FLL POVs

One of my favorite parts of FLL is interacting with the kids, even if it was for a brief moment. I had the opportunity to assist kids in driving Lola and was also in charge of concessions. Though Lola had difficulties with her elevator mechanism, I was able to troubleshoot the issue with Sara, Jade, and Risha, even if we did not end up fixing it. My favorite part was seeing the smile on a kid's face when they successfully stacked up two cubes.

Shobha Srinivasan Class of 2020

I really enjoyed helping out demo Lola at the First Lego League competition. I was able to connect more with the rookies and the veterans. I was also chosen to give a speech about continuing robotics after FLL, this was challenging because I didn't know what to say and I felt unprepared originally. I was able to learn how to quickly prepare a speech and I also learned more about Lola's elevator. I look forward to helping at this demo next year.

Faye Neighbors Class of 2022

Through helping out at the FLL competition, I learned so much about how elementary and middle schoolers learn about the basics of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) at their age and how an FLL competition works. My main role was robot inspector, which is somewhat like TSA in airports! The inspector follows a list of requirements, like asking “How many motors and sensors do you have?”, or “Is everything that you need with you right now?”, and cannot let them go onto the playing field until they have met all the requirements. I got to know a little more about how FLL teams are structured and comparing other teams’ robots. I also got to interact with other rookies and veterans and learned about their similar experiences in FLL. Overall, volunteering at the past FLL competition has given me so many insights and I am looking forward to volunteering again.

Madison Giles Class of 2023

Helping out at FLL

Volunteering at the First Lego League competition was an amazing experience in which I was able to bond with the other rookies and some veterans. The kids were positive and full of energy throughout the event. I was able to help in several parts, including taking photos, selling concessions, and helping with inspections. I went out of my comfort zone by talking to new people about their robots, all while having a fun time. Even though I was there for a long shift, the time flew by and I look forward to helping at FLL next year.

Elizabeth FernandesClass of 2020

As a new veteran my experience was different and interesting, and some of the roles I took on were things I never even realized had to be done. The new task that I had at the Intel FLL Tournament was being a field-resetter. At first when I saw that I was going to be doing an important job like this, I was honestly kind of worried. From experience in FRC I knew that this was a really important job and I was afraid I might mess something up by accident. When it was time for my shift to began, I went over to the competition field table, and seeing so many various lego constructions on that table, moving and being shuffled around every two minutes... did not reassure me. However like everything in FIRST and robotics in general, it seems scary but you honestly need to get used to it– and I did. After a few games of the referees showing me what to reset and look out for on the field, I got used to what I was doing and immediately began loving field reset. Ridding myself of those worries also gave me the chance to look at the brilliant FLL robots that each of the teams built and programmed, and it was very fascinating to see how the game challenge worked! (Also as field reset, I got to watch the games up close and in perfect view) In the end this year's FLL tournament went great for all the teams competing, for the Janksters, and especially for me as I got to take on a new role and enjoy the tournament.

Shreya BasireddyClass of 2019

At this year’s FLL competition, I was mentoring and coaching the Neon Nargals, an FLL team that Yashna and I started for our senior project.  Since this was their very first competition, they were all excited to present their themed project, compete with their robot, and show off their core values. The team learned a lot from competing, and they are very eager to implement new changes to the robot and to their themed project presentation.  One of the best parts of the day was during the awards ceremony when the team won the Core Values award and a ticket to advance to regionals.

Paulina RoblesClass of 2017

Intuitive Surgical Open House

On Saturday, October 1, I had the opportunity to attend an open house at Intuitive Surgical, a local corporation that creates robots for surgical use. It was fascinating to see how robots are used in the health care field. I was able to test out several robots, and experience their ability to make very small, precise movements, based on my own hand movements. I also participated in a team building activity, building a house out of cards, tape, and string. The structure had to support a family of gummy bears, while withstanding the wind of a hairdryer. This activity gave me a chance to interact with other teams and work on my collaboration, engineering, and problem-solving skills. I really enjoyed this open house, and would like to thank Intuitive Surgical for providing such an amazing opportunity to robotics teams in the area.

Madeleine WaldieClass of 2020

Toys for Tots

This is my second year helping out with Toys for Tots, and this year, I helped out at the face painting booth and was the toy runner. The toy runner stays behind the scenes and picks out toys that the children would like and delivers it back to Santa. I had a lot of fun picking out toys for the children and hearing their excitement as well as gratitude toward the gifts they received. I would most definitely help out with Toys for Tots again next year, because it is one of my favorite volunteering event that we do on our robotics team.

Rikako ShimizuClass of 2017

This past week I volunteered at Toys for Tots, a Christmas event for the kids of low-income families. The children came to see Santa Claus who gave them a gift and later participated in all the fun activities. The Janksters did a variety of jobs, but I was a toy runner for the majority of the time. Searching through mountains of donations to find the toys that the elves requested was really challenging, but I felt proud that that I was able to help out. The kids' joyful laughter of excitement upon receiving a gift from Santa was a great reward for me. The event had a high, positive enery and everyone was pumped for Christmas in the upcoming week. Though tired, I had so much fun and I would love to participate again next year!

