[Dorienne]

When I was the only girl on my robotics team two years ago, I was a freshman. That may alter the opinions and examples I set here.
I started out on the team in 2003, and it was a very hard adjustment. The guys did not trust me to stay, since many girls left after either a few weeks, or just one season. It was very hard for my team to acquire girls and keep them. They did not treat me as horrible as I seemed to think, considering they would tease me and not let me do the things I wanted to do for and on the team. For example, I had wanted to work on the robot itself. The problem was that I didn't have any technical background or experience. I understand now that there was no time to teach me or help me with it, but back then I had really wanted to do some hands on stuff like any other freshman would. Instead, I got into the business form of FIRST with our team's beloved Miss Jenny Beatty.
Things were rough and sometimes still are. But that's how life, and FIRST, are. You take the bad with the good and make it great.