Charlotte (left) and Nancy (right) rewire the robot before a competition
Over the last two years, the Posse has become my second family. As this season ends, so does the Posse’s time as an actively competing team. It’s finally starting to set in that we will never again sit in the Posse room after kickoff and brainstorm for hours, stay up working on engineering notebook until 1am the night before a tournament, or create an outline for a judging presentation that is full of inside jokes ( funDEAN anyone 😉 ). So, now that the season is over it is time to reflect on the crazy journey I have had.
During my time on the team I watched myself grow. As my skills developed and improved so did my character. While engineering, CAD, and 3D printing are important skills that I have learned and will use for the rest of my life, the most impactful part of my FIRST experience has been the soft skills I have learned. Before being a part of FIRST I always thought that I was someone who prefered to work alone. Being part of this program and this team has showed me that I would much rather collaborate with a team. Public speaking was always something that I hated, and well I still don’t love it, I know that it is something that I can do successfully. These skills, among others, have helped to change who I am as a person.
While it is time to say goodbye, I also owe thanks to many people. Firstly, I need to thank our coaches, Mr. Lam and Coco, for everything they have done. The most important lesson that I learned from them is that it is okay to fail. There have been countless failures on this team’s journey, and they have been there for every single one. Our path to success would never have been possible without all of the failures we have experienced.
Next, I need to thank Mrs. Lam. Continuing with the theme of family, Mrs. Lam has truly become all of our second mothers. She is always there for us with whatever we need. However most of all I want to recognize her passion for FIRST. If you ever have the chance to meet Mrs. Lam I have no doubt in my mind that she will tell you how amazing FIRST is and how to get involved. She also has done so much work in order to expand FIRST programs in the school district. She’s taken grant writing classes, trained coordinators, and organized all the schools in the district. All of this she has done while never asking for any kind of recognition.
Another group who I must thank is all of the other FTC teams. I am constantly inspired by what other teams are doing, whether that be a very innovation design or a super impactful outreach initiative. The way that teams are always willing to help one another is one of my favorite things about this program and it always will be. These teams have pushed us to do better and I can honestly say that we would not be where we are without all of the other teams we’ve become friends with.
Lastly, I need to thank all of my amazing Posse ladies. As most of these wonderful ladies move on to college I know that they will go on to change the world. I have first hand seen how passionate each of these ladies are about creating a better world. Also each of these ladies has changed my world (even more then when I changed Amy’s world when I told her that the Cha Cha slide says “left foot, let’s stomp” and not “left foot, left stomp). These ladies will forever be a part of my family no matter where our lives take us.
Charlotte has started her junior year at Mounds View high school. For the 2018-19 robotics season, she will be a member of new FTC team Anonobots and a mentor for our former coach’s new FTC team, Spontaneous Construction. She also plans to become involved with other extracurricular activities such as orchestra and National Honor Society.
