[GeeTwo]

I've always been a project-oriented person, and I particularly enjoy powered and later computer-operated projects. I inherited this passion from my father (K5AJK (SK)) and passed it on to my son (Gixxy), and he started 3946 during the summer between his sophomore and junior years at Slidell High so as to have an outlet. I didn't formally mentor the first season, but I started showing up earlier and earlier to pick him up and staying later and later discussing design and controls strategy. I went to Bayou on Thursday and was hooked. (I would have been there all three days but for a family situation.)

The next year, I started mentoring for real, mostly because doing group projects in which the group doing the work made the real design decisions was fun. Within a few more months, I had come to recognize FRC mentorship as a way to teach in a relatively unstructured environment. (cue flashback music and sepia lighting)

Right after earning my master's degree in physics, I spent a year as a college physics instructor. The first semester was great! I got to pass on some of the stuff I'd been learning the past few years, trying to emulate my best teachers and avoiding the mistakes of my worst. I became totally comfortable delivering a lecture/brief, a skill I exercise regularly in my current job. I discovered the joy of teaching (which I understand that I inherited from my father, who was always teaching electronics and ham radio, among other things). The second semester was not so great - I had to teach the SAME stuff all over again (sure, to a different group of people). I recognized that teaching (or any sort of production work) would not be as fulfilling a career choice as project-based development. (return to main sequence music and white lights)

These days, I justify my significant investment of time (and a fair amount of money in the form of straight-up donations and "lost" receipts) through the mission of FIRST - to inspire, recognize, and prepare young people for careers in STEM and entrepreneurship. When I am honest with myself, I know that I do it because mentorship is personally rewarding and working through the design/build process in a team setting is fun. Where else can I scratch all three itches at once?