[enpurx]

I am a college freshman, and I decided to keep in touch with my team throughout the year. This previous week I came back to my high school to assist the robotics team with design and prototyping. Because last year was our team's rookie year, I don't feel like I know enough to mentor a team, even though my college does. Therefore, I just categorized myself as a "facilitator" instead of "mentor" and led discussions and did administrative tasks.

Unfortunately, it was very hard for me not to overpower the student leaders, especially because I did not agree with a lot of the things they were doing. I kept having to remind myself that I cannot be biased because I am no longer "on" the team; I'm just a facilitator.

I'm planning on visiting and helping remotely whenever my team needs me, but I am going to put my college stuff first. When I graduate, I'll think about becoming a serious contributor to the team, but until then, I'm going to volunteer the time I do have to help out my team.

So, to answer your question, I think you should volunteer your time to help a FIRST team if there's one near your college. It's a wonderfully rewarding experience, but make sure you can handle your college coursework.