Girls,Why did you join FIRST???

[jennifer_1547]

okay I joined FIRST because it was something that was new to me. I have never really been the building type of person because I automatically assumed that I would never like it. I joined in grade 9 to just try it out, and I never thought that I would do it the year after. I mean, it was hard work and I thought that girls could NEVER build a robot. I enjoyed my first year so much it has actually made me consider doing engineering in univeristy (I'm still trying to choose between that or acting). Anyways, FIRST has been one of the best things I've experienced in my life.

[smurfgirl]

I joined FIRST not really knowing what I was in for, but I knew that I liked math and science, so it sounded like it would be cool. That's the very, very short version of my story. I wrote a bit of it out for my team when they asked current team members and alumni about our experiences on the team for a bit of inspiration for our Chairman's presentation binder. I'll post it below, because I think it relates a lot to this thread, but keep in mind it was written for people who know me, so some of the quips and anecdotes make a little bit more sense to them. I'd still like to share my story with all of you, though.

I'm also very willing to help by telling a part of my story... but I am fully capable of writing a full-length novel about my experiences in FIRST and what I have gotten out of it, so it was very difficult to keep it this short; brief just really doesn't happen with me. Brief is one thing I have never been. On the other hand, there are a lot of things I am now that I have grown to be because of how FIRST has shaped me.



My story begins in mid-October my freshman year. We start here because it is my humble beginnings in the program which made the greatest impact on me. I heard an announcement about a robotics team going to this thing called "Bash at the Beach"... images of robots on platforms surrounded by hot sand swirled through my head. I was intrigued, and I thought it sounded really cool. I want to do that, I thought to myself. But alas, school had started a month and a half ago, and I was far too timid to consider joining any clubs this late into the year (little did I know that the FRC season begins in January). Ultimately, I ended up ignoring the announcement that has piqued my interest in robotics, because my timidness won the battle. Yes, that's right, I was timid. I'm guessing those of you who know me now wouldn't pick timid as the first word to describe me. That's thanks to my experiences with FIRST. I didn't forget that announcement- at the beginning of sophomore year, I sought after the robotics team right away. I wanted to know what it was about. Despite it overlapping with my dance classes, I joined the team, and ended up participating in Avon Day just two days later. It was overwhelming... this giant robot that could stretch up to at least three times my height, built in six weeks by a bunch of high school kids? When I found that out, I began doubting whether robotics was really for me. I didn't think I was smart enough or clever enough for it. There was no way I could ever build a robot from scratch, let alone in six weeks. Seriously, who are you kidding, I was no MIT engineer back then. Yes, confidence is also something I was lacking, but robotics helped me to build.

In retrospect, I'm so glad I stuck with it for a few more meetings. In just a few short weeks, we went to Bash @ the Beach. I can remember going into AHS at 5 am, because they had to pack still. Essentially, the plan was to walk into the room and throw everything in sight into a bunch of plastic crates. I couldn't let it happen that way, and put the supplies into boxes by categories, and packed it in nicely. I think I carried 80% of the boxes out to the bus, as well. I think that's when the robotics team decided they wanted me to stick around. I wasn't quite sure yet. We showed up to the competition, and much to my surprise there was no sand, at all. It was inside a school gym, but this was not what a gym ordinarily felt like. You could feel the excitement in the air, or perhaps it was just the booming music in the background, the tune to which hundreds of high school students (the kind you don't normally see in the gym) were running around with more robots, about a giant field in the middle full of PVC tetrahedrons, and dozens 10x10 pits set up around the perimeter. I think that's the moment I fell in love with FIRST. I could tell it fit, and this is where I wanted to be, even though I pretty much had no idea what was going on. That's when another magic moment happened- Mr. Kasner asked if anyone would be interested in going on "the field". I gathered up just enough courage to ask about what the different positions were, and I decided coach and human player sounded reasonably interesting. I took a leap of faith and signed myself up. Keith handed me "The Game" section of the manual, and I read through it, trying to picture what a match would look like.

