The Responsibility of Being a Role Model

[DonRotolo]

Very nice essay, Andy. A good reality check for some of us.

I don't see myself as one of the celebrities, but in the past few years it seems that others do. Certainly not at the level of Dave, JVN or the 'other' Andy, but still a fish in the sea.

Regardless of how much we idolize these people, they are just people. Smart people, perhaps, but even smart people do dumb things.

There are plenty of things of which I am very proud, but also things of which I am not at all proud - ashamed, in fact. It is those experiences, though, that bring home the point of why I want to do things to be proud of, and to avoid doing things of which I am ashamed. They make me who I am. I am sure that I'm not unique in this.

Most folks get it, eventually. It comes with experience and maturity, and FIRST helps accelerate that learning. Some folks never get it, and that lack is what (arguably) brings on society's ills.

The point is that, while most people try to behave while others are watching (see my post about FIRST kids), the real mark of integrity is doing the right thing even when nobody is watching.

Don

[gorrilla]

nice post Andy.......

although I dont get to call myself a FIRST celebrity(yet )......

I do get to influence younger members of our team..
I'll share what our mentor Dave said too me not to long ago(talking to him about younger students)..
"After your first year,its your job too"..........

I dident really realize what He meant untill a few weeks later at the regional when I had to explain what "Winning" really was,.....Then I remembered something we have on our website......
"Winning" is being rewarded for excellence in design, demonstrating team spirit, gracious professionalism and maturity, and the ability to overcome obstacles. Scoring the most points is a secondary goal. Winning means building partnerships that last..........

this pretty much changed my(and their) outlook...........

So I think..no matter who you are, YOU are a role model to everyone, wether YOU choose to be a good one or not is YOUR decision to make.........

Just remembering that someone is always learning from what you.........

If any of that makes any sense........................

[Akash Rastogi]

Originally Posted by Don Rotolo

I don't see myself as one of the celebrities

Well, you should.

Awesome writing Andy. I look up to a lot of people I haven't met either, such as many others do. But I hope to meet such people as Paul Copioli, JVN, Karthik, EricH, Cory, Andy Baker, and Travis Covington, at the Championship event. It just feels good knowing that there's someone out there that is willing to provide help when others need it regardless of who it is who is asking.

You guys rock.

[Molten]

And this is the reason I don't like meeting my fans.

On a serious note though: I make plenty of mistakes. What makes a person a great role model, is what they project outwardly. You can party all you want in your time, but if you start bringing a beer to the robotics meeting, I might have an issue. I generally come with the "don't try this at home" approach. I'll tell people of my mistakes, but I'll tell them to not make the same ones. For instance, I play sudoku in class somewhat regularly. I think that as long as I get good grades, this is ok. However, don't try that yourself. It's for professionals only.

Honestly though, don't play sudoku in class. It really isn't a good idea, your grades can and probably will suffer. Not to mention annoy your teachers.

[thefro526]

Andy, that was a very well written post.

I've noticed in the last year or so that I've gained a lot of respect from my peers and a lot of underclassmen. I guess some would consider me a role model but sometimes I feel like I've been elevated to this high pedestal where I'm expected to do no wrong. I think a lot of the role models on here are talked about in the same way.

I'm not saying anything directed towards anyone on here but, all of the role models we're talking about are people too. They make mistakes, and really good decisions too...

[Pavan Dave]

To some degree, I agree. I don't think you should change yourself because others are watching you or listening to you, but rather because that change will better you as a person or some personal justification. Not because people are watching you, but because it is the right thing to do.

Thus I hate the phrase "gracious professionalism." Because it makes people do what they should have been doing all along. GP isn't what your grandmother told you because I know for a fact my grandmother couldn't even spell gracious professionalism, she told me about "playing nice," and "treating others how you would want to be treated," and "being a good sport."

Pavan Davé

[Meredith Novak]

Andy,

What a lovely post - thank you so much for writing it.

One of my favorite things about FIRST is that many of my role models are younger (some WAY younger) than I am. It makes my impending dotage much easier to face...

[Matt382]

Wonderful post.

Andy, even though the poster mistook you as Andy Baker, you are still a role model in the FIRST community. A quick check of your post count shows over 1,000 posts and I know I've read tons of them. I don't post often but I read Chief Delphi a ton. I'm sure there are other people like me who read your posts without your knowledge (hopefully they are as inspired as I am) .

As for the rest of you, every post on Chief Delphi gets read hundreds of time so remember to be gracious and professional and make a difference.