Why are YOU involved in FIRST?

My sister was in it from 1998 (99ish) to 2002 and i would go to liek all comps and nats and i loved it. so i joined when i got in high school. i also like doing hand on things liek building and stuff. and you also meet alot of cool people and stuff

[Shelley_delphi chick]

Over the past three years of my life the FIRST program has changed and impacted my life. My freshman year there may have been 5 or 6 girls on my team who were not active members of the team, now three years later we have at least 12 girls that are active members. I've watched many people walk into the program and not know what the difference between a socket wrench and a screw driver was, to watching someone struggle and work hard and come out in the end with a full ride to Ohio State University.

Our team has been pleased with great engineers, teaching staff at our school, and very understanding paernts. Without all of the above people I don't think I personally would be in the program. The engineers pick on my in the pits and during the build process, the teaching staff just keeps tossing things my way and expecting me to accomplish them, and my parents who laugh everytime they ask me what I have going on that night. The engineers however have bridged that gap between professional andbeing able to have a good time. They come out and play football, everyone lives at T. Hoffman's house, and don't forget those paintball matches.

I was asked to answer this question in school the other day.....
How have you been affected by the program...... (my responce)

The people that I have meet and the places I've been have been great expirences for me, but nothing can replace the knowledge, guidence, and life lessons I will take with me. This program reminds me of a person it walkes into your life with grace and leaves leaving imprints that have helped mold who and what you are about to become. Thie program is the best thing that has ever walked into my life............

[DanLevin247]

Simply Put......




FIRST IS LIFE

[GregT]

ITS FUN!

[Alfred Thompson]

If I did not moderate our FIRST team there would not be a FIRST team. And I could not do that to all the kids who really wanted to be a part of a team. My son was on the team some years ago as a freshman and I was always upset that there was not a team for him as he continued in high school.

I love the program and I love the kids but I'm not sure I'm up to doing this over the long haul. Maybe I'll feel better after summer vacation. I'm still catching up on sleep.

[Rich Wong]

Re: Why are you involved in FIRST?

Great posting- here is my contribution...

Purity selfish reasons: My three kids think I'm the coolest-robot-building dad in the whole world. My kids are popular in their classroom because "My dad build robots for FIRST LEGO and FIRST Robotics and yours don't." (Unkowns to them, I'm brain washing them into the world of technology and engineering, ha, ha, ha, ha....)

Purity selfless reasons: if there was a FIRST Robotics-like Programs back back when I was in high school, my potential would be boundless. These FIRST programs, in my opinion, is so valuable in drawing students into the technology all high schools should look into it. I got into engineering because of the space program that was going on when I was in school. It was an exciting time in history. Today everything is high-tech but as consumers not dreamers.

Anyway, my top 10 reasons for getting involved in FIRST:

1. I would like to share my 20 years of engineering experiences with worthy people.
2. The students are wonderful open-minded learner.
3. I would like to give back the the public school system in NYC.
4. I want to make a difference by contributing to the educational system.
5. This country needs more engineerings. We have a serious shortage.
6. Designing and building robots are fun.
7. After managing 15 students in a six week project, anything at the job is a piece of cake.
8. The FIRST competition challenges adds spices to life.
9. Donuts, Pizza, and soda all day on Saturday
10. Students actually think I know something.

[Arefin Bari]

I joined FIRST 3 years ago... this is my 4th year... i lived through FIRST for 3 years and now i am a point where i cant get myselft out of it. Just not enjoying the team work, i also met a lot of people in FIRST who i can call my friends. Engineers, mentors (not just from my team) always helped me out when i needed help. The experience that i have gained from FIRST is not explanable in words. and just like someone pointed out in this thread... simply put...

FIRST IS LIFE...

[MikeDubreuil]

I was a sophomore at Enfield High, in Enfield, Connecticut and heard about the robotics program at Fermi High School, #175 Buzz Robotics. I was a huge nerd in high school and thought it would be a good idea. The first year I was too young to drive so my grandfather would drive me to the other side of town so I could work on the robot. I was the only person on the team who wrote software and all the engineers cautiously loved me. They knew that if I wasn’t there and they needed a software change things could get ugly. So we adopted a “if you get hit by a bus” plan, in which I carefully explained the software to one of the electrical engineers, Rich Desjean. He definitely could have stepped in and taken over for me, but I think he just wanted me to feel special. The first year was also where I got my nickname Dubes.

My second year I convinced more Enfield High people to join. I think this is the year that Erin Rapacki joined. It is definitely the year that Aidan Browne joined. He also moved into a house 2 down from mine.

The third year, my senior year, was when I really learned why Aidan Browne was a special person. Basically, it was late fall and I wasn’t doing too hot in school and I hadn’t started applying to colleges. We had a life changing talk one night at his house. A “what the hell are you doing?” type of chat. That got me motivated to start applying and I got into most of the schools I applied and ended up at the Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston.

