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Unread 02-05-2013, 19:47
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VexisDarksteele VexisDarksteele is offline
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Transitioning From Student to Mentor

Hello CD,

As the 31st of May looms over the horizon, the prospect of leaving one's team, the team where we grew, laughed and inspired one another to continually challenge the impossible, now spurs the heavy hearts of soon-to-be FRC graduates to seek to fill that tragic void; a new generation of mentors is about to commence the journey of a lifetime.

This departure is especially bitter-sweet for me, as I am one of the seven "core" members that founded our team. I was there when our robot was lovingly dubbed "The Biggest Loser" in 2011, after we frantically shaved 32 pounds off of it in one competition weekend. I was there when we implemented the student government and instated a varsity letter program. I was one of the presenters that earned us the title of the (currently) youngest team to have earned a district Chairman's award, and I am so proud to be among the very first generation of Toasters to have ever attended the World Championship. Everything I, and my fellow senior teammates, have done can be traced directly to the foundations of how the team is run and what the team stands for. My only consolation in this separation lies in the fact that I know I have contributed significantly to the legacy of this phenomenal team.

While one journey is rapidly approaching its conclusion, another is just about to set sail in unfamiliar waters: Mentorship. Beyond the sorrow and regret I feel for my time as a student ending sprouts the excitement of a new role, a new experience with new faces and places; a chance to help others grow while evolving myself, to become a role model and source of guidance for the harbingers of a brighter future.
Already my outlook changes. I began as a cynic, not understanding our coach's point of view when he would gesture toward one of the newer members and say, "I know he'll make a great robot manager. She'll be a leader in two years." All I saw was a bunch of freshmen who lacked knowledge and motivation. I thought the team wouldn't be able to survive once the core graduated. Yet... this season has truly opened my eyes, and I have begun the metamorphosis from student to mentor. Now, as I glance around the workshop, I can see clearly in my mind the next president and CEO, the Chairman's trio, the robot designers and the drivers. I have faith in my younger teammates; I know each of their strengths and weaknesses, and how to aid them in developing further. It's exciting for me when I discover that one of them has a newfound talent, such as a typically shy and reclusive member being able to give a great presentation during auditions. They just need an opportunity to spread their wings and take flight, as all Flying Toasters must one day do.
As much as I may be looking forward to mentoring, there is still a lingering fear of the unknown. I'll be 600 miles away from the team I have helped to build, attending university in a secluded new environment with an older team to aid. I am already well aware of the concerns addressed in the ATTN: Current & Future College Students thread — I can pace myself reasonably well under immense stresses/responsibilities, and if things become dire I will re-prioritize at once. I know my limits. My primary concerns lie in the unfamiliarity of it all, and I suppose some of them can only be alleviated through experience; regardless, I would love to hear any stories or words of advice from a mentor's perspective.

What were some of the largest adjustments you had to make while undergoing this transition?
What lessons did you learn from your first year of mentoring?
Have you tried mentoring through digital media (ex: Skype video chat, emails, etc.), and if so, how? How successful is this method?
What is it like suddenly belonging to a new team? Did you carry over many of the things you learned from your high school/previous team?
Who or what was your inspiration to mentor after high school?


Please excuse me if this is a commonly-discussed topic — I don't want to be on the receiving end of a emoticon. I don't frequently post on CD, except to make announcements of upcoming events...
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Unread 02-05-2013, 19:57
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Re: Transitioning From Student to Mentor

This is definitely a frequently discussed topic, and there is great material in several of the threads out there including the one you mentioned. However, I think this thread holds potential as a good discussion of the transition that takes place.

I started making this transition last year after graduating. As my university is a 1.5 hour drive in traffic during most weekdays from my team, I knew right away that I wouldn't be having an involved day-to-day role. Instead, I helped during the first week of build season to organize the chaos and help new students get on the right track (my winter break extended during the first week of build season). The rest of my mentorship, both in and out of build season, consisted of being an advisor to the awards and scouting teams and the team president/vice presidents. Most of this happened from a distance, via email, Google+, etc.

