I began my journey into the fields of engineering beginning during my freshman year at Plainedge High School. Upon my friend's suggestion, I decided to attend one of the meetings of the school's robotics team, FIRST Team number 527. Prior to this, I had no knowledge about the organization or about what the team did. 

      FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is a growing organization, established by inventor Dean Kamen in 1992. Since then, the organization has grown throughout the United States and has expanded to many countries around the world, including England, Brazil and Israel. There are now over 4500 teams in the organization. Each year, teams are presented with a "game" in the beginning of January. Games may be based on real world sports, like frisbee or basketball, or may be more unique, such as hanging inner tubes on poles. The teams are given six weeks to design, construct, test, wire and program a fully-functional robot capable of accomplishing the tasks put forth in the game. Then, teams go to competitions to compete against other schools. Competitions exist on a regional level, some on a state level, and the coveted national or world championship. 

       My role on the team focused largely on mechanical construction, design, and operation. By my junior year, I was one of the leaders of the mechanical department of the team, as well as the "coach" during competitions. In this role, I advised the two operators concerning what decisions to make during the matches. During my senior year, I was one of the two presidents of the team, a leader of the mechanical department, and the main driver of the robot during competitions, responsible for driving the robot around the field, to the reload station, and to the point from where we fired the frisbees (the game piece of the 2013 game Ultimate Ascent). 

       Team 527 has been fairly successful in recent years, receiving two second place and two first place awards since 2009. The team has also received many other accolades, including the Engineering Excellence award, the Team Spirit award, the Quality award and the Woodie Flowers award, which recognizes the accomplishments of a mentor of the team. 

       Being a part of a FIRST robotics team taught me a myriad of skills that will aid me in my future in engineering, including design, construction, use of tools, trial-and-error, and the ever-present skill of problem solving, which is extremely useful in the field of engineering. However, being part of the team did not merely teach me technical skills. I also learned interpersonal skills, teamwork, determination, commitment and dedication, giving up four afternoons a week and eight hours on a Saturday in order to finish the robot on time. Team 527 was one of the most influential parts of my life, and this is the reason that I am where I am today. 

The photo gallery section contains photos from my senior year, in which the robot had to fire frisbees. During this competition season I was one of the two people responsible for driving the robot during matches as well as a president of the team. There are also photos from my junior year, in which I was the "coach" on the drive team, responsible for advising the drivers during matches.