More Than Robots

My name is Lisa Radzanowski and I am a mentor for Horsepower Robotics. Let me make one thing clear; I am not an engineer. I am a preschool teacher at a local private school so my engineering knowledge is quite limited. I do however play an important role on the team as a non-engineering mentor.

As many of you know, FIRST is about more than robots. There are roles for everyone on the team, engineers and non-engineers alike. Recently, I have begun to take on a more involved role on the team, having been mainly a spectator since my daughter first joined the team six years ago. My increased involvement is partially due to the fact that I have three FIRST Lego League teams at my own school and also because I have come to realize how important non-engineering mentors are to the team.

The role I have come to take on since joining as a mentor is spearheading many of the non-engineering tasks for the team by facilitating student involvement in these often overlooked positions. Recently, we have started working on creating a comprehensive team business plan and handbook that will help us in working with sponsors and improving team responsibility and financial awareness. I was also able to help the team get in contact with a marketing professional with whom the team recently participated in a conference call and a graphic designer who will be attending a meeting in the near future to help with creation of a style guide and solidifying team identity.

This summer I, along with my husband, chaperoned a group of six students to the FIRST National Advocacy Conference in Washington D.C. Just this evening, I attended a meeting of the Chartiers Valley School Board in support of my son and another student who presented on their advocacy efforts, both in D.C. and their work towards similar efforts on the state-level. As our team begins to transition towards a team that focuses on more than just robots, taking on various types of outreach, the need for people with non-engineering backgrounds is more important than ever.

Over the past couple of months, I have come to learn that within the FIRST organization there truly is a job for everybody, mentors and students alike. If you have any interest at getting involved with the team and sharing your skill-set, please feel free to get in contact with us! New faces are always welcome!

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National Advocacy Conference Update