Re: A farewell to the place I called home
 

Ken, you are one of the most sincere, emotive and thoughtful people I've ever met -- not simply within the FIRST community, but anywhere. You will educate and inspire where ever your journey takes you and all along the paths to that destination.

Your departure is not a loss for FIRST, but among the best accomplishments FIRST might ever claim for infusing our culture with gracious professionalism, class, and honor. Good luck!

Re: A farewell to the place I called home
 

Have fun Ken, and rock on!

-Joe Matt

Re: A farewell to the place I called home
 

Ken, Good luck. I hope you achieve great success in life. I will definitely miss your enthusiastic posts, but I guess if I get bored I will just look back into few of your older threads. You are most definitely one of the most humblest of all FIRSTers I have known.
-Bharat

Re: A farewell to the place I called home
 

Ken,

I have appreciated every conversation with you. You and your posts on here have been one of my greatest teachers over the years. Best of luck-- we're all behind you 100%.

Amanda

Re: A farewell to the place I called home
 

Ken,

I am only known you for a few days. But during the time I have known you, I realized that you are one of the very good advisor, also a great contributor to this forum and FIRST. I wish you my best luck to your journey. We all know that you will succeed. Keep in touch with us. We will miss you :(

-Arefin.

Re: A farewell to the place I called home
 

I want to thank you Ken, for the wonderful contributions you have made to FIRST and this forum. You have set an incredible example to those around you and within the FIRST community. I have been inspired by the eloquence of your writing and your thought, and it has encouraged me to think “beyond the competition”.

Many people join FIRST, go through all the motions of building a competition robot, and then leave it at that. Many do not take FIRST further than what they know it as in the concrete: simply a robotics competition. It is the rarest of individuals who, upon entering a new world of experiences (such as FIRST), will attempt to fully comprehend what the true meaning of that experience is. They recognize what the “big picture” is, and think beyond the realm of their own world.

In FIRST, this means recognizing and broadening the definitions of the objectives of the organization itself. It means striving to help FIRST do its job even better. It means striving to bring inspiration to students and mentors alike. It means teaching others about gracious professionalism - in an effort to enlighten FIRSTers, and consequently society, about the nature of human progress. Ken Leung has done all of these things, in an effort to bring this message of awareness to the rest of the FIRST community.

Ken, I congratulate you on taking what you have gotten out of FIRST into the real world. This is an example that other people within FIRST need to emulate.
To everyone - Follow Ken's example. Take the wonderful experiences that you have had, take the wonderful lessons you have learned, and use them to inspire others and change the world. By doing this, you are fulfilling the real aim of FIRST – initiating positive change in a society that is darkened by greed, anger and hatred.

Thank you,
Jaine

Re: A farewell to the place I called home
 

It's not my place to write a long, emotional post; I don't know you nearly as well as some of the others in this thread do.

With that said, Ken, thanks for all that you've done. Even the work you've done in policing these forums - the only real contact I've had with you - would merit recognition from the users here, but you've done much, much more than that. The work you've put into FIRST has given people memories, happy ones, and that's one of the single best things you can do with your time on this planet.

Good luck with the next phase of your life, and remember that we'd be more than willing to welcome you back if you ever choose to return. :)

Re: A farewell to the place I called home
 

All i really feel the need to say to you Ken is, Thanks and Good luck, because those pretty much explain everything i feel after reading this.

Rock on good sir, rock on...

Re: A farewell to the place I called home
 

Ken, what can i say. You have not only personally inspired me but countless others to continue and forward their work in FIRST and their everyday lives. From the day i met you at IRI in 03 to the other countless memories, you have always and will always have a positive impact on me and inspire me to reach for the stars. You are always welcome to any FIRST event and hopefully you will keep in touch with us, even if its just saying Hi on line. You can achieve anything you put your mind to and will reach great heights with all of you future choices.

Godspeed, Good Luck and Thank You for Everything!
Michael Dessingue

Re: A farewell to the place I called home
 

Ken, I loved what you wrote. Here I am, about to embark on a journey of my own, college, and after reading what you had say. I just realized how foturnated I was to be involved in FIRST. The inspiration really opened up many of the doors of opportunity that lay before me.

Best of luck in your future endeavors. Hope that you'll come back and visit. :)

Re: A farewell to the place I called home
 

Good luck Ken, we will miss you. Your post reminds us all that we are so lucky to have FIRST. I had felt "burned out" after the long build season but now after reading your post I feel refreshed and inspired. Thank you so much for your dedication to CD and to FIRST. Good luck on your future endeavors, I am sure that you will be successful in whatever you do.


GO 1403!!!

Re: A farewell to the place I called home
 

Ken,
On behalf of ChiefDelphi, our website just won't be the same without you. Team 47 and I really truely appreciate the hard work and sense of reason that you have brought into the website. You have made this a home for yourself and we can proudly say, Thankyou for everything that you have done.
Best of Luck in whatever and wherever your dreams take you, Take care of yourself and please don't stop spreading the great story of FIRST.
As I told my friend Joe Johnson, just because you aren't around as much doesn't mean that you can just close the book on this chapter, instead - just keep a book marker in this place, so you can remember how to find your way back home - when the time is right.
Thanks again for everything,
Mike Aubry

Re: A farewell to the place I called home
 

Ken,
In my business the phrase "never say never" are words to live by. People never truly leave what they love, they just take extended trips away. I have enjoyed our discussions and look forward to those in the future. I hope to see you again, remember you can always ask me anything.
I don't remember who said it or what the words are exactly...(I think it was Hopalong Cassidy) Don't say goodbye, just say see you later.

Re: A farewell to the place I called home
 

Ken -

When asked about some of the best "success stories" of FIRST, there are many, many examples from which to choose. But it always seems that a handful of a half-dozen or so just naturally rise to the top. Those are the ones that represent the best and the brightest of the "FIRST graduates," those that have not only learned from their experiences with FIRST, but have gone well beyond that to seek knowledge and wisdom for its' own sake, and then learn to pass that quest on to others. You have clearly become one of those individuals, and we are all better for our time spent with you (either virtually here on CD, or driving through downtown L.A. in a Mustang convertable with Ashlee S.). Thank you for ketting us have a chance to peer into your experiences and your growth as a student, as a citizen, and as a person. Your presence will be missed, but your insights will persist and make a difference for a very, very long time.

-dave

Re: A farewell to the place I called home
 

Thanks for the chuckle, Steve.

Ken,

Though this message comes as a shock to all of us, we thank you so much for all your services throughout your many years with FIRST. You were one of the first college FIRSTers I met when I worked the SCRRF Fall Classic at CSUN two years ago. Your dedication to the program, willingness to go anywhere FIRST was to help out, was truly inspiring and what, in part, made me stay with FIRST and expand on what I have done within the program. I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors and I hope to meet you again in person someday when you have a chance to return to FIRST. Good luck and godspeed.

From one FIRST-a-holic to another,
Thanks.