When we all think of high school, we usually think of the awkward and tough times we face(d) as teenagers. We all struggle(d) with finding and feeling good about ourselves, making friends, managing school, and thinking about our futures. It’s no walk in the park for anyone. But I, amongst 400,000+ other students in this world, have been given the ultimate advantage; FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics .
Genuineness. One of the aspects of my team, Team 1305, and FIRST that led to me being a fully committed member for 4 years was the genuine nature of the students within the program and purpose of the program. From the moment I first entered the FIRST community, I was welcomed with the grand genuineness of my peers (who have become people that I know will be life-long friends of mine). At competition, we actually cheer for other teams. We celebrate their wins and even help each other when a robot breaks, they need a certain tool, or need some advice on their business/award presentations. I’ve personally shared team documents that have won big awards with other teams so they can learn how to improve their own documents. We coach each other on how to be the best we possibly can. An unwritten philosophy in FIRST is that potentials don’t go untapped.
Drive. The previous paragraph may have made FIRST robotics seem like light and fluffy environment, but it’s contrarily hardcore. All teams are shown the annual newly-designed game at the same time and then are given a 6-week time period to build a robot that is able to play it. This puts a lot of pressure and time crunch on students and mentors to design, prototype and build machines that will work effectively at competition. The entire process subconsciously pushes students to develop skills of problem solving and drive in order to accomplish goals. Both in the heat of competition and in the stress of the 6-week time limit, drive can be the single connection in if the robot gets fixed and will be able to compete. So even in times of pure frustration and defeat, FIRST students are pushed to develop their drive in order to work as hard as they possible can as a team and as individuals.
Team work. Through build seasons and competition seasons we’re required to work intensely and constantly with each other in order to meet our deadlines for award submissions, robot completion, and making sure we’re prepared for competition. It takes quite the bond of team members to execute the lengthy process that being a robotics team requires. Sure, we test each other’s patience, but we’re taught how to subside our frustrations and still work well together. Then of course, when all the work is done we come together in huge celebrations of hugs and exhaustion. And don’t even get me started on how we react when we win an award or win matches or even win the whole competition (*hint* in involves aggressive group hugs, happy crying, and a lot of screaming).
Perseverance. Much like any sport, winning is the easy part. You’ve worked hard and it paid off. The time when we as humans learn the most is when we lose and how we deal with it. One of the best parts about FIRST is that there is no such thing as failing. They’ve taught us that failing is just another opportunity to try again and problem solve. We’ve been taught to use the feeling of defeat as inspiration to not give up. I can count numerous times that my team specifically has “lost”, felt defeated, but then they pull it all together and try something new. We’ve shared frustrated tears together, we’ve shared the aggressive erasing of a white board full of plans and we’ve shared moments of utter disappointment. But none of that has stopped the moments of unbelievable excitement and over-joy because we learned how to persevere.
I may have limited what FIRST does for people in 4 small paragraphs in this post, but I can assure you, FIRST’s impact is truly limitless.
So I would like to personally thank 1305 and FIRST robotics for not only changing my life, but also for teaching me what it means and feels like to be a part of something worthwhile. And now I’ll continue to chase that feeling in everything I do for the rest of my life.
Oh my gosh, you hit the nail on the head! For years I’ve been trying to explain (to myself and others) what makes FIRST so special and why I continue to be drawn to it even though I’m not officially affiliated with a team anymore. “For teaching me what it means and feels like to be a part of something worthwhile.” Thank you for putting the feeling into words, and best of luck to you and 1305!
Honestly, it took me a few months of combining bits and pieces of drafts of this post. FIRST is so hard to limit to a few paragraphs, that’s what makes it so amazing! So thank you sooooooo much for saying this resembles your feelings towards FIRST, that means more to me than you know!!!