Spare Parts
by Joshua Davis

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Cristian Arcega Character Analysis

One of the four students who compete in the MATE competition as a part of the Carl Hayden robotics club, along with Oscar, Lorenzo, and Luis. Cristian is the brains of the operation. He grew up in Mexico as a skinny kid with allergies, and so he mostly stayed indoors and took apart any technology he could get his hands on. When he is five years old, Cristian’s family drives across the U.S. border. He struggles in elementary school, but when he starts to pick up the language, he quickly excels in every class. Cristian joins the robotics club as a freshman, and he takes the lead on the scientific calculations and programs that need to go into making the robot (though sometimes his ideas about how to build the robot are too expensive or outlandish to be feasible). After the robotics competition and he graduates from high school, Cristian also attends Arizona State University. But when his tuition increases, he is unable to receive the same support from the school that Oscar does and he is forced to drop out. At the end of the book, Cristian is working at Home Depot and inventing things in his room at night. His story is placed in direct contrast to Oscar, and also to the students on MIT’s robotics team. Even though Cristian has just as much intelligence and talent as they do, the failures of the immigration system mean his promise is largely wasted.

Cristian Arcega Quotes in Spare Parts

The Spare Parts quotes below are all either spoken by Cristian Arcega or refer to Cristian Arcega. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Underdogs and Overcoming Odds Theme Icon
).

Introduction Quotes

There were teams from across the country, including students from MIT, who were sponsored by ExxonMobil, the world's largest publicly traded company. The Latino kids were from Carl Hayden Community High School in West Phoenix.

Related Characters: Lorenzo Santillan, Luis Aranda, Oscar Vazquez, Cristian Arcega
Related Symbols: Stinky the Robot
Page Number and Citation: 3
Explanation and Analysis:
At the beginning of the book, the four Carl Hayden students are giving the technical presentation on their robot at the 2004 MATE Remotely Operated Vehicle Competition. Davis wastes no time in pointing out the large disparities between the students from Carl Hayden and the other students and teams with which they are competing, particularly regarding their race and their economic disparity. This quote begins the underdog narrative that Davis frames throughout, demonstrating the immense odds that the Carl Hayden students face in the competition. The way in which the two teams are described highlights the great amount of privilege Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. D

As a NASA employee, she had become accustomed to working with engineers who conformed to a sort of industry standard: white, well educated, conservative clothes. These four teenagers standing in front of her signaled that the future looked different.

Related Characters: Oscar Vazquez, Tom Swean, Lisa Spence, Luis Aranda, Lorenzo Santillan, Cristian Arcega
Related Symbols: Stinky the Robot
Page Number and Citation: 6
Explanation and Analysis:
After the students have impressed the judges with their technical presentation, Davis gives readers a little bit of insight into one of the judge’s thoughts. Lisa Spence, the flight lead at NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, had gone to college at Arizona State University. Knowing the area in which the students live, Spence is surprised that such an impressive team has emerged from Carl Hayden Community High School. Spence’s observation of the ways in which the Carl Hayden students break from the norm posits the students’ differences as heralding a wave of the future, but the rest of Davis’s book and Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore.

One Quotes

I've got to create something that doesn't compete with other science centers; it's got to compete with the World Series and the Super Bowl. I’ve got to find a way to make science and technology cool.

Related Characters: Dean Kamen (speaker), Fredi Lajvardi, Oscar Vazquez, Cristian Arcega, Lorenzo Santillan, Luis Aranda
Page Number and Citation: 64
Explanation and Analysis:
Dean Kamen is a thirty-eight-year-old inventor who realizes that students have a hard time getting excited about the sciences when they have alternative entertainment like sporting events. He resolves to create an event that can garner the same amount of excitement. This keys into a question that runs throughout the book: how to get kids engaged in science and technology. In an attempt to ameliorate this situation, Kamen founds the For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) competition in 1989, and the one that the Carl Hayden students attend in 2004 centers on building a robot that is Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus vo

Two Quotes

The whole point was to give the guys a chance to accomplish something beyond what they thought possible. But if they showed up at the event and failed utterly, it would only reinforce the impression that they didn't belong in the contest in the first place. That could leave a kid such as Lorenzo with a permanent sense of inferiority.

