Incorporating Alumni within FRC Teams

[LeelandS]

Something I've given 1405 a lot of credit for since I joined is it's ability to build it's own mentors. As a small team, about 1/4 of our total mentorship is made up of alumni, if you count myself and Alex Cormier, who are FIRST alumni, but not one of 1405. As far as college mentors go (of which Alex is not one), most of our college-alumni are full-time during breaks or when available, but part-time whenever they are non-essential, especially during down-time like now, while we're waiting for Champs.

1405's alumni generally have taken fairly prominent roles on the team, comprising two of our mechanical mentors, our lead software mentor, and most of our strategy/scouting effort, as well as our team's primary photo/videographer.

In my opinion, if a student is inspired by the program enough to want to remain involved, far be it from a team to deny them. It's kind of a beautiful cycle, isn't it? Inspired kids come back to inspire more kids. Who will hopefully in turn inspire more. Seems like it's within the realm of FIRST's goal to me.

[Kevin Leonard]

This is an interesting topic, especially currently being a college student mentor.

5254's success in the past three seasons would not have been possible without the mentorship of FIRST alumni. 5254's drive coach for the past three years has been a 1676 alumni, and I joined them this past year as well.

It's hard for a young team to know how to actually compete in FRC, no matter how smart the students and mentors involved are, and alumni can provide that knowledge.

Not just robot design, but also picklisting, scouting, and connections within FIRST to help you get places can be daunting for a young team, while these are commonplace for me and other alumni.

That being said- as a college student, school has to come first, and especially being in a curriculum like Mechanical Engineering at RIT, I have to prioritize well and manage my time effectively.

[Conor Ryan]

Originally Posted by Jessica Boucher

Totally agree. I mean, I'd love to have all college freshmen and sophomores just volunteer instead, but that's just me

Originally Posted by TDav540

Likewise, I finished off my first semester at Tech with a 3.8. However, this semester made me realize that I over-committed at Tech. I was doing Formula Electric, Club Roller Hockey, and mentoring 1648, in addition to trying to do well in class and finding a co-op. With that in mind, I have a few thoughts on it.

Trevor - I would totally recommend volunteering over mentoring given the position were in. You stay involved with FIRST and give back, plus you have plenty of time to focus on school.

Likewise goes for all of you recently graduated, now pursuing the dream High School alums.