The Cal Poly Rose Float team is set to make another splash this year when they debut their 77th float this New Year’s Day in the annual Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena.

Support the team’s goal through its Cal Poly Crowdfund campaign. When the campaign reaches $10,000, a generous donor will contribute an additional $10,000 — doubling the impact of every gift. Funds raised will help cover materials, offset travel costs and give more students the chance to take part in this quintessential Learn by Doing experience.

Aubrey Goings, a fourth-year architecture student from San Jose and this year’s organization president, said funds have been stretched in recent years as inflation and maintenance have made things more expensive.

“There are some materials that we'd love to use, but we just can't afford them,” she said. “And then this year, we have to redo our engine system because our pump finally failed.”

She added that not all organization members are able to take part in the main event, as costs limit the number of students who can travel south for the majority of the building process and the final preparations. Only about half of those who sign up can be accommodated.

“Our travel budget is topped off. And even though we have more interest, we can't bring everyone because it's not in our budget to rent more vans or secure more hotel rooms,” Goings said.

As a student organization, the team doesn’t have access to the same budgets as many of the professional float builders that are featured alongside them in the parade. But being scrappy with a limited budget has also forced the team to think creatively and outside the box.

“We're reinventing the wheel every year, doing it better sometimes and cheaper,” said Stephanie Yeakle, a fifth-year kinesiology student from San Diego and this year’s organization vice president. “The professional float builders will see ours and say ‘Oh, I never even thought about doing that,’ because we're not taking from other people. We're creating our own.”

The floral decorations are just one part of the float making process, which has students performing a wide variety of tasks across disciplines.

One new idea they are experimenting with is integrating neoprene, the material used in wetsuits, into the float’s design. This flexible material is being used to cover moving parts on the float, which allows for a more cohesive and seamless integration of everything from mechanisms to florals. This year’s float will also incorporate lights in new and exciting ways.

The theme of this year’s parade is The Magic in Teamwork, and this year’s float design, “Jungle Jumpstart,” will emphasize that, showing a rainforest community coming together to restore their robot friend. Like in the float’s story, teamwork is essential to how the float gets built, as departments collaborate closely with one another and across both campuses to coordinate the work.

More than anything, the organization creates a sense of community for its members and allows students to come together in a fun learning and supportive environment where all are welcome. Both Goings and Yeakle emphasized what an incredible experience they’ve had with the organization over the years, adding that it has really helped them hone their leadership, communication, project management and people skills. They are confident that these skills will help them thrive professionally in their chosen fields long after graduation.

“We really are Learn by Doing. We will teach anyone anything that they want,” Goings said. “It's an experience where people are growing their professional leadership skills, while also having a good time finding community.”

Added Yeakle: “We like to say that we're a leadership program that just happens to build to float along the way."

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