Tell us about yourself and how you are involved in FIRST:
My name is Maddie and next season will be my fifth and final year of robotics as a student. I’ve been involved since middle school and I’m going into my senior year. I have been the electrical captain for the last three years. I was an FLL mentor for an all girls team called Girlbotics.
How has FIRST helped you accomplish your goals:
Since I was in elementary school, I have always enjoyed STEM and had been looking for a way to get involved. I joined my robotics team without knowing the life skills and opportunities I will walk away with. FIRST has helped increase my love for STEM as well as shown me a community that enjoys the same things I do. FIRST has also helped lead me to continue my education after highschool in engineering.
Do you recall any special experiences or challenges:
When I joined robotics I was not expecting to face problems being a female and just how those experiences would now shape me. While the engineering field is male dominated, I knew it was meant for me. Through my five years of experience, I have overcome challenges like sexism and lack of confidence and have become more confident in expressing what I’m capable of and what I believe in. #FIRSTLikeAGirl really helped show me to not stop doing something because of the challenges but to overcome those challenges.
Why do you think FIRST is important for females:
I know FIRST is important for females because women can do anything they put their mind to. Going into a field that is male dominated can be a struggle due to the intimidation you may feel from societal expectations. But joining something like robotics as a female sets you up as a role model for other younger girls. These role models and prime examples of women doing amazing things can help others gain the confidence to do what they want, no matter the field, woman to male ratio, or societal expectations. #FIRSTLikeAGirl is a perfect example of a community of women that have come together to help break stereotypes, societal expectations, and challenges. Not only is it important for women and girls but it is also important for boys to see. Having boys see this community of women can help break stereotypes and help encourage women in STEM.
What are your goals for the future:
I hope to continue to help out with robotics as an alumni after this next year through volunteering and mentoring. FIRST has helped show me that my future will be engineering based. I plan on graduating and going into biomedical engineering to continue my passion and love for engineering.
On a side note, #FIRSTLikeAGirl has been a huge part of my life. I am so grateful to be an ambassador of this amazing program and be a part of their supportive community. It has helped change my thinking and helped me gain confidence in myself and my abilities in an environment that doesn’t always encourage it. I came to the meet up and other meetings at worlds nervous because none of my teammates could make it and I was going by myself and the very first person that greeted me was Carrie. Carrie is such an amazing mentor and role model. She is so kind and welcoming. On top of that, Exploding Bacon is such an amazing team. They were so welcoming and the things they are doing are ground breaking and making a huge difference in our FIRST community. I can’t wait to see what they continue to do. I hope to be an ambassador again next year and to work with these amazing people again.