President Larry Johnson visited the STEM Robotics Lab at Claremont International High School, where he had the chance to see the remarkable work of the Steel Titans 28021 robotics team—and even scored a basket with one of their student-built robots.

The visit highlighted the power of hands-on STEM education and the strong potential for partnerships that expand opportunities for Bronx youth. This connection was made possible by BCC student Diante Johnson, who is the Student Veterans Club President and current intern at NYC FIRST.

Following the lab visit, Dr. Johnson and a BCC team – including Diante, John Rosa, Office of Veteran and Military Resources Coordinator; Mark Lennerton, Director, Center for Teaching, Learning & Technology (CTLT); Errol Olton, Executive Chief of Staff & Special Advisor to the President, and Jessenia Paoli, Interim Assistant Vice President for Student Success – visited the NYC FIRST STEM Center at the Andrew Freedman Home. NYC FIRST leadership shared their vision for advancing STEM access, strengthening student engagement, and creating workforce-aligned, credit-bearing pathways that link high school robotics and engineering experiences directly to BCC programs.

This early-stage collaboration reflects BCC’s commitment to supporting innovative, community-centered partnerships that prepare the next generation of engineers, technologists, and problem-solvers. It also is aligned with the Office of Enrollment Management’s focus on strengthening pipelines with local high schools as part of its recruitment and outreach efforts.