I think it's important to recognize, as you have, that it is a gradual transition that occurs over time. It must be treated just as any other extra-curricular activity would be that you are doing in college - school, and in my case, an internship, both come first. The other important distinction is to avoid "stepping on students' toes" and doing things that they should do instead. Even if you know you can do it better, it's more rewarding for you and the student to guide them through the process themselves.

To me, the role of a college mentor is distinctly different from that of a professional mentor both in terms of the practical time commitment and in what his or her role should be. I'm still learning as I go, and hopefully when I graduate I'll be equipped with both the technical skills and mentorship skills to truly be a good mentor.
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Unread 02-05-2013, 20:12
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Re: Transitioning From Student to Mentor

What were some of the largest adjustments you had to make while undergoing this transition?

Far-and-away, learning to take a hands-off approach except where absolutely necessary. This is a bigger thing for veteran teams than younger teams in which more hands-on work by mentors is required to keep the team functioning, but in general your ultimate, ideal goal as a mentor should be to ask questions to get the students thinking. Your job is not to build the robot. Your job is to facilitate the students' building of the robot. That is a fundamentally different job, and it takes some getting used to.

What lessons did you learn from your first year of mentoring?

Being a mentor does not mean you should be afraid to ask someone else when you don't know the answer.
Being a mentor is not the same as being in a managerial role. Your job is to teach, not to micromanage.
Many students have good ideas but tend not to share them due to shyness; your job as a mentor is in large part to make sure those ideas are heard.

Have you tried mentoring through digital media (ex: Skype video chat, emails, etc.), and if so, how? How successful is this method?

Can't comment.

What is it like suddenly belonging to a new team? Did you carry over many of the things you learned from your high school/previous team?

For me, this wasn't so rough of a transition; I did feel fairly conflicted as I'm still a mentor in some capacity at 449, but 4464 was clearly in greater need of help, and there's another ex-449 mechanics member mentoring them, as well, which kept the atmosphere familiar.

You carry over everything you can - things that worked, things that didn't, etc. A new team does not necessarily mean that you should make the same mistakes over again. There are many mistakes which need only be made once by anyone, ever. On the flip-side, there are some things that students will only learn by seeing them go wrong. Knowing the difference is crucial, and difficult.

Who or what was your inspiration to mentor after high school?

FRC did a lot for me in high school. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to help it do the same for others.
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Unread 02-05-2013, 20:31
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Re: Transitioning From Student to Mentor

Right know I am in a similar situation to yours just with one fundamental difference. My university and my high school are part of the same institution (crazy things we do in Mexico) and they are basically in the same place. But I'll tell you, if you have the chance to mentor and make the new kids grow and learn things about robotics and themselves your sacrifices will be worth it. Just keep focus on your current studies. College is something to take seriously, take that into account, don't let mentoring affect your grades.

In my personal case I am going to mentor the engineering part of my team and that is something that I feel I need to do. The thing is that our team has never had good mentors, each years our engineering mentors change bringing new problems for the team. I feel the responsibility to give my experience to the new generation of LamBots so they can make the team a winner team. I am not saying we are not a winning team, we won the EI award at the champs but our robots are still lame (and for that we blame the mentors for not listening to us). The only thing that can keep a team alive are their mentors, students come and go but experience needs to be kept by a group of people and this group of people are the mentors. Go ahead and good luck with mentoring. Share your experiences with us at the end of your first season as a mentor.
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Unread 02-05-2013, 22:57
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Re: Transitioning From Student to Mentor

First of all I'm going to leave this link. http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showthread.php?t=47004&highlight=mentoring+in+coll ege

Secondly,

What were some of the largest adjustments you had to make while undergoing this transition?
Separating myself from the students. Freshly out of high school I had been peers with these students for quite awhile. Moving into a mentor you have to step outside of those friendships and know boundaries. I had some issues with this my first year mentoring and I still do have a bit of issues because some of the kids are at my house frequently because they are good friends with my brother. Other's I have known for quite awhile because they are a sibling of my best friend and view them more as family.

