What has the FIRST experience done for you?

[dddriveman]

Use this thread to post what FIRST has done for you.

[sanddrag]

Has tought me more than all the rest of high school combined.

[Keith Chester]

I have gone from a sore loser to a gracious professionalist.

I have gone from caring about winning to caring about being friends with my opponents.

I have gone from being an isolationist, a stoic, a serious highschooler to an out-going, traveling, happy easy-going individual.

It has been my renaissance.

I have gone from having obscure, unique, imaginative ideas with no basis for reality to having obscure, unique, imaginative ideas created before me.

I have gone from a lazy highschooler to a hard working roboticist.

I have gone from having a hurt amount of pride from several horrible and frustrating years of soccer (9 of them, 7 in dead last) to being proud of my life through FIRST.

I have gone from looking out for me and me only to working every non school hour to trying to spread FIRST.

It has brought my Dad and I closer together as we work hand in hand on this team.

I have been introduced to my closest friends.

I have hope for mankind in the future.

I live a dream.

It has given me reason to live on during several darker occasions.
I am here today because of this and my team. FIRST quite literally saved my life.

And changed it.

I give my life to FIRST because FIRST gave my life to me.

I am Keith Chester, a proud member of FIRST.

[sanddrag]

<applause>Bravo! Bravo!</applause> That is the best post I have read in a long time. I actually got chills from reading it, it touched me so much.

[Aaron Lussier]

Can you spotlight an entire Post?

[Erin Rapacki]

Everything Possible.

[shyra1353]

Originally posted by Aaron Lussier
Can you spotlight an entire Post?

i hope so because that was definitely memorable and really touched me

[generalbrando]

Replic: wow.

Erin: exactly!


FIRST has done a lot for me. Probably the most important thing is that it motivates me. Especially lately, I have had a great lack of motivation to do anything. When I feel like this, I pull out some pictures, watch some videos, or read over old technical notes (all FIRST stuff). That does it over and over again. I'd be willing to even go so far as to say I probably wouldn't get out of bed in the morning if it wasn't for FIRST

[Jim McGeehin]

FIRST has done an unbelievable amount for me.

For starters, FIRST got me up and out of the house and doing something. I've met many interesting people, seen places that I have never been too, and done things I had no idea about.

I've worked on an engineering project, I've worked in public relations, and I've made many a presentation. I've driven a national champion robot (Lil' MOE forever!), taught the Delaware senator to do the same, and made so many new friends, local and abroad.

FIRST has taught me so much about myself. I never realized my own potential and capabilities until they were tested so rigorously in FIRST.

I never thought I was a leader until I was the head of a sub-team, I never thought I was a negotiator until I was a student ambassador, and I never thought how good a person I was until I was surrounded by people who have dubbed me Skippy.

FIRST showed me how to succeed at one of the most difficult, yet important things: Life.

[The Lucas]

I made me a more outgoing person. I was a real shy kid. Somehow wearing a neon Radioactive Green, clapping MOEstix, screaming at the top of my lungs and dancing in a crowd of 16,000 people knocked the shyness right out of me . Meeting so many of those interesting people helped also.

I got practical experience in engineering which has set me ahead of my classmates and helped me get a great summer job.

O, and I can't forget $40,000 worth of scholarship money. It helped me choose University of Delaware and I love it here.

[Rich Wong]

Hope.
A brighter view of the future.....

[Marygrace]

FIRST has given me another family, Ive become really close with a lot of our team. My mom and I have gotten a lot closer, shes my best friend now. We tell each other everything......whether we wanna hear it or not. LOL Its given me more confidence, helped me to realize winning isn't everything. (And second place, no matter how disappointing because it was so close, is really good) It has also giving me something to look forward to besides Summer. CAN'T WAIT TILL THE SIX WEEKS!!!!!!!!!

[sanddrag]

Originally posted by Marygrace
(And second place, no matter how disappointing because it was so close, is really good)

They did remember second place that time.

[Michael R. Lee]

FIRST has given me $5,000 from the ASME cause.....

FIRST has given me something that makes me say "I'm going to be an engineer."

FIRST has given me... motivation (125 Stayin' Alive!)

FIRST is given me... "So that's why we need to know this..." versus the normal "Why are we learning this?"

FIRST has given me some of the best people in the world as my "true" peers and friends as well as mentors to turn to and ask for help ("S.P.A.M. in the place that you live" always)...

...and I would never be here at Northeastern without being in FIRST. (Heck all the schools I applied to had FIRST teams!)

FIRST has helped shaped my life... its the best addiction ever.

[MisterX]

It might not be directly realted as some changes are but since joinginf FIRST I have gone from the biggest fouler on my b-ball team to recieving the League's Sportsmanship Award. Also it has taught me so much about engineering and life such as dont shuffle ur feet while wearing sandles in Florida (sigh... Epcot... AHHHHHH!!!!!! FIRE ANTS!!!!)