I think you are on the right track. From your response, it sounds like you know what you want to do. If VCU doesn't have a program that you find interesting, work with faculty early on, starting your Freshman year, to get something established. You might want to initiate a project with a faculty adviser. A project such as the URC is exactly what an up-and-coming STEM university needs for publicity. If you treat a university as a business (which most act as anyway), publicity and projects bring in more money and more contracted projects.
You've done yourself a huge favor by reaching out to the community for guidance. I wish I had better mentorship when I was in college, and did not take advantage of sites such as Chief Delphi or other outlets for making all of my education experience.
Another thing: don't worry if you "don't get it right" the first time. Part of your career and becoming the best that you can be is realizing what you don't know and researching the skills required through self-teaching. As you progress through your schooling and professional career, don't be afraid to take on a new skill (Arduino for me), try something new, and take risks.
If I can give one bit of advice, it is to network; FIRST provides one of the most amazing networking opportunities in the world. One thing that is understood, but rarely recognized, is that FIRST isn't just for students in grade school; we are all students to each other and never stop learning. Use this to your advantage.
I have been in your position for many of the tasks I've worked on over the past five years. I'm presently in a position I'm not too fond of (under-utilized and not challenged enough), and get to do the work I enjoy about 10% of the time. You can learn something from any job you are in, but not realize it at first. Remember those jobs you hated? You learned something that, in the future, will help you build a system as a better-informed engineer. Continue to be an optimist, and every task you perform is suddenly knowledge gained.
As an aside, because of my involvement in FRC, I've made a lot of friends and last year helped found a nonprofit (
www.growingstems.org). Additionally, I am currently in the planning stages to found a business that does what I love (take three parts FRC, one part educational outreach, four parts product development and put it in a blender
).