The first time I stepped into Team 812's headquarters (disguised as a math classroom) I was short, had braces, and was petrified of public speaking. That was my freshmen year. Fours years has pass since, and now I can confidently say that I am a student leader (and though I'm still lacking height, I do have straighter teeth). My transformation from a meek freshmen to an outspoken senior is the result of my leadership roles on the FIRST Robotics team.

The transformation started off slow. In my freshmen year, with the support of mentors and my helpful peers, I was able to learn electrical engineering. My confidence in my abilities grew. In my sophomore year, I was selected to be Engineering Leader. My responsibilities included teaching rookies about the electrical basics and completing the electrical components of the robot. It was a little rocky for me because I had never been in such a position before. However, I was able to learn from mistakes. What I took from it was how to effectively communicate with others (sounds easy, but it's not when week six of building season comes around and the robot is not finished!).

With some creditials to my name, I became Competition Lead (2nd in command) of the FIRST LEGO League Competition that Team 812 hosts annually. Talk about stress! But besides getting a few wrinkles, the planning and the actual competiton went pretty smooth. After two months of LEGO planning, I was able to learn skills such as delegation and how to pinpoint problems. My leadership in this position got me to be Competition Director (numero uno--the head honcho!) of Team 812's LEGO Competition in 2006. That role, for me, was like going full circle in my journey as a leader because I was able to train another student to be a Competition Lead. I am also now the Financial Officer and the Webmaster.

Team 812 and FIRST Robotics is not just about Engineering, but also about developing students' lifeskills. When I enter college this fall, I know that what I have learned in four years at Robotics will be help me be successful.