SENIORS, volunteering for FIRST or helping your team or other teams
 

To the graduating SENIORS,

Is anyone

1) volunteering for FIRST

2) mentoring they team

3) mentoring other teams ( like Rookie or second-year teams)

For me, I know I want to come and help out FIRST. Like I would want to MC a regional because I am spirited and like FIRST a lot. But also I would want to mentor my team because I feel they could use my help leading into a new direction. And I may want to mentor a rookie or second-year team, they could use some help. I want to know what other SENIORS are doing.

Re: SENIORS, volunteering for FIRST or helping your team or other teams
 

My best advice is to not bite off more than you can handle.

I would not try to start a rookie team in your first year of college. It's too much to handle to try to get acclimated to college, have a social life, and start a team from the ground up.

If you want to work with a team, work with one that is already established.

The easiest way to stay involved is by volunteering, I think.

Re: SENIORS, volunteering for FIRST or helping your team or other teams
 

I'm currently a Seinor. Next year, I plan to attend Purdue University. While none of this is set in stone yet, I would like to help with the Purdue Regional in some way and also possibly mentor a team. I think this will keep me very involved in FIRST, which I really want to be after high school.

Maybe even voltuneer at a regional or two :]

Re: SENIORS, volunteering for FIRST or helping your team or other teams
 

I'm going to school at RIT, I plan on mentoring team 73 or whoever RIT sponsors (Or IF I meet a few friends who are from the area and they mentor their old HS team, I might mentor with them on another team). I don't plan on working to the extent I did with my team here in Connecticut, but once you're into FIRST it's hard to walk away completely.

I think it would be fun to be a ref, but I doubt FIRST looks for new refs very often (especially college aged refs) because this year had like all the same refs from last year's game at UTC.

I met a kid from another team who is going to RIT too, he plans on mentoring team 73 as well so I'm willing to bet lots of seniors might help with exisiting teams next year.

Re: SENIORS, volunteering for FIRST or helping your team or other teams
 

I am unsure about my college choices...

Currently In: Caltech, UofM
Awaiting: Harvard, Stanford, Cornell


I HOPE to keep active in FIRST in some way. I know with UMich that I wont have a problem mentoring or staying active with me being 2 hours or so from my current team and the incredible density of teams in MI.
Cornell has 639 as well as the FIRST Robotics Club there....

I honestly dont know about Stanford, Harvard, and Caltech and FIRST with them.

I suppose I'll look into it if I acquire admission and then accept those schools.


Right now, I think I'm only going to mentor a team next year to start with... then go from there.

Re: SENIORS, volunteering for FIRST or helping your team or other teams
 

Next year I'm planning on going to the local community college, so I will be able to stay and be a college mentor for my team. After a year or two I plan on going to Tulane in New Orleans and hopefully will be able to help out with a team there. I also heard a rumor of a New Orleans regional starting up in the next couple of years. It would be awesome to volunteer for.

Re: SENIORS, volunteering for FIRST or helping your team or other teams
 

I have to agree with Cory. I tried to stay involved with my team, but it's harder than you think. Volunteer when regionals come around, try to make it to one or two meetings with a nearby team. Watch the kickoff with your whole residence hall XD

I'm involved with 1089 (my high school team) still. And yes, in the future I'd love to mentor a new rookie team, but right now with college on my plate it's tough. Be careful, but don't let it go completely if it's something you really want in your life. Hey, maybe even some of the kids you're in school with did FIRST and want to tag along with you.

Re: SENIORS, volunteering for FIRST or helping your team or other teams
 

Here's my two cents. I graduated last year, am once the school year started I immediately missed FIRST. This was mainly due to the fact that in HS there was always something to do.

I'm currently attending Montclair State University (on a FIRST scholarship, so make sure you apply), and I commute. Since I commute that leaves me at home with the chance to volunteer. I'm helped out my HS team (11) and I offered to mentor team 11's sister team (1302) but due to scheduling conflicts i could only make meetings once in a blue moon.

My advice? Volunteer. I signed up through VIMS and got in contact with the volunteeer coordintator for NJ and he hooked me up with play by play announcer. After I did that Tony Paxton (volunteer coordinator for NYC Regional) liked it he asked me to be backup MC for NYC, which I did this past week. Also Don Bowers and Randy Schaeffer like my play-by-play at NJ so much that they personally reccomended me to Lynn Casey (volunteer coordinator for Nationals) and asked if she could get me a job. As of now I'm real time scorekeeper for one of the fields, but I'm also backup announcer for the backup announcer. In the event that two announcers need breaks at the same time or more than one announcer can't make it I'm on.