Related Characters: Allan Cameron, Lorenzo Santillan, Fredi Lajvardi, Cristian Arcega, Luis Aranda, Oscar Vazquez
Page Number and Citation: 91
Explanation and Analysis:
When Fredi and Allan initially discover the MATE competition, there are two classes of competitors that the kids can participate in: the Explorer Class, made up mostly of teams from colleges, and the Ranger Class, made up primarily of teams from high schools. They realize that the competition will be difficult for the students regardless of which class they enter, and they want to take care that the students aren’t completely devastated by the results. This highlights an underappreciated role of mentors: not only to give kids information or to make learning fun, but also to give the kids the Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Po

For Lorenzo, the robotics team was like a new family. In some respects, Fredi and Allan were surrogate parents, constantly advising him and pushing him to do better. […] A team spirit had developed. Lorenzo wasn't the only one sitting in the front row of his classes.

Related Characters: Lorenzo Santillan, Fredi Lajvardi, Allan Cameron, Luis Aranda, Oscar Vazquez, Cristian Arcega
Page Number and Citation: 113
Explanation and Analysis:
When Lorenzo first joins the robotics team, he is so excited about it that he devotes most of his time to the club and falls behind on his other schoolwork. Fredi threatens that if he doesn’t get his grades up, he won’t be able to be on the team, and so he starts to work harder and harder in his other classes. The rest of the boys quickly follow suit. These developments establish the power one feels when one belongs in a group. Lorenzo is completely motivated by the group of kids that he has found, and so he works Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officii

Fredi was impressed. It was a practical, cheap, and ingenious solution. […]

“You did it,” Fredi said, clapping Lorenzo on the shoulder.

Lorenzo responded with a big smile. “I did it.”

Related Characters: Lorenzo Santillan (speaker), Fredi Lajvardi (speaker), Cristian Arcega, Oscar Vazquez
Related Symbols: Stinky the Robot
Page Number and Citation: 120
Explanation and Analysis:
As the students start to build the parts of their robot that can complete the different assigned tasks, Oscar and Cristian tell Lorenzo that he should take on the task of extracting a liquid sample from a barrel underwater because they think it’s going to be impossible. Lorenzo works tirelessly, testing out different methods with a balloon, a sump pump, copper tubing, and various plastic containers to keep the balloon from falling over. When he finally accomplishes the task, Fredi is impressed and also exceptionally proud. Lorenzo’s creativity has paid off here, as he is able to discover cheap and Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem acc

“It needs a name,” Lorenzo said.
Oscar remembered Lorenzo’s choking on the glue fumes and suggested, “Why don’t we call it Stinky?”

Related Characters: Oscar Vazquez (speaker), Lorenzo Santillan (speaker), Cristian Arcega, Luis Aranda
Related Symbols: Stinky the Robot
Page Number and Citation: 138
Explanation and Analysis:
Just a few weeks before the MATE competition, the four students glue their robot together. Though they had practiced multiple times, they quickly realize that they have an added difficulty because the robotics closet quickly fills with noxious fumes (which Lorenzo addresses by commenting that it’s “stinky” in the closet) from the glue that they are using. They have to work quickly as a team, and once they finish building the robot, they christen it “Stinky.” Stinky becomes a representation of two things: both their teamwork and their status as underdogs. It represents their teamwork because not only does it Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis.

The group also offered some of the same benefits of being in a gang. Now that he hung out with Luis on campus, Lorenzo found that other students were less likely to make fun of him.