What lessons did you learn from your first year of mentoring?
I still had a bunch of growing up to do. I learned I had to control my temper. The during the summer of my first year while we were collecting items for our annual garage sale I got very upset with the "lead student" on the team because I moved 3 truckloads of items myself. I said some things I'm not very proud of to him to try to get him to step up to the plate.

Have you tried mentoring through digital media (ex: Skype video chat, emails, etc.), and if so, how? How successful is this method?
I have not done this although I have a feeling I will begin doing this during the next season as I am moving away from the only team I have ever been apart of and will possibly be living in Guam.

What is it like suddenly belonging to a new team? Did you carry over many of the things you learned from your high school/previous team?
I have only ever been apart of team 1802. Maybe next year I'll be with a new team or possibly starting my own. I think I'm up to the challenge of bringing FIRST to Guam if that is where I end up.

Who or what was your inspiration to mentor after high school?
The entire program as a whole. Leaving the program has never even crossed my mind. I truly believe in what the program sets out to accomplish and that we can inspire students to be able to reach for the stars. It doesn't even have to be in a STEM field in my mind. If we can help the students learn valuable life skills, learn that they can accomplish anything that they set their mind to, show them their true potential and help them be a better person; we have done something wonderful for these students, our youth and our future.
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Unread 03-05-2013, 09:28
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Re: Transitioning From Student to Mentor

I am sharing my comments from the perspective of an experienced lead mentor who moved from an established team to a second year team this past season.

You have already received much good advice in these posts. I am quite sure that another established team will value the diversity of experience you will bring with you as you begin to mentor with a different team. When you identify opportunities for your new team to improve that are based on your experience, graciously share those with the team's lead mentor(s) and discuss what you learned through your experience and how it can benefit the team.

A previous post mentioned the importance of understanding your relationship with the students. It is important that you remember that you are there to mentor. While friendships may develop over time, you are there to be a role model. You can certainly support the student's by helping older mentors understand and appreciate the perspective of a student. Be very careful to remain objective. Always demonstrate respect for the mentors and the students and insist that each shows respect for one another.

FIRST has an excellent resource on their website (at least they did a year ago, have not looked lately) for mentoring.

Finally, congratulations on graduating, your success in FRC; good luck in college and thank you for joining the ranks of mentors. We need all the help we can get and I expect that you will be an excellent mentor.
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Unread 03-05-2013, 09:38
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Re: Transitioning From Student to Mentor

What were some of the largest adjustments you had to make while undergoing this transition?
You can't be "cliquey" as a mentor. Students oftentimes will split into smaller groups, but you cant get caught up in that and have to be able to associate and interact with all of the students.

What lessons did you learn from your first year of mentoring?
It is incredibly important to take your heavy course load in the fall. The spring is not kind to scheduling, especially for a team that competes in multiple regionals/champs.

Have you tried mentoring through digital media (ex: Skype video chat, emails, etc.), and if so, how? How successful is this method?
Because I'm not there for day-to-day I often will call up some of the kids on skype at night to check in and see what all they made progress on. Our CAD also makes its rounds around dropboxes and emails so its easy to interact on that front as well.

What is it like suddenly belonging to a new team? Did you carry over many of the things you learned from your high school/previous team?
N/A

Who or what was your inspiration to mentor after high school? I helped found our team and its success has always been incredibly important to me. At the time of my graduation we didnt really have any engineering mentors and so I decided it would be good for me to help out, and make sure the other kids got the same opportunity as I did. The team has grown a bit both in size and strength now, I do keep doing it though because not only is it fun, it gives me a chance to practically use the things I'm learning in college.
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Unread 03-05-2013, 09:39
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Re: Transitioning From Student to Mentor

What were some of the largest adjustments you had to make while undergoing this transition?
For the first 2 years I was pretty much still acting like a kid. This is partly a function of joining the team as a senior, but mostly because I was still around mostly the same students and mentors as I was when I was a student.

