I joined my school’s robotics team to impress some guy. Walking in to my first Wednesday lunch meeting that day I had no idea what to expect. Even though I joined for the boy I would stay for the people I met, the skills I learned, and the passion that emerged later on that year. Build season started and the team put me to work, on awards. The team reluctantly let me write the Woodie flowers award, an easy essay talking about the best mentor ever, Megan McLean. I wrote the aw

I was a FIRST Robotics kid in high school. I’d joined out of interest for the robot but, stayed for the ridiculous amount of knowledge I was given beyond just bot building. I could never have imagined the process of requirement capture, designing, prototyping, troubleshooting, and all the other nuances that an engineer had to take into account. It’s more than just putting things together, it’s looking at all the angles, being creative, problem-solving! I loved stepping back a

Our first photobooth was hosted today at the Philomath Qualifying Event in Oregon today. We are so excited to see so many new faces! Thank you so much to FRC Team 5085, the Lakerbots, for hosting our first photobooth event, we are so thankful of your help! You can also see these images from Instagram by searching the hashtag. #ILookLikeAnEngineer

#KettleFalls #ILookLikeAnEngineer

Last year was my last year in middle school. I sat in the stands of an assembly, bored and talking to my friends. Then, the robot came out... and I was hooked. I was fascinated that people my age and a bit older could do something like that. I was so excited, I decided to do it, and convinced one of my friends to do it too. I've loved every second of being on this team, and I plan on being a part of it every year of high school. #KettleFalls #ILookLikeAnEngineer

I first learned about robotics back in 8th grade. I'd had seen the team that year, when they came to the middle school to show off their robot. I remember being very impressed, and thinking "I could never do something like that!" Yet by the beginning of my freshman year I was getting interviewed to be on the team. Naomi Edwards, our teacher, was kind of intimidating at first, but after getting to know her I realized how cool she was. Being a part of this robotics team has rea

Robotics has changed so many students outlook on academics and life. It has shown them that there is something out there other than sports. Robotics has changed my life in so many ways. Chief among these is that I am capable of doing much more than just sports. I remember sitting in geometry as a freshman and our teacher, which happens to be the robotics lead coach, told us that our school would have a robotics program next year. As a three sport varsity athlete I literally

This is my first year in robotics. I joined robotics because one of my friends, Taylor Dunlap, told me how great it was and how I would fit right in with the group. This year I started prototyping parts of the robot just making ideas I had in my head out of wood. Then once we got to competitions I was walking around talking to other teams realizing that I was pretty good at it and how important it is to make alliances and become great friends with other teams. Now that we ha

I joined robotics because many of my friends were in it, and they told me it was a great experience. Also, I thought it would challenge me personally. I was a little lost my first year, but I soon figured out what robotics meant. My hidden talents started to reveal themselves. By my second year, I had developed many skills I had never seen before. Currently, I am the CEO of team 4980, and a lead in programming. My dedication to robotics has opened many new doors for my future