[Cory]

I'm on the side of the team leaders here. I can attest from personal experience that it is awkward returning to your high school team as a college mentor. You're not far enough removed from having been a student for all the other students and adults to treat you as a mentor and respect you as such.

You can't go from joking around with your buddies as a student to suddenly being in charge of them a year later. The social dynamic there is just really difficult. In addition teachers and mentors will be used to you as a student and it will take awhile for them to adjust to you now being one of them.

I know for me moving to another team worked out well. I was immediately accepted by the kids as a mentor, regardless of the fact that I was barely older than some of them. I never really have found being a mentor awkward because of age.

I would definitely caution you to think long and hard about whether or not you have the time to mentor though. School is more important than robotics, and it's very easy to get sucked back into FIRST and lose sight of that. You don't want to make that mistake.