[technoL]

This has to be the part about FIRST that I treasure most. My experiences with FIRST in addition to overall maturity have brought out the confidence and courage inside of me that I never knew existed.

Prior to starting high school, I might have had a case of extreme shyness. I didn't talk to anyone, actually, I was afraid to. It was hard for me to order movie tickets at the counter, call for a pizza, or even respond when someone noticed me in public. Even though I held a few leadership roles previous(NJHS pres.), I still distanced myself from most direct interaction with people, and preferred to express myself through other channels. When I got to high school, this was unacceptable, people thought it was pathetic. And they were right, it was. But then I found robotics!

Because I was so interested, I wasn't so quick to let opportunities pass me by because I was too shy to speak up or ask a question. I do admit that it wasn't immediate, and it did take me about a half of a year to become really active, but it was all of the developmental stages that shaped me to what I am today. Last year, I may have had an idea for a design, but would never dare to speak of it at a meeting. I would wait until after to talk to the team leader or someone else later. This year is quite different. I actually had a presentation for the design meeting, and presented it in front of the whole team!

I don't know the exact point of transformation, but I know that FIRST definitely had something to do with it. I remember someone always telling me "Go ahead and try, what's the worse that can happen?" And that is probably what fuels my confidence, instead of overwhelming myself with thoughts of incompetence and hiding. If there is a problem, I now try to develop
solutions, instead of just sitting back and let whatever happens happen. I have always wanted too, I just could never gather the courage to go forth. Even though I didn't really have a major part in robot construction this year, I made sure that my opinion sand suggestions were heard elsewhere. A few years ago, I would have never considered being the leader of a team, but if all goes as planned, I will be the team leader of 108 next year.

It is amazing to look back and see so many changes in two short years. It's even more amazing to compare to some of my peers, who matured faster in that sense, and see that we are now almost equal. I would like to sincerely thank FIRST for such an amazing opportunity (this sounds so cliche) to discover the real me. I can really understand that "FIRST is not just about building robots", but using robots as a collective tool for accomplishing SO many other things. I have been inspired.

-No L