Coaching my first match was an interesting experience. I was standing behind two students who were both older than me, people that I did not know at all... telling them what to do, when I had only discovered what a competition was, and how the game was played five minutes ago. Talk about scary. And did I mention, I was the only girl with the team at the competition? I was outnumbered in every sense. Amazingly, I had actually caught on to some of the strategy, and we won both of the matches I coached. It was exhilarating. Later on in the day, a news reporter came up to me with a tape recorder, asking if he could interview me about the team. I tried to pass him off to another student, insisting I had just joined the team and couldn't help him out, but he told me it was ok, he wanted to talk to me. It made me realize how much I had absorbed over the course of the day- I described the game to him, I knew we were defending champions, that the team name was ÜberBots, we were sponsored by UTC Chubb, and the robot was affectionately named the ChubbBot. This day alone shaped me a lot.

Because of this, I stuck with robotics, helping with various projects, including reorganizing the room, until the new season began. I started to form bonds with people who would become some of my best friends. I learned lessons about engineering and life from the mentors. By the time the 2006 season had begun, I think our team had worked a large part of its magic on me. I was willing to talk to adults (who were very, very scary just a few months before), had opened myself up to new friendships, had gained confidence in myself, and had put myself to work as a leader and innovator in organization. I felt like I really had a part in everything. After Kickoff, I devoured the rules. Coaching in the off-season had shown me how much I love the strategy behind everything. I'm not sure if memorizing the manual gives anyone more joy than I. It felt right when I essentially began to live in the shop after Kickoff. The team was really my new family (hence why it's not just about building a robot, it's about building a team). This is one of the many reasons I love the ÜberBots so much- it is like a giant support network of people who know you and love you, and have a variety of skills- everyone is there to help you with everything.

By May 2006, when we had returned from Atlanta, I had enough confidence and inspiration that I was ready to organize and pioneer my own event- the premiere of the robodemo. Demonstrations are one of the things that have brought me the most happiness out of all of my experiences on team 1124. Watching the faces of an audience full of children as you demonstrate your robot is probably the greatest feeling in the world. You look at their eyes light up, their glowing smiles, and you realize that perhaps you have just inspired them to do something great. You just might have made a difference in their lives. Nothing feels better than passing on the inspiration that you know you have felt already. This is what I did with a lot of the rest of my time on the team. When people say your second year in FIRST is your first year as a mentor, it's absolutely true. I spent good parts of the 2007 and 2008 seasons passing on lessons I had learned to other students, as well as helping develop new community outreach programs to promote the visions of the ÜberBots and FIRST. Even with what I had already gotten out of the program, I continued to recognize more instances of my own inspiration and growth, which I shall withhold for reasons of space. The truly magical thing, though, was watching everyone else grow up around me- the new students, and those I had already been around for a year or two, younger siblings who hung around, children who had been to demonstrations and came to other events to see more of us.

I owe a lot to the ÜberBots, and to FIRST Robotics as a whole, for helping me to find myself, to develop my character, to expand upon my values, to give me new abilities, and to show me the power of technology, and of inspiration. It is because of my experiences on the robotics team that I am who I am today, and that I am where I am today. Our robotics team is incredibly valuable, and has made as much of a difference to many other people as it has to me. My hope is that it will continue to flourish, spreading its influence and its impact further throughout our community. The reason why I am still here, despite having graduated from high school in June, is because of this. I may still be young, perhaps even still naive in a sense, but I do know one thing for sure- I want to share the inspiration I have seen with others.

Thank you, ÜberBots, for being there for me. I will be here for you for a very long time.

[katd30]

When I was a freshman some teachers at our school were approached to start a FIRST team. I had already become a favorite student of their's through a different competition, Science Olympiad. One of them asked me to join and I thought it would be cool to go to a few meetings and see what it was about. I also thought it would be cool to build a robot. Then my dad got involved and I stuck with it through the first year cause of him and I liked getting the chance to organize events and boss people around. So now, as a sophomore I love FIRST. I'm one of 2 student leaders and I get to boss people around e en more!

