I forgot one more thing, and I figured this was important enough to start thinking about. If you are interested in a leadership role for the team next year (co-captain, electronics lead, mechanical lead, marketing, etc) and want to know more, please contact myself (k.j.fang@gmail.com), Lilian (laven.derGreen+robotics@gmail.com), and/or Gaby (gopv1990@gmail.com). This does not mean you will automatically be given a position; there may be a longer process involved. Talking to us is mostly to give you a more in depth view of what it has been like to lead the team.
A few things to consider: if you want to lead, you have to make robotics a first priority extracurricular, and you will probably find yourself doing robotics-related work outside the lab as well. You do not need to be an expert in X right now, but you have to make an effort to snuggle up to whoever is doing X even if it is just watching (definitely a valuable pastime). At the beginning of the 2007, I was definitely quiet and did not know that much about robotics. I probably learned the majority of what I know about electronics just by watching Skye. I'm still learning new things these year. It is not a matter of knowing right off the bat what the right answer is, but knowing how to use your resources. Plus, Gaby, Lilian, and I are not just going to leave you once we come back from Atlanta. We will continue to hold those "pre-season" workshops. You will probably get more out of it this time now that you know what you will use all that knowledge to do.
Leadership is definitely a rewarding experience, so think about it. It has added a whole new dimension to robotics for me. You do not have to reply right away, but keep in the back of your mind.
-- Katherine, Gaby, Lilian
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