Girls,Why did you join FIRST???

[BandChick]

Okay, don't laugh, I joined because my mom told me to. She had been a part of the NJ Commission on Science and Technology when FIRST was just getting its feet wet in NJ. In fact, I think NJCST gave grant money to the program. Anyway, she was invited to attend a competition the same year (1999), and dragged me (a little 8th grader at the time) along. I've been hooked ever since. xD

[cjreyda]

I joined b/c our team captain (also a girl) convinced me to. I stayed b/c I fell in love with the team, the robots, and the competitions! =]

[Faith]

I first began in FLL in 7th grade. I had always loved computers and robots, and my friend's neighbor talked to my friend about how he was making an FLL team and he told me about it and I joined FLL. I did FLL in 8th grade and 9th grade (I started my own team so I could do it last year because I was the right age) and I also did FRC last year. I started my own FVC team this year so I could participate in that and am also participating in FRC this year (how could I not).

I love FIRST and robotics and the people here and everything about it .

[Lindsay Davies]

Ever since middle school, I've always been good with computers. Tech was definitely my best course, and that escalated through high school. In my 2nd year of high school, my Gr 9 tech teacher mentioned the program to me, and I found it interesting. Although at the time I was involved with my school's hockey team, as well as my city's ringette team. I didn't join because I was afraid I wouldn't have the time to be committed.
Last year, one of my friends and I made a promise to join the robotics team together. We decided that we would do it together, and if one of us quit during the year, the other would quit too.
As you can see, I'm still here and I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm glad I've joined because I've had so many great experiences with it that have allowed me to develop as an individual. I've also made so many great friends on various teams, and I keep kicking myself that I hadn't joined in Gr 10.

Its great to see all the stories of how ladies have joined FIRST. Very inspirational in my opinion.

[sarcasticmadnes]

Well, for me, my parents encouraged me to join the team after she heard about it from her friends. I went to a private middle school and transitioned into a public high school were I knew pretty much like 6 people and I haven't always been much of a people's person in the end I joined anyways, and my best friend joined too, so it wasn't too bad having to face all these strangers. My freshman year there were pretty much about 4 girls on the engineering side but this year its gone up due to intense recruitment this year thanks to an extremely enthusiastic pr division now, FIRST is all I do, and it's been awesome. I've met so many awesome people and the robotics room has become my home away from home. All of us at robotics are so close and we all just hang out so much that if one of us is gone, it just feels like something's missing, just like after build when we go, "I need something to do!" I can't wait for next year!

[jackie Ha]

i joined cuz i heard the announcements over the intercom in our school. at first i wasnt intereseted cuz i was new to the school, i didnt know anyone. but then i met the team, and they welcomed me with arms wide open. i met my metors, who were awesome. and i stayed cuz my team became my extended family. no matter what you do you cant get away from them then the building began, wow, i had no idea how fun things can get when people get tired, like the whole lighting our gears on fire thing, but anyways, its my third year on the team, and i plan to stay involved in FIRST throughout college and hopefully after that as well.

[Regine]

Well, 1070 is an all girls team and it makes robotics really fun because we can get together and know we have common interests. I joined because I needed something to complete my nerdyness and I never regretted it.

[Mari]

I joined FIRST because of my friend Michelle, she was always talking about FIRST and how great it was. So I finally joined and I love it.

[DevilChild]

I joined FIRST because about half of my friends were in it and they told me to. From the very first (lol FIRST) meeting I loved the people on the team and the whole concept of gracious professionalism and what FIRST was all about. Then, I went to my first competition (Ramp Riot) and I haven't looked back since. I went from having never seen a competition to leading our cheering section. It was the greatest experience of my life. And everything since then has just made me love FIRST even more. I think it's especially great for girls to get into robotics, because it brings their minds off of the clothes and the boys and on to more worthwhile things, and it enforces the idea that girls can be intelligent too.

[Spiffizzle]

I joined because I am better at science and math than anything else and it sounded really cool. Also, my sister was involved in my team's first year of existence, when I didn't have time at the time, but now that I was able to get into it I'm soooooooo happy and I'm hooked.

[thatphotochick]

i really only went to the meeting cause my photography was cool and so enthuastic about robotics, it looked fun, and i didn't have to watch the video to see that lol. i only joined FIRST cause at the time i was very interested in photography and videography, and it was the only thing that i could do that with, pretty much, and because i was promised to just be the photographer/videographer/historian lol. but it did look like a fun time consumer. i probably wouldn't have joined if i knew that even after 2 years everything but the photography was mind boggling lol. plus where else is not only fun but acceptable to the YMCA, the Macarena, We Like To Party, and Cotton Eyed Joe. oh and who wouldn't wanna miss days of school to go to cities you've never been to, while learning about robots and having fun.

[Carrie102]

I've always been a nerd at heart. (not really the smartest, but up there .) I had a friend join in october, before they mentioned FIRST and were fooling around with programming vexbots (i think). She mentioned this cute boy was in it, and so I got interested. Lame, I know. But she actually didn't end up sticking with it. And I continued going to the meetings and finally in January they explained FIRST and us actually doing work with real robots, and since then... Ive been obsessed.

[Katie Hans]

Well, when I was in sixth grade we had a representative from NASA come to my school to talk about space exploration and stuff like that. I made the decision that I wanted to have a career that had something to do with aerospace or aeronautics. When it came time to choose my classes for high school, I signed up for an introduction to engineering course and my teacher spoke very highly of the robotics team and how, if we wanted to see real-life applications of Inventor (which was pretty much the basis of what we learned in class), we should join the team. I really wanted to do well in that class, so I joined the team. I loved watching everyone interact, and pretty soon I made friends.

I don't know what I would've done if I didn't get involved with FIRST. It might sound weird, but not only has it helped me with the concepts of math and science, but it's also helped me in other aspects of my life, like how to forget things and have fun with people. Plus, I think my coordination might have improved a bit from human playering. Not much, though, because I did almost get my eye poked out from running into a tree branch in Atlanta.

[Kim Masi]

I have this fascination with knowing how everything works. That was part of the reason I joined.

[Sam Cat]

My interest in FIRST was probably ingrained in me since I was a little girl. I loved to play with legos, and my comfort around tools was apparent when I let my dad pull out my first tooth with his pliers (much to his surprise, considering I wouldn't let my mom pull it out with her fingers!). Anyway, I decided I wanted to join FIRST when I went to (what is now) my school's open house. I met the team mentor, and he described to the whole room of us how FIRST is "the hardest fun you'll ever have." Our robot from 2002 was on display, and I determined to join the robotics team at the first opportunity. I've loved participating in FIRST ever since. Nothing compares to the challenge of build season and the satisfaction of seeing your creation compete against robots built by teams from all over the world. It's one of the greatest feelings ever. You meet a lot of great people and learn so much through the process about robots, teamwork, and life. FIRST confirmed for me that I want to be a robotics engineer, and I tell everyone I meet how awesome FIRST is. A lot of the girls on the team just graduated, so I really hope more girls will realize how awesome FIRST is and join a team.