Related Characters: Luis Aranda, Lorenzo Santillan, Oscar Vazquez, Cristian Arcega
Page Number and Citation: 132
Explanation and Analysis:
After the students participate in the FIRST competition in Atlanta, Davis describes the ways in which they had formed a closer team and a closer friendship. They had learned how to solder and how to use a robot controller from competing in the competition, but they had also developed a technical shorthand and grown as friends on the trip. To the boys, and particularly to Lorenzo, this sense of belonging and camaraderie is perhaps even more vital to him than pursuing his interests. Here, Luis helps him avoid bullying, and the club makes him feel like he is no longer Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia e

Three Quotes

It reminded them that they were doing something they had never done before. In Phoenix, they were called illegal aliens and pegged as criminals. They were alternately viewed as American, Mexican, or neither. Now, for a moment, they were simply teenagers at a robotics competition by the ocean.

Related Characters: Cristian Arcega, Luis Aranda, Fredi Lajvardi, Allan Cameron, Lorenzo Santillan, Oscar Vazquez
Related Symbols: Stinky the Robot
Page Number and Citation: 158
Explanation and Analysis:
Just before the students are about to give their technical presentation at the MATE competition, Fredi and Allan encourage them to stop people on the street and talk about their robot so they can practice speaking about it. But the phenomenon that Davis describes here demonstrates how the competition allows the boys to move away from the negative stereotypes that may be surrounding them in Phoenix, and across the country. The robotics club provides them with the opportunity to form a new identity—to have an interest that helps to define them in a positive way. This is what makes their Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia

Stinky represented this low-tech approach to engineering. But that was exactly what had impressed the judges.

Related Characters: Lorenzo Santillan, Luis Aranda, Cristian Arcega, Oscar Vazquez, Lisa Spence
Related Symbols: Stinky the Robot
Page Number and Citation: 176
Explanation and Analysis:
At the MATE competition’s awards ceremony, the judges announce that the Carl Hayden students have won the Design Elegance award. They are shocked, considering that other teams have much bigger budgets and robots made out of much more expensive and high-tech materials than their robot, Stinky. However, the judges point out that it was exactly this difference that had led them to award the boys with this honor. Thus, what had seemed like their greatest liability—their lack of resources and knowledge—had actually become their greatest asset, as they were forced to think creatively and come up with solutions that could Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor aspe

Four Quotes

“If the really long list of immigrant inventors who have made this country and the world a much better place is to stop here and now, we will also likely become the newest declining nation,” one reader commented.

Related Characters: Joshua Davis, Oscar Vazquez, Cristian Arcega, Luis Aranda, Lorenzo Santillan
Page Number and Citation: 186
Explanation and Analysis:
The students win the MATE competition in 2004; in 2005, Joshua Davis publishes an article about their victory. As a result, many readers have an outpouring of support for the students and they raise $120,000 in scholarships for the students. Yet there is still a huge amount  of tension between the two sides of the immigration debate. Even though many readers support the students, Davis points out that many Americans do not have the same reaction. This reader’s comment highlights how the discrimination against immigrants from a specific background it is at odds with some of the values that Americans Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consect

In reality, life is more complicated. The attention paid to the team as a result of their victory coincided with a backlash against immigrants in Arizona.

Related Characters: Oscar Vazquez, Lorenzo Santillan, Cristian Arcega, Luis Aranda
Page Number and Citation: 219
Explanation and Analysis:
At the end of the book, Davis describes how the movie adaptation of his Wired article ended with the awards ceremony at the 2004 MATE competition, effectively giving the characters in the movie a picture-perfect happy ending. But Davis points out here that the movie’s ending is an ending that eludes the students that it depicts, and that it is important not to gloss over the fact that the boys all struggled and continue to struggle with jobs and stability because of their immigration status. The movie version, Davis argues, allows viewers to feel satisfied and untroubled about the immigration Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem ac
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Cristian Arcega Character Timeline in Spare Parts