So get your name out to the people, and volunteer. It's so rewarding to know that you helped put on something incredible, and seeing all the teams faces when they rush the stands to get seats, there's nothing more rewarding.

Re: SENIORS, volunteering for FIRST or helping your team or other teams
 

Stanford has a large number of teams within 15-30 minutes of it. Many, I'm sure, would be very happy to have an experience college student mentor them.

You should also be able to find a decent number of teams near Caltech.

Re: SENIORS, volunteering for FIRST or helping your team or other teams
 

In my experience, a good volunteer (at a regional) is always welcome. I signed up for Sacto this year. At SVR I was drafted. I have been invited to both Vegas and SoCal even though my team is not competing at either. This is also true of some other volunteers who have been asked to come to further regionals.

Re: SENIORS, volunteering for FIRST or helping your team or other teams
 

I am volunteering for SoCal and Championship. All the positions that I have held on my team I have become the "mentor" for, teaching the younger team members what to do to take my place. I hope to work with a nearby team when I go to college. Right now I'm looking at UCSD, so Midnight Mechanics, I might be giving you a call :)

Re: SENIORS, volunteering for FIRST or helping your team or other teams
 

Since next year I'll be 2500 miles away from my current team, I'll be looking forward to mentoring team 1185, and volunteering at the Pittsburgh regional. I'd also go to volunteer at the championship, if I have enough money left over from paying for tuition and Top Ramen. ;)

Re: SENIORS, volunteering for FIRST or helping your team or other teams
 

I too am a senior, I plan to start off at the local college here in Southern Maryland to get the basics out of the way and then transfer to a 4 year college which I have not yet decided on.

However I would like to come back as a mentor for my team 836. With 3 years experience and a great interest I think would be interesting and fun. I know some of the problems and arguments between the students and mentors, because I am currently a student myself. I would like to be able to change some of that, to help satisfy the needs of both the students and mentors.

Re: SENIORS, volunteering for FIRST or helping your team or other teams
 

I'm a senior and as of next year i'll be in florida (long was from home). St. Pete's to be exact. I've been told by many a college mentor to just volenteer your freshman year, and see how it goes. Since i'm not planning on going into engineering, nor does my school have that major on campus, there's no team to my school (no teams closeby either?) and i won't have a car. Thus, if i can, i'll volenteer, either at home on spring break, or if i can, at the florida regional next year. I know some of the ref, or just being a field volenteer is good for me!

Re: SENIORS, volunteering for FIRST or helping your team or other teams
 

RIT actually works with quite a few local teams in Rochester. We only get our name on one. I believe RIT students worked with a total of 7 different teams this year.

On another note, I am doing a presentation on this very topic at the FIRST Conference at the Championship. It's creatively titled College FIRST. There are some things to consider before you jump in head first.

Matt

Re: SENIORS, volunteering for FIRST or helping your team or other teams
 

I would also like to mention about the tension that may build if you choose to become a mentor for your HS team. I have found that college students sometimes run into the issue of current adult mentors still viewing them as "one of the kids". It makes sense, because to the mentors, making that mental transition from seeing you as a mentor after seeing you as a student for so long can be tough. It's different on any team, but if you do choose to come back to your old team as anything more than an occasional visitor, you should sit down with your mentors and set some ground rules before the season goes on. you may be one of the first students on your team in the position of being graduated and wanting to come back to mentor - and a great way to get off on the right foot is to talk realistically with your other mentors.

I highly suggest volunteering. It seems to fit in best with the hectic college student schedule and you get to see a side of FIRST you may have always been curious about.

And remember: your GPA counts! I would rather keep a FIRST graduate around and have them inspire only 5 students than have them inspire 10 students but be asked to leave school. The whole changing the culture thing only works if people reach the end point - entering a science/technology based career - and your GPA is absolutley necessary to get there.

Good luck!

Re: SENIORS, volunteering for FIRST or helping your team or other teams
 

I'm a senior as well, and I will be mentoring either Team 1304 at Tulane University in New Orleans or one of the many teams in the Bay Area if I attend UC Berkeley.

I also plan on volunteering at a regional or two, doing field setup or inspections or something. I hope to work my way up to working the bigger jobs as a ref.

Re: SENIORS, volunteering for FIRST or helping your team or other teams
 

I just want to reiterate Cory and Sara's points. I started a team this year at Michigan State. It was my freshman year. In a word? It was insane! I don't regret doing it, but it's really, really time consuming. And I'm sure there will be a couple of you out there who will ignore my warnings just like I ignored everyone else's, but if you start a team of your own, it will be tough, especially in your freshman year. If you're bound and determined? Freshman year you can start to lay the groundwork. Get your high school, get your sponsors, find a place to work, do the little things then. Please be careful with your freshman year!

