Hello, Family.

I did not know what the heck I was doing when I walked in to room 11. The whole school smelled like a mix of sweat and cologne trying to cover it up. I was there with my father and sister. I was a freshman in high school.

I took a seat near the back of the classroom—the last place I wanted to be. I was an introvert being forced into socialization, and worse, with something I had less than zero interest in. I liked writing. I didn’t know what STEM stood for. I knew vaguely of FIRST, the organization that ran a program I had taken part in a few years ago.

FIRST, as I would learn, stood for For the Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology. I was now part of the FIRST Robotics Competition, which is described by it’s founder: “Under strict rules, limited resources, and an intense six-week time limit, teams of students are challenged to raise funds, design a team "brand," hone teamwork skills, and build and program industrial-size robots to play a difficult field game against like-minded competitors.” And for the next four years, between January and March, those were the best weeks of my life.

In that room, I met some of the best people in the universe. A few girls I hardly knew from school sat near the back with me and we made small talk. I was in Latin with Sophie, and Maria was someone that all the girls loved but I hadn’t ever talked to her. By the end of the year, between our first real interactions with boys and building a robot that could literally shoot baskets, we had formed a real friendship—one that would last at least through to tonight, because they’re coming over yet another sleepover.

I mentioned boys. We went to all girls’ high school, and robotics was our opportunity to meet them. It sounds silly now, but it was as close to a dating pool as we ever got. I could talk your ear off about the drama, the who-dated-who, and the break-ups and make-ups that are still going on a few years after graduation from high school. When you learn these things, the six weeks, fifteen hours a week away from school, you get close.

Even the mentors became people I could talk to. I walked in knowing nothing about the specialty I had walked into—electrical. I knew nothing about wiring a robot. I was working side by side people who now study electrical engineering and knew it from day one. But the mentors didn’t care. They taught me things I’m still unsure I’ll ever use, but I am so grateful they did. They took my questions and my excitement and turned it into passion.

Above all, I found support. High school is never easy. My team made it bearable. The robotics season was long, but together, all was well. The people I met there changed my life for the better. I am not afraid to chase my dreams because of the people in room 11. So thank you, IgKnighters. Thank you for showing me that tie-dye yellow can be an attractive sweatshirt color. Face paint in red and blue are cool. Sitting out of a line dance is not an option.

Thank you.

Love,

Riley