[Ken Leung]

Ahhhh... Multiple topics inside one thread... Must... Resist... Replying to all topics....

As far as a college mentor award goes, if it have to consider grades and how I do in classes, I am outta that league ;P.

Being a college student is a phase in life, the part where you do your own thinking and form your own opinion, the part where you try to see what life is and what you want to do with it, and the part that forge you into the adult you will become. I do FIRST during my college years because I was able to formulate the thought: "Doing FIRST is a right thing to do". It turns out it is one of the most important experience I've ever had growing up (not the participating with a high school team part, but the college years where I opened my mind to a bigger level of participating in FIRST).

It might not be the same for other college students. As much as I like having an award for college students and their contribution to this competition, I can't help but think about a concern I have. What if it sends the mixed message saying "FIRST is the greatest thing you can do. Come back again when you go to college"? Now, instead of opening the students' mind to do whatever they want to do at the school, we are just sending out more kids to colleges so they will start more college teams.

I just feel that's too heavy of a responsibility for the college students, at a delicate point of their lives where they are facing changes and possibilities. I am not saying they cannot handle it or anything. A lot of them can, and did. If we set up this award, now every new college student thinks they have to have a college team... And say each year 100 such students successfully recruit a new rookie team into FIRST... Even if 25% of those college students burns out because they cannot handle the initial stress of going to school AND FIRST, that's 25 student life that's affected by this award in a negative way.

I am not saying doing FIRST for college students is a bad thing. Not at all. What I am saying is, doing FIRST when you are at college is good, if you do it at your own pace, when you decide it will be a good experience for you. And that, I think, should be left to the college students decide. Not because some award in FIRST says "doing FIRST during college is cool!".

I just fear that someday when we tell the students too much what they should and shouldn't do, we will be limiting their vision when they are supposed to go see the world with an open mind. I want to stress the point open mind because I think that's a crucial element in the process of growing up, especially when you go off to college and started thinking "hmm... For the past 12 years I've been told what to think. Now it's time to form my own opinion about everything else". I just don't feel right when we spend too much effort attracting graduated high school student to come back to FIRST, and not spend enough time checking out the many things out there.

Again, I am not trying to say doing FIRST during college year is bad. I am just trying to a concern will happen if we do set this award up.

Sincerely,
Ken Leung

P.S. Oh yeah, I do think college kids should be recognized! I think FIRST should recognize us by setting up our own "FIRST College Student team party"!!! ;p ;p ;p. It would be great to have a park just to ourself for one night!

P.P.S. Oh yeah, just kidding... or am I? o =) Hehe, with enough of us college students getting to higher places in FIRST... This might actually happen one day. Kids, the moral of the story is, go to college!