Re: SENIORS, volunteering for FIRST or helping your team or other teams
 

I'll be mentoring 830 (the Rat Pack) next year at Ann Arbor. Also, I've talked to some people on 573 about mentoring promotions/scouting/strategy via e-mail. Should make for a busy yet fun year!

Re: SENIORS, volunteering for FIRST or helping your team or other teams
 

I'm basically going to be volunteering hopefully at ucf..if i can get away....
being in Tampa, ..there are teams around...ill might go out and help once and a while but i don't really know.
I'll still be in contact with my team, s.p.a.m. on the east coast of FL by helping out with a few things that i do besides helping fabricate parts..and i'll sure be stopping by when i go home once and a while

all i can say like the rest is def. volunteer if you can...it's great to not just b/c it's FIRST and something you love but volunteering is just a good thing to do in general. and if you can't the first year try another year...the love for FIRST will never die in your heart.

good luck to all the seniors next year..congrats too we made it this far we can keep on going!! :) go class of 05!!

Re: SENIORS, volunteering for FIRST or helping your team or other teams
 

I will be attending "Full Sail University" next year.

I plan on AT LEAST voluntering at the UCF regional *if its still at the UCF campus which is a 5 min drive from FullSail*, but i am also hoping to help any local teams really around the Winter Park area outside of Orlando

Volunteering
 

As a graduating senior this year, I will try to volunteer for my local regional, the UTC regional. My wish is to become an MC, or play-by-play anounncer for any regional. This is another way to represent my home team, team 230

Re: SENIORS, volunteering for FIRST or helping your team or other teams
 

I know that I'll be too far away to mentor 103 next year, but Carnegie Mellon helps to mentor team 1185, so I may consider joining in. I definitely plan on volunteering at the Pittsburgh Regional and would love to volunteer at the Philadelphia Regional if it falls on my spring break and I have enough time. I'd like to think that it would be awesome to volunteer at the Championship - I don't think it would be a terribly realistic idea to attempt to do so, but we'll see.

Re: SENIORS, volunteering for FIRST or helping your team or other teams
 

As a senior, I'm one of the lucky people going to a college that already has a FIRST team. I'll be transitioning from team 230 (Gaelhawks) at Shelton High School to team 229 at Clarkson University.

I'm still hoping to volunteer at the New England Regional though so I can visit my Gaelhawks ;D

Re: SENIORS, volunteering for FIRST or helping your team or other teams
 

I do understand where everyone is coming from in this thread.

FIRST is the last thing I would want to give up, in another word I won't give up. I like challenges. This is one more challenge that I am going to face to be a part of FIRST.

...I will be volunteering for FIRST as well as work with Florida FIRST and either start a rookie team or mentor an existing team.

As much as I would love to go back to my own team SigmaC@T, I am not sure how well it would work out once I go to college.

-Arefin.

Re: SENIORS, volunteering for FIRST or helping your team or other teams
 

Any teams near melbourne fl, need mentors because im probobably going to florida tech and want to still be involved, im going to talk to aidan browne who was the head ref at utc and annapolis to be on the field at competetions but if that doesnt work out id like to work for a team...let me know

Re: SENIORS, volunteering for FIRST or helping your team or other teams
 

I am planning on going to Virginia Tech, so i am planning on finding a team in the local area and help mentor them. Also i plan on volunteering for regionals.

It would be hard to leave FIRST after being part of it for the last four years. There is no way i could just leave FIRST.

Re: SENIORS, volunteering for FIRST or helping your team or other teams
 

Tech directly supports team 401. As for the rest of the local area, there isn't much there...

Wetzel

Re: SENIORS, volunteering for FIRST or helping your team or other teams
 

I'm still not sure what I'm gonna do honestly. I wanted to come back to help my team next year but I'm not sure I have the time or knowledge. But we shall see when the time comes...

Re: SENIORS, volunteering for FIRST or helping your team or other teams
 

Oh yea theres a few teams in this area. I'm going to FIT too so w00t. :D the teams in this area are in melbourne: 386/Voltage, Rockledge/Cocoa Beach: 233/pink , Merritt Island: 801/Horsepower, Cocoa: 1592/Bionic Tigers. There are a few more teams in the area but they are kinda far. Melbourne is in the South end of the county.

Re: SENIORS, volunteering for FIRST or helping your team or other teams
 

When I started this thread, I wanted to know what SENIORS where doing next year. I think it will be hard for SENIORS to start new teams.ALSO, I was saiding that if you were going to mentor NEW ROOKIE or second-year teams. I will be attending community college next year. REMEMBER COLLEGE IS FIRST, FIRST IS SECOND.