What lessons did you learn from your first year of mentoring?
After about 2 years I got to the point where I didn't feel pressured to write code myself to "make sure it works", etc. Basically I was comfortable in just guiding the students rather than doing things for them.

Have you tried mentoring through digital media (ex: Skype video chat, emails, etc.), and if so, how? How successful is this method?
N/A

What is it like suddenly belonging to a new team? Did you carry over many of the things you learned from your high school/previous team?
N/A for me, though I noticed that when we have college mentors that are new to the team, they matured into the mentor role almost immediately as opposed to post-high-school mentors that helped our team after being on our team.

Who or what was your inspiration to mentor after high school?
I only got one year of it. I wanted more
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Unread 03-05-2013, 09:44
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Re: Transitioning From Student to Mentor

What were some of the largest adjustments you had to make while undergoing this transition?
Being a mentor, my younger peers from high school were still on the team and they treated me as a friend/student still for the first year. After my first year as a 'mentor' it became much easier to actually mentor my team.

What lessons did you learn from your first year of mentoring?
Your job as a mentor is to inspire the students on your team, don't do everything for them. Concentrate on college, mentoring a FRC team should come second.

Have you tried mentoring through digital media (ex: Skype video chat, emails, etc.), and if so, how? How successful is this method? N/A

What is it like suddenly belonging to a new team? Did you carry over many of the things you learned from your high school/previous team? Mentored my HS team.

Who or what was your inspiration to mentor after high school?
My mentors inspired me, I wanted to return the favor and continue the tradition by inspiring my former peers, and now students.
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Unread 03-05-2013, 09:47
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Re: Transitioning From Student to Mentor

Hey there! I have just finished my first season as a college mentor (I graduated in 2011, but I took a year off before finding a team to mentor. First note, I am NOT mentoring the team I was on in high school).

What were some of the largest adjustments you had to make while undergoing this transition?
There are a few things. One is the team culture conflicting with what I was raised in. I came from a public school and a public school team, and I ended up mentoring a Christian school. It's definitely a different culture that I have to get used to. Secondly, it's learning to step back. On my old team, we were taught a lot about students doing most of the work and running the team. Those lessons are stuck in my DNA, and whenever a job needs to get done, I need to step back and make sure a student is the one of takes point on it, and I'm mostly there to support.

What lessons did you learn from your first year of mentoring?
Oh goodness... I learned a lot. Part of it is dealing with students from a completely different perspective. If you have an issue with a student on the team, ignoring and avoiding them doesn't fly anymore. It has been a very maturing experience about team dynamics from a different point of view.

Have you tried mentoring through digital media (ex: Skype video chat, emails, etc.), and if so, how? How successful is this method?
Our team routinely uses email to keep in touch with each other. This season, we have also started experimenting with TeamViewer (think Skype, but instead of seeing faces, you see a person's computer screen). Early in the season we used this to work on brainstorming ideas when we weren't actually meeting. So far I have no issues with it!

What is it like suddenly belonging to a new team? Did you carry over many of the things you learned from your high school/previous team?
It's been crazy. The transition between teams is pretty difficult and at the beginning, I found it hard to call myself a member of the new team because I was still so close with my old team. My old team is consistently one of the stronger teams in the region, and my new team knows this, so they frequently ask me how a problem was handled on my old team.

Who or what was your inspiration to mentor after high school?
FIRST changed my life. I owe it so much, it doesn't seem right to me to just stop participating once I graduate. I had so much fun, learned so much, and made so many amazing friends as a student. It just made sense to continue as a mentor. I love watching over the kids and watching them compete just as I had years prior. It's an extremely satisfying experience!
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Unread 03-05-2013, 09:54
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Re: Transitioning From Student to Mentor

Team 125 has become very accustomed to taking on new mentors each year from other teams. Because the NUTRONs meet on Northeastern's campus, it makes for a good opportunity to continue in FIRST as a mentor. We are very much a melting pot of FIRST teams, with our connections stretching to over 40 teams. I went through the student-mentor transition, and I've seen dozens and dozens of other mentors go through the same thing in my 8 years on the team.

