For me, robotics has gone far beyond any other club activity in school, not only because of what it has taught me, but also because of its positive impact on my future. I became attracted to this program when I saw a robotics demo at McKinley's Mini Math Meet while I was in middle school. From then, I decided to join the McKinley robotics team as a freshman in high school. I started off by doing VEX robotics, and through the building/programming process, I found out that robotics was something more than what I initially thought (design structures, electrical wiring, and especially programming). My passion built since then and encouraged me to move on to FIRST robotics. It was a really big step for me. I expanded my knowledge in electrical/programming as well as my communication skills which couldn’t be learned in classes. My enthusiasm continued on for three years. As a fourth-year member, I was surprised to realize just how much I have learned as I began teaching new members this year. Hopefully, I will carry on the knowledge I have obtained in robotics and be able to apply it as I pursue a career in electrical engineering.

If I were to pick one event that changed my life, I would pick FIRST robotics. FIRST has changed my perspective on this world. Before joining FIRST, I always wanted to be an astronomer or a physicist, without even knowing there were so many other occupations. I never knew about the awesomeness of engineering beforehand. When I first joined robotics, I knew nothing about electronics or programming. I was just like any other ordinary kid out there playing games on a computer. Since the summer of 2007, I couldn’t quit the team. Everything I learned so far has been beneficial to me. I made spectacular friends over the years from various places. I love what I do on our FIRST robotics team and I am grateful for such an opportunity.

I joined robotics in my sophomore year. As only my second year of immigrating here at that time, robotics was a great place for me to improve my English skills. Knowing that communication is very important in the team, I tried the best that I could to talk to my teammates and mentors with my shy face. Even though funny pronunciations always came out in my speaking, the others would correct my errors and try their best to understand what I was saying. Participating for three years in this program, I am now better able to express myself and communicate with my teammates.

Other than the improvement in my communications skills, robotics also helped develop my hands-on skills. I found myself interested in electrical things and I joined electrical/programming team. Being the third year on the team, I have now learned how to "talk to the robot" using programming languages such as C+ and LabVIEW and I love the way we solve problems through testing programs.

I can say robotics has brightened my life. It's all about teamwork and engineering. It's a place where I have learned how to accept the "failures" and do the best to lead to "successes." It's a pathway for me to get into an engineering career! =].

I began robotics in my freshman year in high school. I first joined since my parents insisted that I try something else OTHER than math team. So I dropped math team (something I did since 7th grade) and tried robotics. In the first year, I was reluctant to go because I did not feel like I learned much. However, when the 2008 FRC season started, I discovered that robotics was something very special, something that does not exist in any old place. It was a second family, one in which I could be myself and soak in all the memories and lessons learned. As part of the media team, I was able to witness all sorts of examples of teamwork throughout this team. I was hooked to robotics the first year and stayed in robotics ever since. From the two and a half years I have been on the team, I have learned some mechanical, engineering, and especially electrical principles which could be applied in the real world. More importantly, robotics led me to understand that in order to bring an idea to fruition, one must communicate effectively and be open to other suggestions. I hope that I will be able to apply these principles and experiences to my future endeavor of becoming a doctor.

Joining robotics has positively impacted my life. It showed me how appealing engineering can be. I was just so amazed to see how the robot was coming alive. In robotics, I also gained so much knowledge about the basics of engineering. Throughout the season, it taught me how to be patient, how to work together, and how to think critically. Furthermore, joining robotics gave me the opportunity to get to know some really "cool" people.

Now, robotics means more than just an extra-curricular activity to me. It has become my second home. Teammates have become my family. I love spending time at robotics with all my teammates and this year, I've continued to willingly give up my weekends and sleep to work at robotics!

I never thought I'd actually join the robotics team for any reason. It was quite intimidating. I did not know much about the robotics team before I joined and my only experience with them was a demonstration during an assembly. My decision to join the robotics team my junior year of high school came as a shock even to myself. Perhaps it was during the FIRST Robotics competition I went to, but somewhere down the line, robotics became something I couldn’t tear myself away from; it became a part of me. Robotics taught me to be patient and understanding, even when I, myself, am getting frustrated. I learned how to be a leader to the newer members, even if I wasn’t a very good one. Working in robotics gave me a chance to try many new things I would not otherwise have ever done. Robotics was not something I could just watch, it was something I had to experience.