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Mission Statement |
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| With the support of volunteer mentors who promote gracious professionalism, the mission of McKinley Robotics is to offer members multiple opportunities to enrich their educations through practical applications of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. | ||
McKinley High School Robotics Team Kika Mana #368
2010 Chairman’s Award Application
Every year, nearly a million immigrants leave their beloved homelands and flock to America and its promises. They sacrificed everything they had just to get here, including money, reputation, and social status. Starting out with absolutely nothing, these first-generation migrants arrived with hopes and dreams alive in their hearts, their souls burning with a passionate longing for a better future. Now, in the technologically-advanced 21st century, the opportunities are even greater, motivating even more people to take risks in order to claim their share of the American Dream. Anyone, not just the rich or the gifted, can have the chance to pursue his or her heart’s desires. As Americans, we have the right, no, the obligation to make the best use of our opportunities.
This spirit has never been more apparent than in Team 368 Kika Mana, whose FIRST members are all first- or second-generation immigrants. One cannot begin to imagine the wonder and awe they felt when they discovered FIRST and its mission--to change the way young people regard science and technology and to inspire an appreciation for the real-life rewards and career opportunities in those fields. With their struggles still fresh on their minds, they never saw a more fitting purpose for their endeavors as a team. This was the perfect opportunity to not only improve their own lives, but to also improve society as a whole and make America an even better place than it was when they first entered it.
Since the turn of the 21st century, Team 368 has been actively participating in the FRC. In less than a decade, it has already revolutionized the lifestyles of its members, who in turn have transformed their community and everyone around them. This amazing journey of change and impact could not have been possible without a sense of partnership and support, which Team 368 has been fully engaged in providing.
Each student who joined the team simply wanted to gain some engineering experience and a chance to make friends in spite of their language barriers. After all, the members of the team came from similar yet distinctly unique ethnicities: Chinese, Korean, Filipino, Japanese, and Vietnamese. They came to embrace each other’s differences as time went on and the challenges grew harder. They never would have guessed, however, that their involvement would create a new direction for their lives. As they were learning how to program with LabVIEW software, differentiate box aluminum from Bosch aluminum, and operate machines such as mills and lathes in preparation for the FRC, they discovered the benefits of working with minds other than their own and realized the importance of inspirational leadership and cooperation when working toward a common goal. 100% of these students would then go on to college, most of them pursuing degrees in engineering and computer sciences, armed with the experience gained from participation in FIRST.
During the season, they worked under the guidance of experienced mentors and engineers. Over the hectic weeks, the students expanded their knowledge of technology and mechanics through these adults. This allowed them to overcome current challenges and prepared them for a future entrance into the workforce. As time went on, these students, with their eager minds and open hearts, grew on the advisors. The mentors gained satisfaction of seeing young minds flourish. The engineers rediscovered their passion for their careers and found potential new workers for their companies. In fact, some students have gone on to work for corporations such as the Hawaiian Electric Company and the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard. Alumni even come back after graduation just to visit and help out the team, a few of whom became mentors themselves. This long-lasting relationship between students and mentors, team and engineers, cannot be ignored or forgotten.
The advisors felt so strongly about robotics that they fought to make it more than just an after-school program by going so far as to make it part of the school curriculum. Yes, there is actually a robotics class in our school now. This, in addition to the previously-established McKinley Engineering Academy, gives future McKinley students a chance to also expand their knowledge of technology and engineering, just like their predecessors before them. In fact, it would not be surprising if the children of the original members of Team 368 ended up in these courses one day.
The impact of FIRST is more than just school-wide, extending to the outer reaches of the community. Inspired by the message of FIRST, Team 368 has held various public demonstrations, bringing in students, parents, teachers, and even school administrators to help out and get involved. There have been demos at our Tiger Showcase Night (a school introduction event), our Mini Math Meet (a mathematics competition for feeder middle schools), for the FIRST Lego League state competitions for the past three years, at a dinner for the Board of PREL (Pacific Resources for Education and Learning), the Children’s Discovery Center (a place designed for children’s learning purposes), and the State Capitol. This year, Team 368 was also given the honor of welcoming the Assistant U.S. Secretary of Education, Mr. Peter Cunningham, with one of its robot demonstrations.
During these demos, members of the team operate the robots and interact with the spectators, answering questions, happy to share their enthusiasm for robotics. Audiences everywhere were astounded. Here were mere teenagers, already creating innovative solutions to complex problems. Young, prospective high school students were inspired to become interested in the field of engineering, realizing the potential of today’s technology and gaining some self-confidence in the process. Older audience members, especially the less technologically- advanced parents and grandparents of the team members, became more excited about these “new-fangled doodads” and gained more respect and trust for the younger generation, - “these kids these days.” They saw that not all teenagers threw away their futures with dangerous activities. FIRST provided them with a beacon of hope—the future might actually be in good hands. To know that there are still young people out there who do wholesome activities for their community brought them a much-needed sense of reassurance. FIRST is a positive influence meant to radiate out from within. After each demo, audience members leave with the subtle-yet-powerful impression that change is in the air, and that that change can be wonderful, after all.
Of course, although holding demonstrations is a nice way to directly deliver a message, actions speak louder than words. Not only does Team 368 talk about how well it understands the vision of FIRST, but it also shows this understanding, especially during the competition season. Having been raised by their parents to respect the opinions of others, members of Team 368 greatly value the ideals of Gracious Professionalism and Coopertition. Every year, their school, McKinley High School, hosts the viewing of the annual FIRST kickoff. Teams from all over the state come to view the broadcast. This gives them the opportunity to both understand the nature of the competition and possibly meet their future competitors. It also makes the kickoff event large enough to be newsworthy and shown on television and in newsprint. Teams also pick up their FIRST kit of parts there, since it is more convenient to have all the parts ready in one place and teams don't have to incur any costs FIRST would have to impose to ship it to them separately. Although this requires the extra responsibility of organizing the order lists as well as the drop off/pick up time and location, all that matters to Team 368 is that this is a beneficial way for everyone to start the season.
During the actual competitions, winning is not the primary focus for Team 368. Members and alumni willingly provide aid to other teams, helping them with any technical difficulties or strategic obstacles, even if this means creating more formidable opponents in the long run. Just like all immigrants should have equal opportunities to improve their lives, all competitors should have equal opportunities to win. Even in the stands, non-playing members of the team cheer their fellow teams on, hoping they will try their best, especially since we want to raise the level of competition. On the field, alumni from our team and faculty from our school volunteer to reset the field, keep score, queue robots, and referee. The scouts of the team admire rather than envy the creations of other teams, using their observations to gain new perspectives on how to solve the challenges presented by the competition. Not only does Team 368 showcase its skills, but it also learns from others. This is the attitude in which the team views this competition, and its members hope other teams will follow this example.
At the end of each competition, everyone on the team comes home feeling proud of him- or herself. If the team won, then there is a triumphant feeling of accomplishment. Though there is admittedly a feeling of sadness and disappointment when there is a loss, there is still the knowledge that the team tried its best. In the long run, winning is not of the greatest importance, for competitions come and go. What remains with a person forever are the experiences and lessons brought on by the competition. The immigrant members of Team 368 will always remember the thrill of participating in such an amazing program, for they would never have had that opportunity if they had stayed in their home countries. FIRST allowed them to grow inside, to become bigger than what they were. Through these people, FIRST will change more than just the way the current generation regards science and technology. FIRST will change generations to come as these humble immigrants grow up and use what they have learned to make their own American Dreams a reality.