Lily JohnsonClass of 2019

Intel's FLL

FLL was one of my first experiences being a part of the robotics team and I had the most amazing time. I worked at making buttons, and so many kids wanted to draw their own pins; I felt like they had so much fun as well. When I walked around and saw how excited the kids were about showing off their pins, I had the biggest smile. In addition to making buttons, I helped out with the concessions and it was cute seeing the children debate over which candy robot they wanted. By the time I went home, I felt accomplished. Although FLL has all your attention on the kids for long shifts, I look forward to participating in FLL next year.

Tani PhamClass of 2018

It was great to see all the kids so enthusiastic about being able to drive the robot. I was also able to talk to some adults about our robot, its mechanisms, and our process throughout build season. The FLL tournament gave me more experience in talking about the robot in a way that anyone, even kids, could understand. Overall, the event had a variety of opportunities and fun activities for both children and adults to learn about robotics.

Nikita JagdishClass of 2018

Cancer Walk

While driving to the cancer walk last Saturday, I had no idea what I was about to experience. Before this, I’d never been to any kind of fundraising walk, so I wasn’t expecting too many people to show up. However, once I reached Discovery Meadow, where the walk would begin, I was so surprised that there were many people of various ages there to support the event. The park was filled with people holding red, white, and yellow lanterns, and they set up several booths, representing the teams for the walk. People with white lanterns were the survivors, yellow lanterns were held in the memory of family and friends, and red lanterns marked all the supporters. It was so inspiring to see everyone come together for the Light the Night Walk under one goal, to fight Leukemia and Lymphoma. The highlight of the whole experience was listening to Mimi’s incredible speech. All of the Janksters gathered in front of the stage during her speech, chanting “Mimi! Mimi!” It was such a memorable moment that motivated me to have an active role in my community throughout my life. The walk itself, which began after opening speeches, was so much fun. The Janksters all walked together, occasionally singing songs along the way. Holding lanterns in the night created a very beautiful image, and some drivers even began to press their horns in support of our walk. The amount of energy people brought to the event was truly amazing. Overall, the night was extremely enjoyable, and I will definitely participate in this event again next year.

Mahima ChillakantiClass of 2018

Light the Night Walk

While driving to the cancer walk last Saturday, I had no idea what I was about to experience. Before this, I’d never been to any kind of fundraising walk, so I wasn’t expecting too many people to show up. However, once I reached Discovery Meadow, where the walk would begin, I became so surprised. With so many people of various ages there to support the event, finding parking itself was difficult. The park was filled with people holding red, white, and yellow lanterns, and they set up several booths, representing the teams for the walk. People with white lanterns were the survivors, yellow lanterns were held in the memory of family and friends, and red lanterns marked all the supporters. It was so inspiring to see everyone come together for the Light the Night Walk under one goal, to fight Leukemia and Lymphoma. The highlight of the whole experience was listening to Mimi’s incredible speech. All of the Janksters gathered in front of the stage during her speech, chanting “Mimi! Mimi!” It was such a memorable moment that motivated me to have an active role in my community throughout my life. The walk itself, which began after opening speeches, was so much fun. The Janksters all walked together, occasionally singing songs along the way. Holding lanterns in the night created a very beautiful image, and some drivers even began to press their horns in support of our walk. The amount of energy people brought to the event was truly amazing. Overall, the night was extremely enjoyable, and I will definitely participate in this event again next year.

–Mahima ChillakantiClass of 2018

Open House

Honestly, when I first came to the open house, I didn’t really know what I was talking about or what to expect, and I figured I would just improvise as I went along. I was surprised by the amount of people that came interested in robotics, and I found it become much easier to answer their questions and concerns as more people came and I gained experience. At the open house, we mostly aimed to expand awareness about our team and hopefully gain interest from others as well as future members. I’d say that it was a complete success, and we definitely managed to talk to a lot of people and raise interest and awareness regarding our team.

– Tiffany TaClass of 2017

Spotlight Week

Spotlight Week was pretty awesome this year. We had a few glitches every here and there (such as music refusing to play), but I guess that’s just bad luck. I loved hearing Mouse’s experiences with the team; I guess you could say it was Throwback Tuesday, in a way. But the only thing I can say that was more entertaining was having Mr. McDougall make Ants on a Log – or, based on how it turned out, Ants in a Swamp. I was kinda bummed that not many people came on the first four days – especially on Wednesday (Destruction Day) and Thursday – but the turnout for Friday’s Jankster Rally more than made up for it! As one of the dance leaders, I loved watching everyone come out and get their groove on; not to mention, it helped get me warmed up for some CalGames mascotting. All in all, it was a great week, and I’d like to encourage more people to come next year!

– Tamara KawaClass of 2016

I went to four out of the five events at Spotlight Week, and they were all really fun and interesting. On Tuesday, we all gathered in the chapel to hear Mouse, one of the original members of the Janksters, tell us about her experiences with the team and how those experiences have shaped her life. We heard a lot of little anecdotes, and at the end, we all took a picture with her. On Wednesday, there was a booth set up at lunch for any students who wanted to come take common household items apart. I got to take apart a Nerf gun and managed to pull the casing off of an old sander. It was really fascinating to see all of the inner workings for both. Thursday was an amusing day as we watched multiple teachers attempt to make an “Ants on a Log” snack with varying degrees of success. It was a great eye-opener into the importance of specificity when coding with robots. My favorite day of Spotlight Week was most definitely Friday. The Janksters were playing music, and pretty soon, there was a dance party in the middle of Pardini Park. It was a great way for us to bring attention to CalGames, and I know that I had a lot of fun.

– Julia HuntClass of 2018