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Do You Have More than 20 lbs to Lose? - Apply Now! Valid For Most Weight Loss Programs • No Cost or Fee to Apply • Approval within 48 Hours • Thousands Paid Monthly! • See Website for Application Deadline Experience incredible with St. Millie's a kind, helpful host NEWS • C o n tinued fro m page 14 said Cooper. Until the Afghan Dream­ ers got down to business, all were under the impression their robot would be assem­ bled from a kit, which is what they were used to do­ ing. "Like a kit, just assem­ bling this one, but we are making the metal also," said a beaming Alireza Mehra- ban, tutor, mentor, guard­ ian and translator for the Afghan Dreamers. By the time the team ar­ rived, they had only four weeks left to build the robot, whereas other teams had the full six weeks, making their task even more chal­ lenging, said Cooper. When the robotics team was initially created in Af­ ghanistan, not everyone was on board, explained Cooper. "But after the girls went to the U.S. and started win- ning competitions and real­ ly getting a lot of respect around the world, it started to change some peoples' mindset (back home)," said Cooper. "Maybe this not good idea, this is not for girls" was the feeling explained Meh- raban. "After FIRST Global, all the people have different idea. They say this amaz- mg." The experience has been incredible and their host school has been "kind, help­ ing and guiding us," said Fa- temah Qaderyan. It's been a real group ef­ fort as far as mentors and support from the communi­ ty, said Cooper. Although their robot was already packaged to be for­ warded to the first competi­ tion, the Afghan Dreamers were allowed to unwrap and demonstrate it during a meeting with the prime min­ ister in Ottawa last month. When the girls return home, they hope to build a STEM school for girls and have begun a GoFundMe page to do so. "They have overcome so many obstacles and to see these girls and the mentors in action, just taking this to task, they didn't know what they were getting into . it is a very challenging program for anyone, but for people whose first language is not English, that's really diffi­ cult and the girls have really jumped in." "Our big challenge, they can't speak English. Now they can speak English," said Mehraban. "It's definitely been mem­ orable. We got to see what they had to overcome," said St. Mildred's SWAT 771 member, Alexandra Hon. "No matter how far apart you are, at the end of the day we're just teenage girls with the same passion for STEM and robots," said teammate Ayra Kathuria. www.weightlossgrants.org GRANT $2,500 WEIGHT LOSS V8/ access abilities I V»*| | Your ability store.Our passion. ENJOY EVERY LEVEL of your home with a STAIRLIFT 549 Bronte Rd, Oakville 905-825-5335 154 Norseman St, Etobicoke 416-237-9654 We can help you w ith your home healthcare needs and we'll do it w ith a smile - - We carry major brands Straight or curved Indoor or outdoor We install and service Visit our well stocked retail outlets for a free demo & meet our friendly staff! 549 Bronte Rd, Oakville 905-825-5335 info@ accessabilities.ca Q w w w .accessabilities.ca Please visit www.weightlossgrants.org for full Guidelines, Terms & Conditions. CM | O akville B eaver | Thursday, M arch 15,2018 insidehalton.com http://www.weightlossgrants.org mailto:info@accessabilities.ca http://www.accessabilities.ca http://www.weightlossgrants.org Do You Have More than 20 lbs to Lose? - Apply Now! Valid For Most Weight Loss Programs • No Cost or Fee to Apply • Approval within 48 Hours • Thousands Paid Monthly! • See Website for Application Deadline GRANT WEIGHT LOSS V8/ access abilities 549 Bronte Rd, Oakville 905-825-5335 Visit our well stocked retail outlets for a free demo & meet our friendly staff! 549 Bronte Rd, Oakville 905-825-5335 info@accessabilities.ca Q www.accessabilities.ca Please visit www.weightlossgrants.org for full Guidelines, Terms & Conditions.