[laurenlacy]

As a high school student I saw my team go from being mostly student run to having a high level of mentor involvement. My main question for you would be are you absolutely, 100% certain that that is what you want?

In our "go it alone" days travel was overwhelming. As a team member I was frustrated by a number of things our captain did, and didn't have an adult to turn to for guidance. Members weren't being used to their full potential because the team suffered from the cliquishness that tends to dog high school students despite their best intentions. Many students felt left out. The team seemed to exist on a day by day basis. We were just a bunch of kids building a robot, and honestly that's something anyone anywhere can do.

I see a lot of teams that are student run, and I see a lot of similar experiences. Yes they should be proud of their accomplishments but I feel like you are going to be missing out on a big piece of FIRST... the Inspiration piece. I realize that there are many reasons a team is run by students, but to me it's so amazing to be able to go back and talk to my former mentors, get guidance and career advice. Some of our students have gotten jobs at our mentors' companies, and all in all it's just great to have mentors. Some of my mentors have truly changed my life, and shaped who I am today in all the right ways.

To that end I would first echo comments above--go to your sponsor, to potential sponsors--try to recruit mentors from them. Ask another more established team in your area to help. My high school team went to our principal sponsor and did a mentorship solicitation presentation to get mentors for other teams and let people working at that company know that FIRST was out there... and it worked! The great thing about the FIRST community is that whenever you seek help there are hundreds of willing folks that can get you where you need to be. It could be an opportunity to get more sponsors!

If you are determined to go it alone, yes, it can be done. But I think it's an uphill battle--and a battle that I don't really see worth fighting. I would strongly encourage you to find mentors--you have the passion, you have the noble intentions, don't be afraid to find someone who can help you realize your dreams and then push you beyond them.