A FIRST Chesapeake mentor working on a robot beside two students

Rising Tides · Virginia Peninsula Community College · Hampton, VA

Peninsula students, Peninsula teams.

VPCC students mentoring robotics teams across the Coastal Virginia STEM Ecosystem, with support from the COVA STEM Hub.

Bring Rising Tides to your campus

A mentor and students at work on a FIRST Robotics Competition robot

Teams this season

Open

VPCC mentor recruiting

2026-27

Launch season

18,912

VOLUNTEER HOURS IN FY26

Why the Peninsula

Built where the region builds.

Coastal Virginia runs on skilled work: shipbuilding, aerospace, advanced manufacturing. Rising Tides pairs VPCC students training for that work with the high school teams coming up behind them, so a robotics season becomes a first apprenticeship.

MEET THE COHORT

Now recruiting the first VPCC cohort.

Mentors join this season. Want to be one of them?

THE TEAMS

Where they mentor, and how it’s going.

Team pairings are announced at the start of the season.

BRING IT TO YOUR CAMPUS

Every campus has mentors waiting to be asked.

If your college or university wants to run Rising Tides, the next cohort starts with a short note.

Bring Rising Tides to your campus

Supported by the COVA STEM Hub.