The timeline below shows where the character Cristian Arcega appears in Spare Parts. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Introduction
Underdogs and Overcoming Odds Theme Icon
On June 25, 2004, Cristian Arcega, Lorenzo Santillan, Oscar Vazquez, and Luis Aranda stand in a classroom at the University... (full context)
Underdogs and Overcoming Odds Theme Icon
...program), questions the four students about their robot, asking how they made the laser work. Cristian, the team’s science wizard, answers the questions rapidly and impressively. (full context)
Teamwork, Friendship, and Motivation Theme Icon
...Oscar answers as the team’s de facto leader. Oscar is seventeen (two years older than Cristian and Lorenzo) and has been serving in Carl Hayden’s Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC)... (full context)
Teamwork, Friendship, and Motivation Theme Icon
Cristian answers most of Swean and Spence’s questions, but Spence also notes that Lorenzo and Oscar... (full context)
Immigration, Prejudice, and the American Dream Theme Icon
...pulse-width modulation, and it is a technique that allows them to control the robot digitally. Cristian is amazed that Luis answered the question right. (full context)
One
Underdogs and Overcoming Odds Theme Icon
Davis then turns to Cristian’s childhood, growing up in Mexicali, Mexico. He is a small, skinny boy who prefers to... (full context)
Immigration, Prejudice, and the American Dream Theme Icon
In 1994, when Cristian is four, his father Juan travels to the United States and finds work in Arizona.... (full context)
Immigration, Prejudice, and the American Dream Theme Icon
In December, Cristian starts elementary school. His biggest obstacle is that he doesn’t speak any English. He doesn’t... (full context)
Immigration, Prejudice, and the American Dream Theme Icon
Cristian is in an English-learner program but continues to struggle. He receives straight Fs that year.... (full context)
Underdogs and Overcoming Odds Theme Icon
Curiosity, Creativity, and Adventure Theme Icon
That summer, the family moves to a trailer on the outskirts of town. Cristian has allergies and so he decides to stay indoors most of the time, watching TV.... (full context)
Immigration, Prejudice, and the American Dream Theme Icon
When Cristian is nine years old, the family moves to a trailer park in West Phoenix. Juan... (full context)
Immigration, Prejudice, and the American Dream Theme Icon
The trailer park that Cristian and his family move to feels like a huge step up, primarily because there isn’t... (full context)
Underdogs and Overcoming Odds Theme Icon
Over the next few years, Cristian finds that watching Bob Vila has improved his English. By fourth grade he is fluent;... (full context)
Mentorship Theme Icon
Curiosity, Creativity, and Adventure Theme Icon
In eighth grade, Cristian meets Ms. Hildebrandt, the chemistry teacher. She encourages him to choose an independent project that... (full context)
Curiosity, Creativity, and Adventure Theme Icon
Cristian lights the rocket’s engine. It immediately melts the fishing line and shoots across the soccer... (full context)
Immigration, Prejudice, and the American Dream Theme Icon
At the end of eighth grade, Cristian starts to think about high school. He visits North High School, which has an international... (full context)
Underdogs and Overcoming Odds Theme Icon
When Cristian starts at Carl Hayden, he signs up for all honors courses. He skips freshman science... (full context)
Mentorship Theme Icon
Curiosity, Creativity, and Adventure Theme Icon
Cristian then meets Fredi Lajvardi, the program manager of the marine science program. At the beginning... (full context)
Underdogs and Overcoming Odds Theme Icon
Immigration, Prejudice, and the American Dream Theme Icon
Mentorship Theme Icon
...Fredi simply told students to find something fun to build or an idea to test. Cristian hears about Fredi from a fellow freshman named Michael Hanck, who is building robots in... (full context)
Immigration, Prejudice, and the American Dream Theme Icon
...the federal government isn’t doing enough to turn back Mexicans. And so, for kids like Cristian and Lorenzo, getting good grades might have been the least of their problems. (full context)
Mentorship Theme Icon
...however. In 2002, he stops coaching and shuts down the electric car program. In 2003, Cristian, Oscar, and Lorenzo walk into his science classroom. (full context)
