About Us
We FIRST Tech Challenge team Turtle TEK, 21355, based in Beloit, WI. We started in 2022, and have been very successful since. Our team has gone to state every year, winning awards along the way, and in June of 2025, we competed in Indiana at the Michiana Premiere event, winning the Connect award against 90 of the best teams from around the world.
Our Mission
Turtle TEK’s mission is to inspire the next generation through Teaching Engineering to Kids, or TEK as we know it. We aim to empower young minds to become future leaders in technology through mentorship, outreach, and a commitment to inclusive education. Turtle TEK runs almost 30 FLL Challenge, and FLL Explore teams annually to accomplish this, and had over 20 students involved in Turtle TEK over the summer and this season.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Who is Turtle TEK?
Turtle TEK is a diverse, passionate group of 14 high school students—7 rookies and 7 veterans—united by our love of robotics and inspiring others. We are approachable, friendly, and collaborative; we believe in lifting each other up and creating an inclusive environment where every voice matters.
What does Turtle TEK do?
Turtle TEK is a competitive FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) robotics team that inspires the next generation of engineers through hands-on learning, innovation, and community outreach. Specifically, we:
- Build competitive robots using a structured engineering process—strategizing, researching, prototyping, CADing, fabricating, and iteratively testing to create reliable, innovative designs to solve the FTC seasons game.
- Teaching Engineering to Kids, doing so through mentorship, STEM activities, and educational programs. We run extensive outreach with 1,489+ hours this season, including “Oceans of Fun” STEM activities, community events, and partnerships with local organizations, and 7 self planned events.
- Start and support FLL teams—we’ve launched almost 30 FLL Challenge teams to introduce younger students to robotics.
- Mentor rookies and veterans on Turtle TEK alike—with 14 high school members (half rookies), we create an inclusive environment where experienced members pass critical knowledge to new team members.
- Engage the community through social media (2,000+ followers), newsletters, and newspapers.
Our goal is simple: make engineering accessible, exciting, and inclusive for kids in our community.
How can we support Turtle TEK?
You can support us by donating, volunteering, following our social medias, and through word of mouth. If you are interested please reach out to FTCturtletek@Gmail.com
How can we contact Turtle TEK?
You can contact us through email at FTCturtletek@Gmail.com, or on any of our social medias.