[Mike M.]

I have often wondered how FIRST has affected me and kept asking myself why I kept on doing it for a number of years. Finally this year I'm able to say why.

After spending a number of years on a team as a student who started out as a shy quiet kid who didn't really get involved in team meetings to who I graduated high school as a team leader not afraid to get in there and take charge of a project, and that was going on to school for mechanical engineering.

But this year, my first year as a mentor I discovered why I had stuck around all these years. I was able to see from a mentors perspective how the students are all there coming together to work as a team regardless of if they are friends or not. This right there told me that I was in this because I wanted to see other kids who started out like me shy not knowing what to do with their life turn into confident strong people ready to get out there and make the world a better place for everyone to live in.

In short FIRST gave me a direction in which to go with my life made me realize how fun engineering could be. It also gave me the confidence in myself to get up in front of anyone and do whatever is needed of me whether that be a presentation in school or going to talk to a room full of engineers about FIRST. I also learned why the mentors stick around for many years even after they have no connection with sponsors or students on the team. Just seeing the looks on the teams face when they get to that first regional and see their creation out on the field competing and seeing all the other designs that the other teams have come up with.


MikeM.