[Pavan Dave]

Definitely both. Before FIRST, I was shy with anyone I didn't know. I usually stayed with my same group of friends and was horrified when I was called upon during class. At that, I would never challenge a professional or give them pointers or even second guess what they had to say. Now, after FIRST, I am more confident when speaking to people, and I can talk to people that I don't know easier due to the competitions and helping other teams out. Even more so than that, the greatest gift I have received through FIRST is to challenge what others' say as well as not to be scared to say "I don't think that will work," even to a professional because they might have made a mistake.