Alumni

Have you competed at RoboRAVE International? Send us your photo and the answers to these questions so we can post your story:

How did RoboRAVE International benefit you when you were in elementary, middle, or high school?
How did RoboRAVE International help you as you decided on your college, course work, degree and career?
Has RoboRAVE International affected you positively in other ways?

Alumnus --- Dakota B.

Dakota began participating in RoboRAVE International in middle school. Now a high school student, he's mentoring younger students, doing research at NMSU, and planning a career in mechanical engineering.

Q: How did RoboRAVE International benefit you when you were in elementary, middle, or high school?

A: RoboRAVE motivated me to pursue success. It taught me the concept that you get what you   give. If you put in hard work you'll get success. This lead idea led me to push myself and   eventually win the May 08' competition. Gradually RoboRave pushed me even further to join   other robotics competitions which included FIRST, BEST, and BotBall. Focusing more on the   giving part I decided, once in high school, to go back to my middle school and become a mentor. This was, to my surprise, more beneficial to me then anything else because it gave me a sense of (relative) expertise. Since then I've started mentoring a BEST team. I've also started doing research at NMSU, and most recently started a robotics program for elementary students at my old elementary school.

Q: How did RoboRAVE International help you as you decided on your college, course work, degree and career?

A: RoboRAVE was my first stepping stone on my path to mechanical engineering. In 7th grade I   wanted to be a lawyer or doctor, whichever paid more, I had absolutely no passion for actual   work. What RoboRave showed me was that work can most certainly be fun, an idea that was   summed up in their motto "Today's Play, Tomorrow's Pay!". In that 7th grade year my robot did   awful! near dead last! but what suprised me was that I didn't care! it wasn't about winning, it was about doing what you loved! And right there, in that Las Cruces High School gym, I discovered that I wanted to be an engineer.

Q: Has RoboRAVE International affected you positively in other ways?

A: RoboRAVE has done so much more for me, all of which can be attributed to the confidence, joy, and passion it has given me. My demeanor before RoboRave was very meek, since then I now carry a sense of pride win or lose. Likewise my attitude before RoboRave was poor, I had little of which I could be happy about and call my own. Nowadays I'm happy with what I do and the path I'm on. Finally my passion for everything in life has been boosted, whether it be in school or doing something mundane. RoboRave showed me that you can excel in anything if you only put the time and effort into your goal.

Someone who’s on track to earn “tomorrow’s pay” is 2o-year-old Monica L., of Santo Domingo Pueblo, who got involved with RoboRAVE International in her sophomore year at Bernalillo High School. Now taking engineering classes at Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute and UNM, she dreams of helping other young people master engineering and robotics.