My sophomore year at Wentworth was when I started back up in FIRST. Erin Rapacki just started at Northeastern and told me about their team. I showed up to one of the meetings and the rest is history. I became one of the top “engineers” on the team and I might end up working at the sponsor, Textron Systems, some day.

This year will mark my 6th year of being involved with FIRST, and I made it to my senior year of computer engineering tech at Wentworth. In high school, robotics was a great way to let out the geek in me. Now as a college mentor, I see myself in some of the high school kids. Of course, robotics is just as fun as in high school. However, it also gives me a chance to give back to the Hamilton engineers that mentored me into the engineering field. When I work 1 on 1 with a high school student it often reminds me of the talk that Aidan and I had that fall night. Perhaps, I can change a high school students life as Aidan did for me, at best I could try.

[Stephen Kowski]

originally I got into the program cause I heard we got three days excused from school (pretty bad, right?) neways after my first regional I was absolutely hooked.....i probably wouldn't be nearly as motivated to go to college and a lot of other things....I owe a ton to FIRST and saw what the experience did for me.....

now im just hopin that I can do the same thing for some students....i may feel burned out from time to time, but I can't stop coming back for more....the fun i have, and the excitement I see in the students keeps me coming back even though i get frustrated at times....

basically i got into it for all the wrong reasons, but i got lucky and stumbled onto something that changed my life forever

[Michael Leicht]

the Reason i am involved in FIRST is my brother and my father. another reason i am involved is that FIRST is more fun then any sporting event out there.

[Alex Pelan]

Why am I involved in first? Because its the funnest thing ever! I heard about FIRST through some of the kids that I knew from scouts, not to mention I had seen some of our demonstrations at the board of ed meetings. So, it was at College/Career night at our school this year when one of my neighbors told me "if I was still interested in FIRST" that we had a meeting on Wednesday from 5-8. I was also told that we were keeping enrollment from freshman this year small. So I went to the first meeting, signed up for controls, and the rest is history. Our meetings start again in about two weeks, and I absolutely can't wait!

Im involved because its theonly thing at school thats fun and educational at the same time haha you meet tons of new people, and its something you really cant get sick of. its liek an addiction really. even when i wasnt on the team and i would go to nationals and all the regionals with my sister, i would have a blast.

[Billfred]

To be honest, when I saw that District Five was starting its "FIRST Robotics Team," I thought FIRST was capitalized for emphasis and we were doing Battlebots IQ or something like that.

But once I figured out what everything really was, I'd say the reason I do FIRST is that it's just plain fun. The matches, the people, shoot, just milling around the pits is an enjoyable thing.

That, and I enjoy being tackled by robots in autonomous mode.

[Jeff Rodriguez]

My freshman year (1998-1999) I heard an morning announcement. Something like: "Are you interested in mechanics, R/C cars, electronics, PC animation, accounting, photography and video? Then come to the RAGE robotics team informational meeting at 2pm in the library."
I was always taking things apart at home, and trying to build new things. Always sitting in my room surrounded by Legos. Electronics and R/C cars sounded fun so I decided to give it a try. When I got to the meeting, there were a couple of kids driving this HUGE thing picking up giant balls (1998 game). It was the coolest thing I had seen in my life, so I stayed, they let me drive it and I was hooked.

I am back now as a college mentor to try and pass on what I learned. That's the great thing about this program. Once your interested, with piratically no age limit, you can be involved for the rest of your life, and you probably will be.

[petek]

I became involved in FIRST because of:

a) A mistake;
b) A Grasshopper;
c) Good manners;
d) Dave Beck.

The mistake: When my daughter joined Cybersonics her freshman year, I purposely stayed away - to let her find her place and have fun without me being around. That wasn't a mistake, but going to the J&J regional that year was. At least it was a good one!

The Grasshopper: I had just sat down in my seat in the upper deck of the College Ave gym as a match started. When Grasshopper came off the wall and went down the side of the field and scooped up every ball in the line, the whole house jumped to their feet cheering. I'm not sure which impressed me more: the robot or the "gracious professionalism" shown by competitors screaming their heads off for its performance.

Good manners: I was not prepared for what I saw when I went into the student center for lunch with members of 30-odd teams and their fans. I was expecting it to be like it would if it had been 30 (or even three) basketball teams. Those FIRST kids were actually polite! There was plenty of rivalry, but all good-natured. And no four-letter words. It was as if everyone saw themselves as part of a really huge family. Like they really wanted to be there. How cool is that?

Dave Beck: Dave likes to fish - not just for trout, either. He knows what kind of bait to use and, once he gets a nibble, just how to hook them and reel them in. His bait: high school robotics. The hook: students - 35 at Palisades HS (and thousands more around the world). He gave me just enough encouragement and pulled just hard enough to let me get myself thoroughly hooked on FIRST. I didn't stand a chance.