[Pault]

I'm a Junior, but I'm gonna post in this thread anyways because this is something I have thought about for a while.

During my Freshman year, I was pretty much just following along for the ride, as most freshman do. I didn't really think to much about my role and goals as a team member, I just kinda was happy to be part of the group and have fun and learn something and accomplish something. And it was great and inspiring. After the Boston regional (probably the best experience of my entire life so far), I knew that engineering was what I wanted to spend my life doing.

During my Sophomore year, I started to understand more about what FIRST really is. I had been browsing Chief Delphi over the summer, and I begun to realize that this isn't just some random robotics competition, it is so much more than that. It beckoned the question: why should I still be on my team? I am already inspired, what justification do I have to take away work and mentor attention from another student who is more in need of the inspiration. And I remember the answer came to me when I was filling out the student survey for the NASA grant, sometime during October, and I got to the question: "What is you goal participating in FIRST?" (heavily paraphrased). I am part of my team now because I want to help inspire others. By being a role model and helping to make the robot better, I can contribute to this great mission that FIRST has. And ever since then I have stuck to this reasoning. I am not perfect, and so often times I will do things that are kind of selfish and not necessarily geared towards inspiring others. But that is just part of the flawed human condition, and in the end what matters is that I am trying to do good.

So now it's my Junior year, and I am captain of my team. Nothing has really changed. However, one thing that the OP mentioned is trying to make your last year in FIRST count. Back in my Sophomore year, I was upset because I knew that I could only get four years as a student. But now, I don't think that way, because I know I will be coming back to FIRST as a mentor in order to continue inspiring. And honestly, I think I am more eager to be a mentor than I am to be a student. So my graduating year is not going to seem like an ending to me but rather a new beginning.