UFH: Lucia Sevcik

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Thread created automatically to discuss UFH Honoree: Lucia Sevcik.



Name: Lucia Sevcik
Date Honored: 06-14-2005
Years involved w/FIRST: 8
FIRST Team(s): ExxonMobil/Halliburton/Hydraquip/Powell Electric/Walter P. Moore &, Booker T. Washington &, High School for Engineering Professions (0057)
Role: Business Manager, Volunteer Regional Director
Quote: Our youth is America’s greatest asset.
Bio: Lucia Sevcik is a 'Soccer Mom Extraordinare', serving as the Business Manager for Team #57, the Leopards. She describes her busy role as "the glue for the team. Our team is composed of dedicated teachers, mentors and fantastic students. As anyone that has worked with a FIRST team knows, this project is a tremendous undertaking. During crunch time the team is focused on building the robot, and things like the robot inventory, chairman’s submission, shipping arrangements, and feeding students can be overlooked. This is where my talents lie. I can multi-task and organize well but you need other ingredients to make deadlines. Those key ingredients are the students. Multi-tasking + organization + students = success."

Lucia's favorite FIRST memory is a story of excellent volunteerism and perserverence. "My favorite FIRST memory is when a fellow mentor and I met with FIRST New Hampshire folks at the National competition in 1999. The purpose of the meeting was to start a regional event in Houston. There was a regional event in Houston in 1998 but this event didn’t return to Houston in 1999 due to lack of funding. Houston teams did not have a close place to compete. We volunteered to take on the task of fundraising and organizing a Houston regional. We did this as volunteers. In those days, FIRST events were run by FIRST staff from New Hampshire. As a result of hard work, perseverance and great volunteer support a successful Lone Star Regional was held in 2000. Thus my career as a volunteer regional director was born and continues to this day."

Lucia also had a very touching list of 'accomplishments': "): I have 230 accomplishments that I could talk about but there isn’t enough space to write about each individual one. These accomplishments are the students on Team 57 for the past 8 years. The greatest joy I get from FIRST is working with the students. I make it a point to get to know each one individually. I have seen all of these students grow, learn things, graduate and attend prestigious colleges and go on to successful careers in the engineering and technology fields. The greatest compliment I receive is when the students come back to visit the school and the team and tell me that they are now mentoring FIRST teams, volunteering in the community, and excelling at college and life. This goes to show that FIRST and I have made an impact on their lives."

Lucia says she would describe FIRST to an outside as "...one of the most challenging volunteer experiences you will ever encounter. With that said, it is the most rewarding." That truly speaks volumes.

Lastly, our UFH gives excellent advice to fellow FIRSTers: "The best advice that I can give to FIRST-ers is to make sure you know what you are getting into. Don’t take the FIRST plunge without researching the project. A lot of effort goes into assembling a team, fundraising, recruiting mentors, etc. You want a recipe for success not failure. This recipe’s main ingredient is sustaining your team. Teams that are not prepared and take the dive usually don’t last for more than a season or two. Setting up a long term team to turn out a stream or inspired kids makes everything worth it."

Congratulations to Lucia Sevcik, our 36th Unsung FIRST Hero.

Nominated By: Kevin Sevcik

[Amanda Morrison]

Congratulations to Lucia Sevcik, our next Unsung FIRST Hero.

[tiffany34990]

Congrats to another great mentor!

[Arefin Bari]

"My favorite FIRST memory is when a fellow mentor and I met with FIRST New Hampshire folks at the National competition in 1999. The purpose of the meeting was to start a regional event in Houston. There was a regional event in Houston in 1998 but this event didn’t return to Houston in 1999 due to lack of funding. Houston teams did not have a close place to compete. We volunteered to take on the task of fundraising and organizing a Houston regional. We did this as volunteers. In those days, FIRST events were run by FIRST staff from New Hampshire. As a result of hard work, perseverance and great volunteer support a successful Lone Star Regional was held in 2000. Thus my career as a volunteer regional director was born and continues to this day."

Way go to Mrs. Sevcik. Congratulation on your success and all your accomplishments. Mentors like you realizes what the true meaning of FIRST is. Thanks for all you have done and Congratulations. You truly deserved it.

[Joe Johnson]

A tree is known by its fruit...

I have a long history of knowing Team 57. Like I often said of HOT before this year and of Cheesy Poofs prior to 2004, The Leopards are a Chairman's Award caliber team. It is only a matter of time before it's official.

Lucia must be something special to have helped produce that team.

Well done, Lucia, an UFH of the FIRST Order...

Joe J.

[Josh Hambright]

Congrats Lucia, you definately deserve this honor!

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Congratulations, Lucia.
Thank you for all you have done, starting a regional is huge but 230 students over eight years, WOW! Your team and region are lucky to have you.
Al

[KathieK]

As anyone that has worked with a FIRST team knows, this project is a tremendous undertaking. During crunch time the team is focused on building the robot, and things like the robot inventory, chairman’s submission, shipping arrangements, and feeding students can be overlooked. This is where my talents lie. I can multi-task and organize well but you need other ingredients to make deadlines. Those key ingredients are the students. Multi-tasking + organization + students = success.

Every team needs mentors who can work with the students on the robot and technical side; and every team needs mentors who can work with the students and concentrate on the non-engineering side in order to support the technical side! Congratulations Lucia!

[Tazlikesrobots]

Congrats Lucia! You definitely earned it

[Vince]

Lucia -
As one of the folks who met you at the FIRST Nationals in 1999 I can assure all that you made quite a positive impression. On top of all else you introduced the whole concept of Volunteer-Driven-Regionals to FIRST and now 6 years later your foresight is well demonstrated and appreciated. Well done and THANKS - Vince

[Kyle Love]

Congrats Lucia! Good luck with WFA next year!

[Kevin Sevcik]

Alright. I shall post my comments quickly before she gets back from NH. Team 57 and the Texas Regional just wouldn't be around without her, though she doesn't really ever mention this. So we're all really thankful for all the hard work she puts in year round for the team. Even if I'm always getting in agruments with her about the team budget and how much we end up spending on robots, and how I can't help that we spend money on prototypes that we don't end up using.

It's probably less well known that she's also gotten 3 police store fronts built completely on donations along with a science lab for my elementary school. When I went into middle school, but I'm sure that's a minor detail. Also more projects than I can conveniently remember at the moment. This is what happens when a highly motivated woman's children grow up and she doesn't have to stay at home with them. She starts out as a room mom, then a PTA president. Then woe betide the corporate community that's not watching their wallet, cause she'll talk'em into sponsoring something before they know what's hit'em.

In short, I'm constantly in awe of my mother and give thanks on a daily basis that I only have to help her out on these errands and edit some of her emails. On that note, I'm off to her favorite restaurant to get us a table for her birthday.

Edit: We're working on the WFA. We just keep forgetting to actually write the darn thing.

[Rich Wong]

I had the amazing fortune of meeting the latest UFH in NH last week!

Lucia is so energetic and full of great ideas. And she has a wonderful personality.
Texas is so lucky to have a true believer of FIRST.

Congratulation Lucia!

[lynca]

As a volunteer at Lone Star and student over the last four years, I can say honestly that the Lone Start Regional or Texas teams in general would not come together without Lucia .

Congrats