[sydney_1547]

i went to one of my brothers competition and everyone there seemed to be having so much fun.
he had done it for 3 years and the next year i got the chance to compete against him when i went into grade 9. i joined the team and made sooo many friends i just never want to quit now. i always say i want to quit during the build season then i get to the competitions and have so much fun that i forget all about quitting!
so basically i got started because of my brother.

[FIRSTgirl675]

For most of my life I enjoyed the field of science. When I decided to join my school's robotics team, I went in not knowing what part of the team I wanted to be on or really even why I was joining. I think it was because it seemed like something fun that I could do while making new friends.

When I joined, I was interested in programming, but my friends were able to convince me to go into manufacturing. Today, I still don't understand programming, none of the friends that got me into manufacturing are on the team (at all), and I am one of two girls in manufacturing.

I stay because of everything; the people, the stress, the adrenaline rush you get when your out each match screaming for your team.

Some of the great things I see about FIRST are always mentioned by everyone. We are the future of science and technology, it gives us a challenge that has deadlines, and it gives girls an opportunity to do things in a field that is male dominated without feeling overtaken. They are just as important as the men.

[Siri]

Same reason the guys did, I suppose, it's ridiculously fun..ahem, I mean it's a learning fantastic opportunity.
Personally, I found my school team sophomore year (we didn't have much advertising then) through a marching band friend. Little did I know I'd spend the next three years growing more and more obsessed with the organization and end up spending upwards of 20 hours per week (30-40 during build) working on and managing that team! (Ok, so there are less-than ridiculously fun times now, welcome to life.) Then again, our albiet small team is more girls than guys (member schools are all co-ed).

[kjolana1124]

I actually can't really say why I joined. When I first came to high school, I knew math and science were not my strong suits. I was taking Algebra I as a freshmen. I had some interest in theme park design and stuff like that because I liked Disney, but that's really it. I had a slight interest in math and science sure, but I didn't think I was smart enough to actually make a career out of it. My parents always told me my skills lied more in the liberal arts, so I went with that.

However, even so, I always thought robots were kind of cool. So when I went to my sister's high school orientation (me being rather shy and kept back, seeing as we had just moved to Avon, so I knew no one) and saw the robotics team talk about what they did (right after the principal almost killed my mom with a dogeball...) I fell in love. I knew it was an awesome program, and possibly a way to learn more. I was still a bit unsure about it though, seeing as I was never math and science prone and had little mechanical background besides a little building with my dad.

That being said, when I heard about the first meeting for Avon High School's robotics team, I knew that I wanted to go and at least check it out. After all, it was like all other clubs, right?

Boy did I learn...

From the first meeting, I knew this was going to be intense. I knew a grand total of two kids in the room, and only barely. Everyone else was an upperclassmen who seemed to already know their place. However, that didn't stop them from making me feel welcome. I remember the first meeting very well. We were fixing the 07 bot for Bash (what was wrong I don't know) and they had me working on it right away. Now, it probably wouldn't be a big deal. But that day, it was the world. I remember on the drive home I couldn't shut up about how great it was and how included I felt.

Now, the next meeting I came in with an air of excitement. Especially since I heard a few small conversations of a "Bash at the Beach." Naturally, not only being new to the high school and the program, but semi new to the area as well, the first thing that came to mind was, Beach? In October? Awesome!!

Okay, so it ended up not being a beach. But it was still something I'll never forget. Not only was it my first competition, but my unnecessary amounts of dancing and being a bit too hyperactive (which I'm sure team members will agree to) got me a job doing the actual announcing during the game. I messed up a lot, and had next to no idea what was going on, having to learn all the rules as I went along, but that wasn't the point. The point was, I could be myself and get rewarded for it, where most other places I was always told to calm down too much and stuff. Sure, maybe I was a bit over the top. But hey, they seemed to like it.

