[GeeTwo]

From the get-go, team 3946 has had at least 30% girls. When Gixxy (my son and named as team founder in our 2012 video) did recruiting in summer 2011, he reached out equally to boys and girls. Jesse (our head coach since August 2011) has actively recruited girls, minorities, and "others you wouldn't expect on a robotics team", including jocks, cheerleaders, and even stoners and thugs from his classes. When I think of all the help that these "unusual" recruits have given the team, it gives me pause. When I realize what we have done for them, and what they will likely do for society, it makes me realize (more than anything Dean can say) that FIRST mentorship is a calling, not a hobby.

There's no "glass ceiling" on our team. We had four seniors on the team this year, all guys. None of them was team captain. Our team captain, and primary pit boss, was a junior girl. Who was also our Dean's list nominee. Who also transitioned from a "wasted life" niche into a "productive life" track in the last three years. The winner of our leadership award was another female junior. And finally, the most outrageous technical accomplishment of the year was accomplished by a female underclasswoman. Our mechanical lead mentor declared that pulling the wheels to install sensors in the KoP chassis as I had designed was too difficult. I decided that it was worth a try. Marybeth and I pulled one wheel, installed the sensors, and put it back. I left it to her to take care of the other side. She called me back ONLY for the fine adjustments, and otherwise undertook an upgrade that one of our top mentors considered "too hard for the team to handle" on her own. We also had girls heading up most of our business functions, getting spirit awards and honorable mentions, and posting some serious fundrasing numbers. As long as I have been involved with the team, there have been girls i trusted to "get the job done".