When industry believes in education, real futures get built.

Last week, executives from the ExxonMobil Cicero Lube Plant made their annual visit to Unity Jr. High School's Underwater Robotics Club — a program they've invested thousands of dollars into for over a decade. And standing in that room, surrounded by students, tools, wires, code, and possibility, one thing was crystal clear:

That investment is paying off.

Our Underwater Robotics team isn't just a club — it's an international competitor. Every year, these students take the skills they've built with their own hands and compete on the world stage in Washington, D.C. Their work has drawn regional attention from local news outlets, not because it's flashy, but because it's real. It's rigorous. It's impressive.

These students don't watch from the sidelines — they design, engineer, problem-solve, and build. Tools in hand. Minds engaged. Confidence growing.

And none of this happens in isolation.

It happens because partners like ExxonMobil choose to believe in young people. Because they understand that when you invest in students early, you don't just change a program — you change trajectories.

Cicero District 99 is incredibly grateful for this partnership, and we are beyond proud of the Underwater Robotics program that has grown from it. This is what education looks like when opportunity meets support.

If you ever walk into Unity Jr. High and are deciding which clubs to consider — this one stops you in your tracks.

Because this is where curiosity turns into capability. This is where learning becomes leadership. This is where futures are engineered.