9-Year Old Girl Pwns “Boys Only” Robotics Competition

Is it a day of girl power or what? Earlier on, there was a report of an 11-year old girl who used a sling bow to extract her own tooth, and here we are with 9-year old Cash Cayen who was informed that she could not participate in robotics event simply because of her gender. Like water running off a duck’s back, she went against the grain and was determined to participate in it.

Cash was drawn to an advertised robotics session at the Timmins Public Library in Ontario, Canada, but upon expressing her interest to join, a staff member explained that this was a boys only competition. Thankfully, the staff member did open the door for Cash to speak with her boss, Elaine De Bonis, an offer which Cash could not refuse. Elaine listened to Cash, but would not budge from her position.

Cash then took to Change.org to kick off a petition which eventually received support from over 34,000 people, and the library then issued a statement concerning the “misunderstanding”, with this competition being open to all children aged 9 to 12. The highlight? Cash’s plucky self has forced a change in the competition’s rules as mentioned, and this could be the doorway to something better in the future.

Edwin Kee
Categories: Robots
Tags: Robotics