When I started my FIRST career in 1996, I never could have imagined the impact it could have on my life. In 1995 my brother was a freshman in high school and did "stuff" down at Nypro with this US FIRST thing. My father dragged me to the first ever regional competition against every will in me. But, I walked through that door into a small gym in New Hampshire and I have never walked away from that feeling. The ardeneline rush, the screaming fans, and the crazy thought that they had done this all themselves. From that moment on I knew it was for me. I joined up my freshman year incessently asking "Is there anything I can do?!" I never felt I couldn't do anything because I was a freshman and female, but some others did. However, engineers like Jorge Martinez and Rick Paulino and Team Leader Dave Basiner took me in and let me question, challenge, learn and teach and change the rules of the team. I am proud now to be a mentor and to have role models like them to have learned from.
Not all superheroes wear capes...
