Bio Paco Guerra
I never imagined myself working in education. It was never part of my plan, and for a longtime, I did not believe I had anything meaningful to offer in a classroom. Teac hing felt distant, something admirable, but not something I saw myself doing.
That changed quietly during my university years. After excelling in a CAD course, a
professor invited me to teach workshops. I said yes without thinking too much about it, and for the next three years I discovered how much I enjoyed helping others understand, create, and gain confidence through learning. Even then, I still thought of teaching as something I liked, but not something that would define my life.
Years later, while working on a personal project, my brother Mauricio repeatedly invited me to teach a class at the high school we had both attended: PrepaTec Eugenio Garza Sada. I resisted. I doubted myself. I wasn’t sure I belonged in education. Eventually, curiosity, the extra money, and the chance to work alongside my brother convinced me to try. What I did not expect was how deeply the students would change me.
One day, a student named Lino Corlay asked for permission to miss class in order to attend a robotics competition. I assumed it involved small LEGO-style robots, similar to what I remembered from my own high school years. Out of curiosity, I asked more questions and was invited to visit the team’s workshop. What I saw there really surprised me: a full-scale robot, designed and built by high school students, moving with precision with a videogame controller.
Soon after, they invited me to attend a competition. That experience changed everything.I didn’t just see robots, I saw teamwork under pressure, confidence being built in real time, creativity turning into action, and students discovering what they were capable of. In that moment, I understood something clearly for the first time: this was education at its best. That was the moment I fell in love with FIRST.
At the end of that season, Arturo Méndez, the team’s coach at the time, invited me to stay on as a coach, even though I had no prior experience in FIRST. He was preparing to launch another team at PrepaTec (6017), and he trusted me with the opportunity to step into leadership. I accepted with excitement, fear, and a deep sense of responsibility, driven by the belief that these students deserved everything I could give them.
Together, the students and I rebuilt the team from the ground up. We redefined its identity, (we became the Botbusters), improved the workshop, and focused not on short-term results, but on long-term growth. Soon after, I received a national PrepaTec innovation grant (NOVUS), which provided funding specifically to support educational initiatives. I used those resources to strengthen the team’s learning environment, guided by the belief that when students are given the right conditions, they discover how capable they truly are.Over time, Botbusters grew into one of Mexico’s most respected robotics teams, earning regional and international recognition, but more importantly, developing students who believed in themselves.
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In 2022, Rafa Abrego, Eric Pascual, and Irving Castro entrusted me with leading all
PrepaTec robotics teams nationwide. Accepting this role meant stepping away from the teamI had coached for eight years, a decision that broke my heart. But I had learned that leadership sometimes means letting go of what you love in order to serve something bigger. Their trust allowed me to take everything we had learned with Botbusters and scale it to a national level.
From that vision, Escudería PrepaTec was born: a unified robotics ecosystem built on collaboration, shared knowledge, and collective growth. Teams that once worked in isolation became part of a connected network. Today, Escudería PrepaTec includes 31 FRC teams and 28 FTC teams, and more importantly, a culture where teams lift each other up rather than compete alone.
One of the achievements I am most proud of is the creation of the STEAM Scholarship. Each year, it opens the door for hundreds of students who have talent, drive, and potential, and allow students to access education, contribute to robotics teams, and discover paths they never believed were possible.
I have made international exposure a priority by challenging teams to compete in
international regionals and off-season events, where students are exposed to higher
standards and accelerated learning through real competition. Additionally, while not every team qualifies for the FIRST Championship, I organize annual trips for students from teams that did not advance, allowing them to experience the event firsthand and return home with new ideas and motivation to strengthen their programs. In my view, FIRST grows strongest when learning is shared.
Looking back, I never imagined the impact I would have on so many students beyond the classroom. Many have gone on to become engineers and leaders in world-class companies, while others continue to give back to FIRST as coaches, volunteers, referees, judges, and event staff. Luis Rosas now coaches Botbusters (4635), Manuel Bautista coaches Overture (7421), Joel Reyna coaches Voltec (6647), and Lino Corlay serves as a Field Technical Advisor in both Texas and Mexico, just a few examples of the many former students who remain involved. For me, this cycle defines success far more than banners or trophies.
What I have always loved most about robotics is the act of competing itself. Winning or losing has never been the point. The pursuit of being the best pushes students to learn more, research more, train harder, and commit more deeply to their work. Along the way, they are forced to work as a team, to trust one another, to lead and to be led. Through that process, students are shaped not just as competitors, but as thoughtful, responsible people.
