[Rapt0r9]

FIRST has given me the direction to realize what I want to do in my life. I've been in FRC for 6 years; 4 as a student and 2 as a mentor. The best years of my FRC experience where those two years that I spent as a mentor. I've seen so many students grow and develop through this program. At the end of the day, that's what FIRST is all about. It's about the students. I've found that, while I could be an engineer, I want to do something where I can mentor students and introduce them into field that they never imagined they could study.

Many of the students on my team this past year had no experience in any field of robotics. In six short weeks, they were able to be given some rough directions and dimensions and would be able to create a part or mechanism with out me looking over their shoulder. They gained the confidence to be able to present their ideas and question the ideas that are already on the table. They learned to work as a team, to delegate work, and to work with deadlines.

I could go on for ever listing everything that the students on my team have learned, but I am pretty sure every other mentor out there already knows the type of impact this program has on the young people who partake in it. FIRST has given me the drive to do something significant with my career.