A big opportunity for a small group of students at Grulla Elementary School as they head to a world robotics competition.

The school's robotics team just got off the ground at the start of the year.

Fifth-grader Noah Lopez is on the Robo Cranes Team at the school. The team participates in what looks like a simple stacking game but takes hours of practice.

Students have just one minute to complete the task with a robot they built and programmed themselves.

"We're supposed to pick them up and stack them on each other and we can put them on any of these colored papers. We have to match the cone to get extra points, and the more cones, the more points," Lopez said.

For these students, it's not just about the clock, it's about doing something they never imagined at this age.

"It's a great experience and you learn STEM and teamwork and you get to meet other kids from around the world if you make it to world competition," Lopez said.

Just a few months ago, the robotics team didn't even exist. Robo Cranes formed in January with five girls and five boys.

In that short time, instructor Veronica Barrera has taught them how to build, program, and solve problems.

"At the beginning, it was very hard for them to understand, but they know Legos. So, I just thought, okay, we're going to do Legos," Barrera said. "It has been everything new. There was no teaching, there was no one teaching us how to start, what to do, so it was figure it."

In February, they competed against 10 other schools in the Rio Grande Valley and took home the regional championship.

Now, they're advancing to the Vex Robotics World Championship in St. Louis, Missouri next month.

"It's going to be a totally different experience for them and even for me. It's like, okay, we're going to go see people from China, France, Europe, anywhere you know, Spain, Mexico it's very, very exciting," Barrera said.

For Grulla Elementary School, moments like this don't come around often, but for these students this is proof that big dreams can start in a small classroom.

District leaders say around 90 percent of their student population comes from low-income households. Making opportunities like this even more meaningful.

"Our students being exposed to the skills necessary for them to follow careers that are built on engineering and STEAM," Grulla Elementary School Principal Ramiro Bermea said.

The district will cover travel expenses, including flights and meals.

For Lopez, he says if they don't win, it's still a valuable learning experience.

"I'm glad that we had the experience of robotics and we tried," Lopez said.

The team will keep practicing as they get ready for their three-day competition, which begins on April 28.

Watch the video above for the full story.