What were some of the largest adjustments you had to make while undergoing this transition?
Been said already, but learning how to take a step back is hardest issue new mentors deal with on our team. You have been programmed to jump in and solve problems instantly. However as a mentor you need to reel that in a bit, and lead others to solve issues.

What lessons did you learn from your first year of mentoring?
Learning to operate on a new team with many personalities is tough for many of our newcomers. I would say almost all of us get a good lesson in learning to work with people who come from different backgrounds.

Have you tried mentoring through digital media (ex: Skype video chat, emails, etc.), and if so, how? How successful is this method?
Very informally. IMHO, to become a very good mentor, you need to be in the trenches everyday working with students. You need to establish those personal relationships, and you need to be able to hear and see things that aren't necessarily directed to you.

What is it like suddenly belonging to a new team? Did you carry over many of the things you learned from your high school/previous team?
This is one of the biggest points to touch on. Almost everyone graduating high school and moving on to new teams has become accustomed to 'FIRST as it is done by team XXXX". It is sometimes a difficult transition for people to now experience the same program through a different set of lenses so to speak.

My advice on this one is to offer advice when you think its quite applicable. Do it the right way but explaining why your team chose to do a task a certain way. But also keep an open mind when you are on that team. Many teams do little things for certain reasons, or based on tradition. Just because its different than you are used to, doesn't mean its wrong. Pick your battles as well- it can sometimes become irritating hearing about how XXXX used to do something all the time.

Who or what was your inspiration to mentor after high school?
FIRST is a great program. It helped me tremendously (and still helps me as a working professional). I view it as a way to pay it forward while having some fun on the side.

-Brando
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Last edited by Brandon Holley : 03-05-2013 at 09:57.
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Unread 03-05-2013, 10:25
M.O'Reilly M.O'Reilly is offline
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Re: Transitioning From Student to Mentor

My transition was about 8 years ago, but in some ways, I am still transitioning.

Contrary to several posts, I find that you don't need to separate yourself too much from the students. As JVN has said elsewhere, some students look at mentors as friends as well as teachers. It's a unique role to play. I love goofing around with the students, so long as it's appropriate.

If you have the luxury of letting other mentors take the reigns, I highly recommend it for the first year or two. Be observant. Besides that, avoid saying derivatives of the following:
- "you have to do it this way because that's what works."
- "I've had X years of experience in FIRST, so you should listen to me."

I can count on one hand the number of times I have encountered phrases like this, but when it happens, it usually comes from the younger crowd. Just remember to have an open mind. Good Luck.
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Unread 03-05-2013, 10:30
Zyrano Zyrano is offline
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Re: Transitioning From Student to Mentor

I'd say please please make FIRST your 4th or 5th priority ( whatever it is but a lot lower than what it is now) as a new college student, not only is your school work more important, but so is the actual college experience, join some clubs, make some new friends, etc. In fact, i usually tell my seniors: if they want to be involved, volunteer for an FLL team or just as staff at a competition, these gives you time to focus on school and your new environment. AT A MINIMUM, don't get sucked in as a primary/critical mentor. I am saying all of this because I have had several students/friends that got sucked in and took 2-4 more years to finish their college and ultimately get burned out.

With that said, my experience is possibly a bit dated. I was a student in 99

I think most of the advise above is similar to what I have to say, but to inspire, ask questions do not do actual work (think management at work =). I work with a few local teams, and i find my job for the most part is

1. bring food/drink coffee
2. keep an eye on everything and make sure nothing unsafe is going on (wrong tool/wrong job, etc)
3. ask questions to kick start thinking
4. suggest different tools, processes, doing things a different way (perfectly ok if your suggestions are ignored as long as safety isn't an issue)
5. answer questions that are asked, typically explain concepts or how things work.

