[Kims Robot]

I think I can understand the respect issue. High school kids (including myself and my peers when i was younger) aren't always great at respecting eachother. It is often about trying to show off, or do better than eachother, so when a student graduates and is back on the team again, it can be hard to immediately transition into being a mentor and getting that respect.

To be honest, realize that you still dont know everything (none of us do actually), and that your experience in FIRST isnt that much more than the kids below you. That said, you can now be the "cool college kid." I remember when I was younger and my friend's older brother would come back from college... he was always the "cool college kid." There is a level of maturity that comes with making the decision to start college.

But think about it this way. When I graduated high school, I owed so much to my FIRST team and my mentors. There was no way I could ever really repay the favor, but I was determined to try. So in starting the Clarkson team (229), my entire goal was to try to inspire just one student the way I had been inspired. Every student didnt have to like me, every student didnt have to think I was awesome, heck, every student didnt have to respect me... but if I had the chance to help just one student, I felt I would have accomplished something. It was an insane balance, starting a team and managing college classes... yes my grades dropped during build season. But the output was amazing. A whole new team, a whole new set of students inspired, and a lot of respect from everyone.

So think about what you can accomplish. If you can balance college & FIRST, you should definitely do it. The rewards from mentoring are so much greater than anything you ever felt as a student. Just remember, you are delegating now... helping them learn... you shouldnt be doing much if any of the work anymore.

Good luck!