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When I joined the team my sophomore year, I was the only girl (out of three schools). Now, two years later, we have 14 girls on the team. The hardest part each year is recruiting new members! Unfortunately, it seems that everyone at my school thinks that robotics is a nerd convention, so even the kids who say they're interested in engineering won't give it a thought.
When I asked for a leave of absence form my sophomore year, I was actually laughed at by one of the dean of my school, who didn't think I should be allowed to have unexcused absences for the Regional competition.
Despite all of this, our team has finished done very well, and we have recruited some very committed members. To anyone else who has experienced the same things...stay with it. FIRST is not only fun, it's an incredible learning experience that will put you years head of everyone else.
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