Building Student Leaders: IRI Round Table Discussion Notes

[VexisDarksteele]

First of all, thank you for conducting this helpful discussion; it has given me and my teammates a lot to think about. I found it particularly useful in beginning my slow transition from student leader to mentor, as I not only got the chance to hear the insights of experienced mentors from many different teams, but I also got to hear the perspectives of students from other team systems facing different hardships than what I've been immersed in with my own team.

During the actual roundtable discussion, I found that the subject was changing too fast for me to give coherent input of my own, so I'll just write it out here instead:

Another important factor in getting students inspired to step up into a leadership role is giving them something tangible to strive for: When our team was created, the driving motive for us founding toasters was to create a team which could, eventually, achieve the level of recognition and success that those "dynasty" teams possess. We looked at teams such as 33, 245, 51 and 469 as something to achieve -- we didn't want our team to be any of those others, but we sought the status that each of them symbolized. By watching the dynasty teams, we gained the inspiration and desire to formulate our own unique presence that would one day reach that same status.
Now that the team's basic foundation has been set, and now that new students are entering the system without that common goal (yet), we're relying on varsity letters to be their initial source of inspiration to get involved. I've noticed over the last two years (ever since we implemented the varsity program) that some of our most dedicated students joined the team initially for the purpose of earning a letter, then later gained the same level of inspiration as us founders once they had gotten a taste for robotics. They need a tangible reason to begin trying things out, then will most likely continue on without incentive once they discover how much fun the competition can be.

As for what contributes to a strong student leader... From my personal experience, I attribute a lot of my growth as a leader to the way my mentors regarded me: Every one of them treated me more as an equal rather than a student. We all knew at the back of our minds that I was the student and they were the adults, the mentors, the elders...but that fact had absolutely no influence over what we expected of one another or how we respected the other(s). I felt the constant need to push myself further, to take on larger projects and see them through to completion because I did not want to lose the respect and confidence in my abilities that my mentors gave me. They all had very fair expectations, too; whenever one of them tossed an assignment my way, they made it very clear that it was also okay for me to give them tasks in exchange. They always listened to my ideas and opinions as they would a co-worker's, and would even purposely seek me out for input on specific issues. This mindset of equality really boosted my confidence, as I no longer felt the dissention that students sometimes get from adults. It also made me realize that everyone's ideas matter, including my own, regardless of age or gender or role on the team.

Students need the chance to step beyond the role of "student" to become good leaders.

(Annnd there's my late-night post for today. Sleep? Pfffft. Who needs sleep? I'm a toaster! Just plug me into that outlet over there and I'll be fine. )