1. What role do you play as a part of FIRST?
I am an Electrical Engineering mentor who is getting his hands into a bit of everything on the mechanical side this year. I should probably state that I'm 2 years out of college with a BSEE, have a girlfriend who understands what FIRST means to me, and no children.
2. How does FIRST help students for the future?
Individually, it greatly differs. However, generally it gives them many social and intellectual life skills that are nearly impossible to find in other places at that age level.
3. What has FIRST done for you?
Kept all of my skills I learned in college sharp, even though I don't use them at my job.
4. What do you enjoy most about being a mentor?
Hearing "oooh, THAT's what that means" and such. After that it's the competitions.
5. How did you become involved?
First in 2004 at college through an outreach program from Georgia Tech, then through Lockheed Martin's outreach program 2 years later.
6. What encouragement would you give to new/potential mentors?
Not only can you do nearly any system of a robot you want, experiment with new/crazy ideas you may or may not come up with, and have a perfectly valid excuse to gel your hair purple to match school colors, FIRST is also some of the hardest fun with the biggest impact you can ever have as an adult.
7. What are some of the rewards you get as a mentor?
They're all inherent, underlying, and understood. If I had to classify them, one of them would be recognition, specifically at work.
8. How do you feel FIRST and being a mentor has affected you and your life?
I have less free time. That's a good thing, since it would otherwise be spent doing something much less constructive.
9. What are some skills needed to be a mentor?
Passion for science, engineering, or anything along that train of thought. Ability to clearly communicate to a younger generation that is interested in what you have to say, without losing their interest.
10. How have you used your background knowledge (profession) in being a mentor?
I am able to see patterns in the way things work, I am able to quantize abstract ideas, and I am able to program physical systems. Much of this is reflected in how students decide to design a system on the robot. I also have a knack for taking existing ideas and improving efficiency or quality of the idea, which has a direct application to the robot.
11. What do you feel the biggest challenge of being a mentor is?
Balancing time and/or money spent between life and mentoring. The second biggest is how to overcome resistance from other mentors in front of students for ideas you believe will work, regardless of their source.
12. What do you believe is expected of you?
I am to teach students that the world doesn't work by going 'poof' with a wand. I am to teach, explain when necessary, challenge, inspire, and contribute to whichever necessary robotic system I have for the year. I am to leave no stone (or student) unturned when it comes to personal integrity and detail in our joint venture of the build season. During the off season, I believe I am expected to have fun, do crazy physics experiments, and reach out with the students.
13. In what way do you feel that you help the kids?
They'll have a better idea of what they want out of the vast amounts of knowledge that exists as well as how they want to contribute to it.
14. What is your favorite part about it?
I can learn new things and expand my own mind right beside a student I am teaching -- learning CAD is a great example. I used to know nothing about it, however after teaching it to myself over a few weeks I can now apply mathematical principles that help students who are new to CAD greatly simplify and improve their designs.
15. Why should someone become a mentor?
It's not about improving only the younger generation, or solving the world's problems; the reasons all pertain to you and everyone around you, as we're all affected when we work to improve each other.
16. Anything you might want to add!
My boss gave me quizical looks when she noticed I was filling this out rather than working
So much for recognition
