A Southern Nevada education initiative serving students in grades 8–12, bridging the opportunity gap through engineering mentorship and the celebration of Fil-Am cultural identity.
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Mabuhay, welcome!
Mabuhay, welcome!
Our Model
Unlike traditional school clubs, we mirror a professional engineering and manufacturing environment. Our mentorship program focuses on:
Our Model
Unlike traditional school clubs, we mirror a professional engineering and manufacturing environment. Our mentorship program focuses on:
Rapid Iterative Prototyping: Students move from design concept to functional product through, multi-iteration development cycles.
Industry-Aligned Skillsets: Hands-on mastery of CAD, 3D printing, CNC machining, business operations, mechanics, and vision-based automation.
Holistic Development: Integration of Kultura programming to cultivate leadership, self-worth, and identity, ensuring students are prepared to lead in diverse professional spaces.
The Student Teams
The Student Teams
Design
Computer Aided Design (CAD)
Design Parts and Assemblies for Robot Mechanisms
Create Drawings for Fabrication
Fabrication
Hand tool and power tool operations
CAM, CNC Machining
Read Technical Drawings
Assembly
Robot part integration
Verify parts manufactured to spec
Wire and electrical management
Programming
Develop controls for robot
Computer Vision
Debugging and structured problem solving
Business & Marketing
Photography & videography
Team website & Social Media
Sponsorship communications
Fundraising
Event Planning
Kultura
Weekly Kultura topics
Areas of focus for Fil-Am History Month and AAPI Heritage Month
Coordinate with local AAPI organizations
A community youth mentorship & technical training program open to all students ingrades 8-12! Balikbayan Bots operates out of UNLV.
Fill out our interest form to receive updates about joining our program.
What is /balik + bayan/?
What is /balik + bayan/?
The word balikbayan is a combination of the Tagalog words balik, which means to return or to go back and bayan, which means homeland. Together, balikbayan means returning to the homeland. Starting around the 1970s, Filipinos living abroad were encouraged to return home and bring gifts and supplies to help their relatives. Tax incentives made it accessible to send boxes of goods back to family and friends giving rise to the custom of balikbayan boxes. This practice of sending balikbayan boxes is a cultural reflection of the desire for Filipinos who have left the country in search of better opportunities to provide for and take care of their loved ones back in the homeland.
The goal of Balikbayan Bots is to reflect this spirit by encouraging students to reflect on how their knowledge and experiences may connect with where they come from.
For more information on the history of balikbayan boxes, here's an feature from the LA Times.
Our tool workbench at UNLV lab space.
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