathered around a Coastal Source speaker demonstration. They stayed after the session, eager to ask deeper questions about speaker design and performance.
The response from both students and adults was overwhelmingly positive. Events like this highlight the incredible opportunity our industry has to connect with the next generation and showcase the diverse, rewarding careers available in smart home technology.
If even a handful of these students choose to build their future in our channel, the impact will be significant. But continued progress will require ongoing collaboration and commitment from the entire industry.
One easy step is sharing CEDIA’s free student membership with young professionals who may be interested in exploring careers in the smart home industry.
To take it a step further, connect with the CEDIA Foundation’s Workforce Manager, Tara Guertin, to learn how you can bring a similar FIRST Robotics experience to your local community.
You can also support these efforts globally by making a donation at cediafoundation.org.