[Amanda Aldridge]

Success is not who won the most awards.

Success is who got the most out of the experience. A team can win every single award, every single match, but if the team members didn't learn any lessons from being involved, then what does it matters.

Success is what you make of it. So I know it's a cliche, but cliches usually have a lot of truth behind them. What are you going to do with the things you've learned?

Personally, I think FIRST is about more than just building a robot, or promoting science and technology. FIRST is about people. When I went to my very first competition, I knew nothing about robotics. My mom worked for the school district, and her boss was in charge of the program. I really wasn't happy about getting dragged out of bed on a Saturday morning to go watch a bunch of machines do whatever it was that they had to do. I've never been very technically inclined. But when I got to the Motorola Midwest Regional in 2000, the first thing I noticed was the people. There were a lot of them! But they were having fun!! This wasn't just a big geek-fest (okay, well maybe it is, but hey, i'm one of em!). And everyone was friends. They were competing on the field, but off the field, they were friends. They were talking and laughing and joking. There were thousands of kids there, and everyone seemed to know everyone else. That intrigued me. And then there was my team. I went there expecting to be treated as an outsider. These kids had been working together for months, they knew each other, they were friends. I didn't expect to fit in -- but I did. They never treated me like I didn't belong. I just kind of got absorbed into the group. That was the beginning of my obsession with FIRST. I am a senior now, and this is my third year on Team Hammond. I will miss it when I leave, but since I'm going to Purdue, I know I will find a new home, with a new team -- and people I already know.

My name is Amanda, and I am a FIRST-aholic.