I usually do get hands on to hold things or if it is crunch time and they need an extra hand...

As to what inspired me to mentor initially, it was the mentors that spend many hours of their time mentoring my team. Now I mentor because of the energy and the process of seeing the students grow over the years.
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Unread 03-05-2013, 10:43
Andrew Schreiber Andrew Schreiber is offline
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Re: Transitioning From Student to Mentor

What were some of the largest adjustments you had to make while undergoing this transition?

The weirdest thing for me was realizing that somehow I was expected to have the answers to problems now.

What lessons did you learn from your first year of mentoring?
What it was like to not play in eliminations. I know it seems weird but when I was a student we never missed elms. CMP 2008 was the first time I missed it at an on season event. It was a real eye opener to me.


Have you tried mentoring through digital media (ex: Skype video chat, emails, etc.), and if so, how? How successful is this method?
I had a few days where I was sick this year, I mentored via github comments, text messages, and phone calls. It "works" but I'm an in-person kind of guy. I communicate best that way. So it's awkward for me.


What is it like suddenly belonging to a new team? Did you carry over many of the things you learned from your high school/previous team?
I've been on a fair number of teams with any number of different mentors. I've taken the good from each of those teams. I always try to understand why a team is run the way it is. It's weird, and sometimes scary, to join a new team. I know coming into 79 I was pretty terrified. For reference, I'm the youngest mentor on the team by 8 years. I was worried they'd just assume I was some punk kid. But the thing I've found about most of FIRST is they are pretty accepting of new ideas.


Who or what was your inspiration to mentor after high school?
I didn't have a choice. I promised I'd give back to my community when I graduated. Nah, but really, FIRST has played such a huge part in my life I couldn't think of not sharing that with others.
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Unread 03-05-2013, 10:47
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Re: Transitioning From Student to Mentor

I was on 234 as a student for four years, mentored team 1747 at Purdue University for four years, and now have joined team 225 as a professional engineer. I'll give you my insights into these transitions.

What were some of the largest adjustments you had to make while undergoing this transition?
This is largely reiterating what others have said, but the biggest adjustment is having to step back more. From the student's perspective, if a mentor is jumping in and doing all the work, the student may wonder why he/she is even there. One of the biggest challenges of a mentor is inspiring students to be intrinsically motivated to complete tasks and better the team, and (at least for me) this is what most of my time goes into as a mentor--i.e. you're building the people to build the robot as opposed to building the robot.

What lessons did you learn from your first year of mentoring?
How to deal with problems and issues that generally fall into mentor hands to solve-- conflict resolution, purchasing, travel logistics, etc

Have you tried mentoring through digital media (ex: Skype video chat, emails, etc.), and if so, how? How successful is this method?
If you are considering remotely mentoring your old team, I would recommend looking into the local teams as well. I personally like to be working hand-in-hand with students working at least as hard and long as them, because I believe that mentors set examples, and that is easiest when the example is right there with them as opposed to instructing from a distance. I know that many students become attached to the culture of their old team, but (at least for me) I have found it pretty easy to fit into whatever local FRC team there is around.

What is it like suddenly belonging to a new team? Did you carry over many of the things you learned from your high school/previous team?
I have done this twice--it isn't as difficult as it seems. You start slow, and as you prove yourself, you gradually have more say in the workings of the team. You may or may not find yourself mentoring in the stuff you did in high school depending on what is required (this year, I was the most-involved electrical mentor, though I barely touched electrical the previous eight years). You'll disagree with some people about how things are done, but those differences get resolved over time.

Who or what was your inspiration to mentor after high school?
I knew a bunch of students from 234 who were mentoring at Purdue after high school, and I wanted to too. Teaching/inspiring is tons of fun. Don't bite off more than you can chew, though--different people can handle different workloads, and if it is too much, FIRST will still be waiting for you four years later.
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