Why are YOU involved in FIRST?

[Stephanie]

I joined because I wanted to learn. I love to build, and see things that I've worked on work. I guess that might fall under the title of "selfish reason", but what I have gotten out of it is much more rewarding.
I *have* learned, and I finally figured out where I could use all the Law of Sines and Cosines stuff, I learned how to solder, and wire a robot. I have experienced extreme exhaustion, man, all those times i was tired before, that was nothing. I have also grown as a person. All those times when everyone was tired, and hungry, and grumpy from 12 hours of building, we all had to realize that we were all in the same boat, and none of us had a right to criticize another. I learned about many of the people on my team, and have come to know them as my brothers and sisters, and they are now some of my closest friends. I have also learned that you can be competitive without being malicious, aka "gracious professionalism". I find it incredible to see the cooperation in the pits, and the way everyone collaborated to get the job done, and to see that there is a place where kids are recognized for their brilliance and aptitudes. My experience as a rookie on a second year team has been absolutely priceless, and has quite possibly changed the course of my life.
If FIRST is having this same or similar impact on everyone else, I can see where Dean Kamen is trying to take the world.

Stephanie
~who realizes that that was a longish-sortof-off-topic post...