The City of Folsom is recognizing a group of local student innovators headed to one of the world’s top robotics competitions, as Mayor Justin Raithel and the Folsom City Council honored Team 29712C “Cognitaur” with a Resolution of Commendation for qualifying for the VEX Robotics World Championship.
The commendation, presented in Folsom, highlights the team’s achievement in earning a place at the international competition while recognizing their dedication to science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
The official resolution identifies Team Cognitaur as a high school VEX Robotics team representing the City of Folsom and the greater Sacramento region, and emphasizes the significance of qualifying for one of the world’s premier student robotics competitions.
Team Cognitaur is led by captain Ayushmaan Bellum and includes teammates Ameya Gupta, Umesh Maddineni and Arnav Bodas. City leaders recognized the group’s accomplishment as the result of extensive work across robotics design, programming, engineering strategy and research.
According to the City of Folsom’s resolution, the team’s success reflects countless hours devoted to technical development and preparation, while also highlighting the students’ perseverance, collaboration and problem-solving abilities. The resolution further notes the team exemplifies excellence in STEM fields and represents the innovation and talent emerging from the local community.
“We are deeply grateful to Mayor Justin Raithel and the City of Folsom for this recognition,” Bellum said. “This honor means a lot to our team because it reflects the hard work, learning and dedication that went into reaching the VEX Robotics World Championship. We are proud to represent Folsom and the greater Sacramento region on the world stage.”
Cognitaur has earned recognition for its strong engineering focus, programming depth and competitive performance. Under Bellum’s leadership, the team has grown into a high-performing, innovation-driven program that blends technical rigor with a broader spirit of student-led initiative and ambition.
The city’s resolution describes the team’s qualification as a proud moment for the Folsom community, underscoring the impact of local students in advancing science and technology. It states the team will represent Folsom and Sacramento County when it travels to St. Louis, Missouri, to compete in April against top teams from around the world.
By issuing the commendation, Raithel, on behalf of the City Council, formally extended congratulations and best wishes to Team Cognitaur for success at the world championship and in future endeavors.
City officials noted the achievement highlights the growing impact of student-led STEM success in Folsom and serves as an example of how young innovators are representing the region with excellence.
Team 29712C Cognitaur includes Ayushmaan Bellum, Ameya Gupta, Umesh Maddineni and Arnav Bodas.
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