FIRST for Non-Engineering Students

[keehun]

Hi ChiefDelphi,

Before I say anything, please excuse anything that sounds pretentious or arrogant. I don't think I'm an arrogant person by nature or intent, but I like to share the facts without lying. To me, lying is worse than honesty that may come off as pretentious or arrogant.

I post to discuss what I plan on doing in the future as well as asking if there are others who participate or lead a team in the engineering department (note: not marketing) but isn't actually planning on going in to Engineering. I know that there are many non-engineering mentors out there, but I'm trying to learn about the students like me! This is probably my "WAI" post. I'll see if I can figure out how to post a WAI picture, too. I share my life story below, just so you know where I'm coming from, and who I am, at least a little below the surface level.

This is my story. My name's Keehun Nam and I'm a Korean. I immigrated to the United States when I was just about 9 yrs old in 3rd Grade. I only knew "Hello" "Hi" "Bye" "Thank You" and the alphabet when I came over here. It's funny that I didn't go to heavily Korean-concentrated population centers (e.g. Chicago, LA, Seattle, etc) but rather somewhere far off. I'm from Minnesota. I'm glad that I never went to live in a heavily Korean populated areas, actually... Anyway... Ever since my friends dreamed about becoming firefighters and policemen in kindergarden, I dreamed of becoming an astronaut, only to be deterred by two major stitching that I got (to this day, I haven't heard back from NASA. I wrote them when I was little, asking if astronaut candidates couldn't have any stitches -- I was wondering if all the G-forces would rip them apart -- haha I like my childhood). Anyway... I helped start a team my freshmen year with 2 other freshmen and 1 senior-then who's a sophomore at MIT now studying EE and Math. I initially found about FIRST back when I was in 5th grade. Not knowing anything about it, I looked up how to start a team but discouraged by the text that read "For High School Students" (I must've only been interested in FRC or something back then). I put it in the back of my head until I entered High School -- when Team 2502 was started. I've been programming C, Visual Basic, C#, C++, scripting laguages (python, actionscript, JS, ruby), markup languages (XML, (X)HTML, CSS), and LabView since 5th grade (most of them only recently though). Since then, I thought I was going to go in to Computer Science and make a good living out of programming. Boy, has it changed... A lot.

When I helped start the team, I had "known" then that I'd be an engineer -- most likely a programmer. I had internal debates whether I should be an "actual" programmer (like embedded systems or applications on devices/platforms. Platforms other than through a browser) or a Web Developer. I was way more proficient as a Web Developer, so for the past couple years, I've turned my internal focus from a "programmer" (Sorry, I don't know what it's formally called!) to a web developer.

At around the same time I started programming (in 5th grade), I started to pick up the trumpet as part of the school's band program. I had my internal debate about music, too. I had been learning the piano since I was 7 years old. I was only decent at it, though. I didn't have that musical passion or will to actually get myself to become better (I somewhat did, but it took way too long). But during that debate, something flickered inside of me and I decided to completely quit piano and give all I've got -- musically -- to becoming proficient at the Trumpet. At the time, I didn't see a way where I would get something "out" of the piano. Haha, mostly because I hated practicing on the piano. Also, at this point of my life I had no idea that music would be a big part of my life.

This is all when I was like a literal FOB to the max. Poor English, poor pronunciation (I still have problems sometimes when my tongue just stops pronouncing things) and poor grammar. Being who I was, I had literally no or only a few friends from my neighborhood. That fueled my ability to learn and work on this skills. Ever since then, I was hooked and I thought I'd be going in to computer science.

Let's forward about a year. Our lower-middle school "Oak Point" (houses grades 5 and 6) has a honor band called "Bandtastics" and you have to audition and get in. We play difficult music for 6th graders and rehearsals are held after school for a solid few weeks. The Bandtastics joins the Wind Ensemble at the High School (One of the top in the country this year) and performs a concert for parents, Wind Ensemble parents, Wind Ensemble students, and other audience members. It's the pinnacle of Oak Point band experience. It's what every band member strives to join (those who are really interested in music, anyway). I auditioned and got in as last chair by half a point difference than the 11th student who didn't make it in. If I didn't make it, I would've lost self confidence in myself and I would've persued less of my instrument. But, fortunately for me, I made it in. I was really the worst in the Bandtastics. At the first rehearsal, I was lost the whole time. Eventualy I was inspired by the kids in first chairs and I started to improve, and I eventually won one of those chromatic scale contests...

Well, let's forward to the next year. I started taking private lessons at beginning of 7th grade. My lesson teacher asked me why I was playing the trumpet. Haha. This same year, I made up my mind to skip a year of mathematics. I had skipped Pre-Algebra the summer before. Now, I wanted to test out of Geometry. This was probably as close to "engineering" as I got in terms of my efforts. I barely passed, just like I did with Bandtastics, but nevertheless, I passed. (By the way, I'm really lucky that it isn't going on my transcript.)

Well, let's forward to the next year. I bussed to the High School in the morning for math classes, the district provided me with a bus to the Middle School, and I finished my day off at the Middle School. During the spring, audition materials for the High School wind Ensemble (the group that played with Bandtastics) came out. I finally had a chance to get in to the band I had only dreamed of being in. I worked hard and fortunately got in. I actually didn't get in barely this time. I got in as 4th trumpet out of 10 total trumpets (1 of 3 freshmen out of a 75 people band!). It was probably the happiest day I've ever had.

Again, let's forward to the next year, my Freshmen year... I learned that there was a Robotics Team that was starting. I was known around the school as the "Computer Kid." I could fix things that IT Department couldn't figure out. People told me to join and so I joined. We actually started as the "Physics Club" and then just upgraded ourselves to the Robotics Team . We were alright as rookies. (We did better rank wise our rookie year than our 2nd year, actually, but not seed-wise for elims -- We didn't go to elims our first year.)

Forward to my Junior year (current). I'm a section leader for the trumpets, our band is one of the 16 best in the country, and we're goin on tour. This past month, I've made the mental decision to go in to music the rest of my life. A natural question followed... Why on earth is a music kid leading Robotics Team? Just to be clear, I still love Robotics, its competitiveness but also its Gracious Professionalism. I learned so much (and still am learning) from Robotics, and I plan on devoting my full attention and energy (maybe exception of practicing my trumpet) in to the team and giving it direction. But really, in essence, Robotics is about inspiring kids to go in to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics -- none of which Music will do.

I've been living a double-personality life with Robotics (encouraging and inspiring others to go in to STEM while I go in to Music) and it was building up to be "too much" for me so I decided to discuss it with ChiefDelphi and ask if there are any others that have gone through this crossroad I'm at. I know I am not going to give up Music, at least just not yet, but I am wondering if any others on ChiefDelphi (or you know of anyone) that decided to major in an instrumental performance or Music Education that was in robotics. If they've changed their mind, regretted anything, or actually thought they made the right decision. Let's talk!

Thanks,
Keehun
Team 2502.