Personal Narrative: Cedar Falls High School's First Robotics

The most important and fun extracurricular activity I participate in is being a member of a FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) Robotics Team. I first entered a robotics team in the eighth grade, participating in a similar program called FIRST Lego League (FLL). Before FLL, I had no idea about what I wanted to be when I grow up and frankly, I had no ambition. After being introduced to robotics in 2013, it has become my #1 passion in which I spend around an average of 4-6 hours per week - sometimes even more during the peak season.

While participating in the robotics competitions, I discovered my passion for robotics. Even after the initial team separated, I continued helping new members, based on my previous experience and new-found knowledge. In the future, I want to continue the legacy my grandmother and mother have given me and continue to strive for excellence, helping my country and the rest of the world by the hand of technology and

I researched, selected and assembled the components of my computer from scratch for my 13th birthday. Science is my favorite subject because I like to think about ways I can make the world better and more energy efficient. One of my favorite things to do at night is theorize about science and engineering topics. Most of the time I have a hard time getting to sleep because I can't stop thinking. I am currently trying to find new ways to desalinate water in an environmentally clean way. In 5th grade I competed in two Lego Mindstorms competitions and I won both. The first competition was to make the coolest robot and I made a walking robot. The second competition was a tug of war. I won by using gears, six wheel drive and some extra weight. When I had Autodesk class I liked to think of creative solutions to finish the assignments. I tried to use the instructions only if I had been stuck for a long time. I enjoy spending time at after school engineering clubs. In 6th grade I participated in two after school hands-on engineering programs. In 6th and 7th grade I went to a program called SPARCS. We met on Saturdays once per month and did fun activities with engineering students from NCSU. I was just accepted into NC-MSEN Pre-College Program which involves afternoon classes at Centennial as well as weekend classes at

I was at the time on a robotics team which competed in the First Tech Challenge or FTC in short. I this particular year the competition's theme was bowled over. When I was at the shop I felt that I had the strength and efficiency of ten men. When I was part of the team I learned a countless number of skills such as using heavy machinery and programming in C. I loved using power tools in order to shape materials in any way that I wanted to. Every time that I accomplished a mission or goal Robots inspired me to push myself to the limits when I was

I will forever owe a great debt of gratitude to my 5th grade science and math teacher, Mrs. Donna Lindley, for introducing me to the STEM world. Mrs. Lindley is a truly exceptional teacher who somehow managed to stimulated a desire for learning in the mind of a 10 year old boy who's primary goal in life was to pre-order the upcoming version of "Pokemon" to play on his Gameboy. Mrs. Lindley organized and supervised the St. Thomas Episcopal Grammar School's robotics team and made sure my older brother and I were involved with this extracurricular program. I began to build robots with Mrs. Lindley in the "Junior FIRST Lego League" (Jr. FLL) where small, computer programmable, robots were re-designed each year to accomplish new and different tasks.

Since I was little, I’ve always been good with technology. As a child, I would teach adults how to use their phone even if it was my first time holding the device. By giving me a few minutes, I could tell completely analyze a phone tell the owner how it works and such. That talent later developed my inspiration to become an electrical engineer that dealt with hardware and software that were used in phones and video games. This dream also led me to apply at a math and science school, GSMST. However it all changed in my first year there and it forever changed me.

I am not sure I did, because my first memories exploring, discovering and challenging the worlds of machines. Sometimes I would take my toys apart to see the inner working, but could not always re-assemble them. So truly I am still pursuing my dream make my toys work. I choose to attend a polytechnic secondary school and majed mechanics with concentration on mechatronic system. Moreover, cptone project was to automate a drilling device needing less human intervention. This was a team project, where I learned not only more about electrical and pneumatic circuits work, but also the satisfaction in being a member of a group where everyone taught each other something. These friends and classmates made this learning process richier and easier, because we cooperated and succeeded. Our work enlightened my passion for engineering and my commitment to share my learning with others.

During my second year at UT, I joined Student Engineers Educating Kids (SEEK), an organization that mentors kids in at-risk schools to foster a passion for learning and to promote a will to succeed. I mentored a child who was not initially comfortable participating in the project we were working on. Rather than letting him become isolated, I started talking to him like a friend to see if I could engage with him. He anxiously described his experiences at home; this was a new perspective for me to realize that someone could have major stresses in life at such a young age. I offered him advice from my own experiences in dealing with stress and adversity. Gradually, he started noticing my empathy for him, bringing reassurance to him as we talked.

When I was little I loved building things. I built complicated Rube Goldberg machines, Lego cities, and towering snow forts. However, I did not know that I wanted to go into a engineering field until my experience in the Madison West Rocket Club.

My love for programming and engineering began in 6th grade, the year I joined the robotics club. Ever since then, I’ve been building and coding robots and designing a couple of games. Now, my interests have grown to a point where I see it as a potential profession. I intend to get more engineering experiences and to get a surplus education at the Governor’s STEM academy at Landstown. I am applying to this academy as there are so many different programs to use skills and feed interests. Competitions and clubs will give me more practice in teamwork, troubleshooting, and the entire engineering and design processes. As a result, I hope these will prepare me for my career, if I continue with it. To be a good programmer, you have to know what you’re

When I first found out about Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST), I believed it would be a perfect opportunity for me. TJHSST is a magnet school to improve academics in science, technology, and mathematics. Science and math have always been my favorite subjects. I enjoyed having tasks to analyze and comprehend challenging questions. I was also interested in the fields of technology since I liked working with electronics and finding out about new robots that help make our lives easier. Ever since I joined after-school robotics programs, I desired to become a robotics engineer. I have enjoyed watching videos on robots, as I found them appealing since kindergarten. In addition, my father is an information technology

Coding became the “cool thing to do” when I was in middle school. Unfortunately, conflicting interests made me prioritize musical electives over programming. I finally felt as though I had been missing out in 10th grade, when as a robotics hardware captain, I struggled to understand the software and coding it took to run what I built.

Previously, I attended the Code @TACC program, where I learned interesting concepts of coding through programming languages like Linux and Python. I also programmed robots, circuit boards, and computers, all the while bonding with other girls my age aspiring to change the world through science and technology. To further

On my visit to the Dunwoody campus, I could not wait to look around. I've been attending the Math and Science Academy for seven years. Even before my sixth grade year, I have always enjoyed constructing things, playing with building blocks, and making little robots. On the night of my sixth grade orientation, I visited my school to be and was surprised when I walked in the front door. I was greeted by an eight foot tall robot made by high school students. They were part of the program called For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST). I

I have literally known what I want to be since I was a toddler. Of course, as a three-year old putting together Legos, I could not have verbalized that I want to be a mechanical engineer. However, it was at that time that I began to develop and use the skills that I will need for my desired career. I began to consider how parts went together and the different components necessary to build and sustain various systems. Part of the inspiration was the simple fun that I had while putting together these small toys, but part of my inspiration was my father. He was a maintenance turn-around coordinator at an oil refinery, which led to my own desire to work as a mechanical engineer in a refinery one day. As I grew older, my interest in mechanical engineering remained constant, though I expanded my interest beyond the oil refineries. In fact, after attending a pre-college program, Jackling Introduction to Engineering, offered by Missouri Science and Technology in Rolla, Missouri in the summer of 2011, I realized that engineering was the perfect way to exercise my curiosity and inventiveness in a constructive and productive manner.