The coaches, mentors, volunteers and staff that are involved in FIRST all have a common goal in mind of helping the kids be inspired and learn. Individually we contribute in our own way to help the kids build their robots for competition. Collectively we ensure that the competitions are engaging, motivational and organized. But in the end, we end up learning and being inspired by the kids themselves.
Today we had the most wonderful conversation with Megan from FIRST LEGO League 5586, Hydro Kittens Vol. 2. Megan is a rookie on the team, but if she hadn't told us that, we definitely would not have guessed. She has the enthusiasm of a seasoned veteran.
Megan joined FIRST LEGO League at the suggestion of her older brother who had been a member for 3 years. She admits that she is not the engineering type and just thought she'd try it out. It turns out that she loves it and is very involved with the team. Her favorite things to do on the team is program the robot. She also really enjoys working on the project, skits and props.
Megan and her team have the core values down pat and she explained how they practice them in their everyday lives. We learned a lot from Megan and can't wait to see her again at future FIRST events.
Scott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab.
Daniele is a student at Florida Polytechnic University who is studying Computer Science with a concentration in Cyber Security. In High School, she was introduced to the science and technology world through the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), a robotics foundation where students of varying ages can compete through tasks that their robots perform. With help from mentors she met through FIRST, she became interested in programming and developing. Today, Daniele is a special events host for F5 Live: Refreshing Technology and PLuGHiTz Live Special Events and a co-host for both The New Product Launchpad and FIRST Looks.
Although Michele has worked in the banking industry full time for many years, she originally went to school with a concentration in communications, advertising and marketing. She began her career in sales and retail management, selling electronics and computers. Her love of all things tech eventually brought her back into the electronics arena three years ago when she started with PLuGHiTz Corporation to help with special events as a Production Assistant. Soon she began to dabble with the audio and video and is loving her role as Producer. She's also one of our content writers and assists with product reviews. Looking forward, she is excited to expand her skill set into editing and helping the company continue to grow.
