[lpickett]

I am a mentor and my thought on FIRST is that winning is not the goal. The goal is to inspire these students in not only math and science, but in teamwork, respect, gracious professionalism, etc. I have been lucky to work for the last 3 years with a wide variety of students and every one has shown me there is hope for the future generation. They are kind, helpful, intelligent and great problem solvers. They don't get upset if things go wrong, they just work through the problems. They would like to win, but are gracious if they are not the ones called for the award. They root for everyone and try to help those in need.

To me, the greatest awards are the Engineering Inspiration and the Gracious Professionalim awards. They show me the better side of FIRST.