December 1st, 2019

​Hello! My name is Skye Schoen, I live in Johnsburg, Illinois, and this is my first year on an FTC team. I am currently a member of FTC team #1268 The Golden Ratio. I attended my first meeting in September after a good friend of mine, Kate Thomson, expressed her passion and love for her robotics. Seeing as I have always had a love for technology, and wanted to expand my horizon from just helping my dad work on computers on our kitchen table, I thought it might be a good fit! And I think I can say with utmost confidence that it has exceeded my wildest expectations. I will say, starting as a rookie on such an established team was a little nerve-racking, but having Kate there made it a little easier.

I soon made a strong connection to not only the other team member but also our adult mentors. They are such a welcoming group. They have made my first robotics experience something that I will remember for a long time to come. I am currently on the programming team. Seeing as I’m still a rookie, I’ve mainly been observing what the more experienced programmers are doing and trying to learn all I can from them. There are times where I wish I could do more to help them out, but the other programmers and the mentors make sure to remind me that just because I’m a rookie doesn’t mean that I’m not a valuable part of the team. We had our first robotics meet of the season this past November 9th, and it was single-handedly one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life. I can’t even begin to describe how proud I felt to be part of this team. In just a little time I have spent with them, I feel like I have grown as a person. Not only am I learned loads about programming, but I’m also learning valuable life skills that will ultimately lead me to a prosperous future. Now that my post is coming to an end, I believe it’s only appropriate to leave you off with some inspirational advice; just because something scares you doesn’t mean that you should turn your back to opportunities that could change your life. Channel that fear into a want to become a stronger person. Try new things. And I hope you
have a great day!

-Skye Schoen

---