In just one year at Dr. Sue A. Shook Elementary, fifth grader Robin Mota has taken advantage of the many opportunities the school offers to create a few of her own.
Since starting school in August, Robin has invented a thermosensitive wristband called ThermoGuard that changes color when it detects high temperatures. This innovative project earned her one of three sweepstakes prizes at the Socorro ISD elementary science fair in November, a remarkable achievement for her very first year at the school. Since then, she has developed a companion app for the wristband and has been recognized with the Team of Excellence award by El Paso Mayor Renard Johnson, further showcasing her talent and dedication.
“I am very lucky to have the opportunity to be in the science fair,” said Robin, a straight-A student. “I didn't think it'd go this far. But it did. I feel really proud and happy. And I'm very thankful for the people who helped me along the way.”
In recognition of her outstanding accomplishments, Robin was selected to recite the Pledge of Allegiance at the Socorro ISD Board of Trustees regular meeting in April 2026.
When Robin’s family moved to El Paso from New Mexico in 2025, she was nervous about starting a new school. However, those feelings quickly faded thanks to classmates who welcomed her with open arms and teachers who motivated her to try new things.
Robin’s teacher, Rosario Quiroga, encouraged her to enter the science fair. She recognized the wristband’s potential as both an original invention and a potentially life‑saving tool that alerts wearers to dangerous temperature changes. The idea came from a family camping trip, when Robin’s younger brother developed a fever but didn’t say anything. Robin wanted to prevent similar situations for other families and transformed her concern for her brother into a useful invention.
“Robin’s project stood out because it was born from genuine empathy and executed with remarkable dedication, Quiroga said. “I was confident in her ability to succeed because she didn’t just build a device—she created a meaningful solution that has the potential to protect children and bring peace of mind to families.”
Robin went on to design a companion app, FeverLink, which alerts users when a fever is detected, winning second place in the SISD Academic Technology Showcase App Challenge in February. Her family is now working to turn her idea into a real‑world company named TempraLink.
“I didn't want to make a science fair project that didn't help, but I wanted to make something that would help the community. I wanted something that could really help people,” Robin said.
A key to Robin’s success is her willingness to take on new challenges.
Since starting school, she’s competed in the district Spanish Spelling Bee, is teaching herself French for fun, helped recruit classmates for UIL competitions and played defense on the Sue A. Shook soccer team.
As a member of the student council and the D.A.S.H. (Drugs, Alcohol, Safety, Health) initiative, she educated her peers about the stomach irritation that can result from eating too many spicy snacks.
“There’s so much to like about her,” said fifth-grader Tori Rosales, who became friends with Robin at the start of the school year. “She’s so nice. It makes you feel motivated to be like her. She’s an inspiration. She’s very successful.”
In February, Mayor Renard Johnson surprised Robin by presenting her with the Team of Excellence award, which recognizes students for their achievements in academics, leadership, community service, and other areas. Her older brother, Oliver Mota, a sixth grader at Col. John O. Ensor Middle School, was also recognized with the award.
“She is very gifted in many areas. Whenever we have challenges, not even challenges, just starting activities or competitions, she's the first one that comes to mind,” said Nelda Hurtado, the school’s assistant principal.
“I say, ‘Try it out. If you don't do well, it's okay. You already tried it.’ And she's like, ‘Okay, I'm going to try it!’” Hurtado added.
Robin advises new students to embrace opportunities, as they can lead to unexpected success based on her own experiences.
She acknowledged that developing the wristband was not easy. Inspired by her older brother’s science project, which involved changing the color of slime, Robin tested her idea by boiling the slime in hot water and then freezing it to see how the temperature affected the color. Despite experiencing ups and downs along the way, Robin remained calm, focused and determined, which ultimately led to her success. In addition to winning the sweepstakes award, she also took first place in the fifth-grade engineering category at the science fair.
“I just really like getting involved in stuff,” Robin said. “I couldn't believe that five-year-old me was telling myself, ‘Oh, at 10 years old, I'm gonna win the science fair and have my own company.’ Five-year-old me would be very surprised.”