True story dramatized in the movie “Spare Parts” (2015). Four students, three who were illegal immigrants, managed to beat MIT in the annual underwater robotics competition in 2004.<p>One self-deported back to Mexico, expecting he could find a way to come back legally and reunite with his wife and daughter. After intervention by a US senator, he returned and served honorably in the US Army in Afghanistan.<p>Follow up: <a href="https://www.azcentral.com/story/life/az-narratives/2014/07/17/phoenix-high-school-win-mit-resonates-decade-later/12777467/" rel="nofollow">https://www.azcentral.com/story/life/az-narratives/2014/07/1...</a>