Mentorship Theme Icon
Curiosity, Creativity, and Adventure Theme Icon
...science class as a freshman and joined the team the same year. Michael suggests that Cristian speak to Fredi about joining. (full context)
Curiosity, Creativity, and Adventure Theme Icon
Cristian steps into Fredi’s classroom in May 2003, after the FIRST competition has already taken place... (full context)
Underdogs and Overcoming Odds Theme Icon
Mentorship Theme Icon
Cristian sees Lorenzo hanging around the lab and assumes he’s just another loud jokester. But Fredi... (full context)
Teamwork, Friendship, and Motivation Theme Icon
Mentorship Theme Icon
Curiosity, Creativity, and Adventure Theme Icon
In the fall of 2003, Lorenzo and Cristian both sign up for the 7:00 a.m. robotics club class. Together with Michael Hanck, they... (full context)
Underdogs and Overcoming Odds Theme Icon
At the pumpkin field, neither Cristian nor Oscar miss Lorenzo much. Both of them think that there’s no excuse for being... (full context)
Teamwork, Friendship, and Motivation Theme Icon
...that it is nice that the team seems to want his help. He doesn’t know Cristian or Lorenzo, but he does know Oscar, who is friendly to him despite his intimidating... (full context)
Two
Immigration, Prejudice, and the American Dream Theme Icon
Mentorship Theme Icon
...cousin to donate to his underwater-robotics competition, but she thinks that he’s joking and refuses. Cristian phones aunts and uncles in California, who say they’ll think about it but never send... (full context)
Underdogs and Overcoming Odds Theme Icon
Lorenzo thinks of the simplest approach: a length of string. He and Cristian go back and forth about how to make sure that the string can reach the... (full context)
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Oscar agrees that this could work; Lorenzo beams with pride. Cristian points out that it won’t work for depth, though, because there’s nothing at the bottom... (full context)
Teamwork, Friendship, and Motivation Theme Icon
Curiosity, Creativity, and Adventure Theme Icon
...to explain that it doesn’t work. The reading is always off by 30 percent. But Cristian, listening in, realizes that that’s due to the index of refraction: it takes the laser... (full context)
Teamwork, Friendship, and Motivation Theme Icon
Mentorship Theme Icon
...class and does all his homework. When he can’t figure a question out, he asks Cristian to explain the theory. Cristian isn’t a great teacher—he doesn’t have a ton of patience—but... (full context)
Underdogs and Overcoming Odds Theme Icon
...Oscar positions the thermocouple, the range finder, and the pincer in their model. Then, he, Cristian, and Lorenzo strategize about how to build the real ROV. Metal will be more compact,... (full context)
Curiosity, Creativity, and Adventure Theme Icon
Luis drives to Home Depot and buys twenty dollars’ worth of PVC pipe. Luis, Cristian, Oscar, and Lorenzo gather in the robotics closet. Cristian sketches out the ROV and calculates... (full context)
Teamwork, Friendship, and Motivation Theme Icon
Curiosity, Creativity, and Adventure Theme Icon
...limit voltage loss. Lorenzo says that the idea is “badass.” Oscar is nervous, but when Cristian says that if they can’t waterproof a case to hold the battery they shouldn’t be... (full context)
Underdogs and Overcoming Odds Theme Icon
...is the hardest: extracting a liquid sample from inside a barrel while hovering. Oscar and Cristian are pretty sure the task will be impossible, so they assign it to Lorenzo. Other... (full context)
Underdogs and Overcoming Odds Theme Icon
Teamwork, Friendship, and Motivation Theme Icon
...they have bought needs to be cut, and so the team buys a pipe cutter. Cristian, Lorenzo, and Oscar discover that they’re not strong enough to cut the pipe. They have... (full context)
Curiosity, Creativity, and Adventure Theme Icon
...month after the students begin the ROV project, Dean Kamen releases his annual FIRST challenge. Cristian, Oscar, Lorenzo, and Luis are part of a larger team participating in the FIRST challenge... (full context)
Immigration, Prejudice, and the American Dream Theme Icon
When Cristian tells his mother Leticia about the trip, she is not thrilled, worrying about what happened... (full context)
Curiosity, Creativity, and Adventure Theme Icon