As preseason wrapped up and build season began, I knew my place. I knew I didn't know nearly as much about math and science and building as the others, so I did community work. It was a lot of fun for sure. And there were some times I helped out with mechanical, but I mostly stuck to community/spirit work. I loved it. I got to be high energy and productive. It must've worked, because we ended up winning the spirit award at Suffield Shakedown. By the time regionals rolled around, I really felt part of a team. Everyone had their place, and so did I. And, as one of our mentors said that Saturday night after we celebrated our victory, we had rhythm. Everyone was like a beat. We all knew when to come in, including me. I felt important. You don't get that out of many organizations.

That process continued the rest of my freshman year. However, by the time sophomore year rolled around, I wanted change. I've wanted to drive the robot since my freshman year (who doesn't want to drive, let's be honest). And, since I got a chance to drive at Wolcott, I figured I may have a shot. Not as first string driver one, but if I kept at it and kept my interest, I'd surely be driving by my junior or senior year. So I worked on mechanical. Well, that wasn't the only reason I switched the mechanical. I wanted to actually build the robot. That's what I wanted to do when I saw it in eighth grade, and that idea was always in the back of my mind. I just never thought I'd be good enough to help with the actual build and design. However, entering my sophomore year, I grew more confident with my abilities. I knew I knew how to use tools, and I wanted to show the rest of my team. So I did.

By the time build season started for Lunacy, I was no longer Kelsey the hyperactive spirit girl. I was Kelsey, the confident team member who could build and fix things and work with the community side. I was really comfortable with were I was. I was even heading the Chairman's video. But that was only the first two weeks or so. When actual building began and me and the others were working and testing, I learned quickly one thing I was not very good at: driving. Driving the chassis for Overdrive was one thing. However, with the new flooring and the new set of rules for what a driver needed to do, I learned right away that it wasn't my strong point. However, as the building progressed, I grew an interest in the second driver position.

At this point last year, I probably wouldn't have said anything. I knew my place, and I didn't think I was good enough to drive. However, working on my FIRST team taught me to be confident with myself, and confident enough to let my mentor know that I wanted to drive. Well, he listened. Because I began testing and working. And sure enough, come February 14th, I was the driver two for our team. I also drove at regionals.

I didn't have a perfect performance. While there a lot of factors that play into that, I was able to look back and say, "I did my best, and I learned." Something I probably wouldn't have been able to do last year, but last year I wasn't as strong and comfortable with myself. Not Atlanta is coming closer, and I know my place. I'm no longer the spirit girl. While I'm still going to have a lot of spirit (because it's not fun otherwise ), there's so much more to take advantage of that I'll be sure to do this year.

Well, that's my story. I joined because I thought robots were cool, and now I want to become an animatronic engineer. For real this time, not just because I still love Disney- but because I love working with robots, solving problems using logic, and everything about engineering. I also found a confidence in myself I wouldn't be able to have otherwise. So, that's why I joined.

[briarrose]

I joined this year as a sophomore, as a distraction (I’m a dancer, and I broke sprained my ankle for the third time in one year). My original plan was to join then quit when I started dancing again, but then I got hooked.

This year I've learned its ok to be smart, and show it. I know love science and technology. I've completely changed this year; I value brains over beauty now, and look forward to a career in mechanical enginering.

[ebarker]

Our team had a ballet dancer that joined a couple of years ago.

Today...she is a mechanical engineering major at Georgia Tech.

BTW, she still dances ballet, when not doing thermo homework.

[onecoolc]

I joined a few years ago because my sister was in it, and it looked fun. I've always been interested in technology and programming. Most of my experience had been in web design, so I was eager to try something new, and it was just sort of fun.

Then, this year, when my web design teacher realized I had been in FIRST Robotics in the past, he literally took me by the arm and dragged me down to the Robotics teacher and told him, "She's joining." It wasn't even a question, more of a statement of fact. xD

I would never regret it, though. I love FIRST, both FRC and FTC, and I'm definitely better off for joining. It's been amazing getting to meet these people and build a team. The competitions have a sort of energy of their own, and I live of of it.

I still have a lot to learn, and can't wait to learn it.