...competition begins, the Carl Hayden team’s robot freezes in the middle of an early match. Cristian suspects that the most likely issue is that the battery is not sitting right in... (full context)
Teamwork, Friendship, and Motivation Theme Icon
...they hadn’t tried to fit the briefcase when doing their dry runs. Everyone is disappointed. Cristian says that they have to start over. (full context)
Underdogs and Overcoming Odds Theme Icon
...them it’s not a problem and marvels at the unusual crew filing into her facility: Cristian, Luis, Lorenzo, Oscar, Fredi, Allan, and Michael Hanck, who is there to help pilot the... (full context)
Underdogs and Overcoming Odds Theme Icon
...they plug everything in, the two monitors light up and Stinky starts coming to life. Cristian is in charge of the robot’s up and down movements, while Michael is in charge... (full context)
Underdogs and Overcoming Odds Theme Icon
...it’s harder to get it back out because the tether is threaded through the hoop. Cristian and Michael try to drive it back, but Stinky begins to spin erratically before slamming... (full context)
Teamwork, Friendship, and Motivation Theme Icon
Cristian and Michael try piloting the robot through the hoop again, but it veers off a... (full context)
Curiosity, Creativity, and Adventure Theme Icon
Back in the robotics closet, Cristian reexamines every connection in the briefcase. Some of the cables have been damaged, causing the... (full context)
Three
Teamwork, Friendship, and Motivation Theme Icon
Luis stays by the pool while Cristian, Oscar and Lorenzo monitor Stinky on their video screens from the control tent. Cristian notes... (full context)
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Oscar and Cristian move on to measuring the submarine. They are able to hook the tape measure onto... (full context)
Underdogs and Overcoming Odds Theme Icon
Teamwork, Friendship, and Motivation Theme Icon
...doing it last. They steer Stinky over to the “barrel”—a one-gallon paint can—and Oscar and Cristian are able to get their sampling pipe into the can. Lorenzo can’t believe it, and... (full context)
Underdogs and Overcoming Odds Theme Icon
Teamwork, Friendship, and Motivation Theme Icon
...the stage. But Merrill stops them: they have also won the Technical Writing Award. Even Cristian is surprised. In his mind, there was no possibility that a bunch of ESL students... (full context)
Four
Underdogs and Overcoming Odds Theme Icon
Immigration, Prejudice, and the American Dream Theme Icon
...feels stuck. He has thought about college, but he doesn’t know how to afford it. Cristian has a similar problem. He dreamed of going to college, but when the air conditioning... (full context)
Underdogs and Overcoming Odds Theme Icon
Immigration, Prejudice, and the American Dream Theme Icon
Allan and Fredi urge Cristian to apply to MIT, but his family wants to keep him close and the school... (full context)
Immigration, Prejudice, and the American Dream Theme Icon
Midway through Cristian’s freshman year, an Arizona state senator sponsors Proposition 300. The law seeks to prevent state... (full context)
Immigration, Prejudice, and the American Dream Theme Icon
Proposition 300 passes in November 2006 with 71% support. Cristian’s tuition quadruples as a result. Unable to pay it, he decides to drop out. He... (full context)
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Proposition 300 drives Cristian out of college, but Oscar had already distinguished himself at the university, and a variety... (full context)
Underdogs and Overcoming Odds Theme Icon
Immigration, Prejudice, and the American Dream Theme Icon
...against immigrants in Arizona. Propositions 200 and 300 had a direct impact on Oscar and Cristian. Oscar ultimately graduated from college; Cristian did not. (full context)
Immigration, Prejudice, and the American Dream Theme Icon
...deferring the deportation of immigrants who would have qualified for the DREAM Act. Lorenzo and Cristian apply for protection under the order, which buys them temporary safety. But, as Davis writes,... (full context)
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Immigration, Prejudice, and the American Dream Theme Icon
...at the federal courthouse during the week; on the weekends he caters events with Lorenzo. Cristian lives at home and continues to invent things in his room. (full context)