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nhunley

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1 reviews

Review for FIRST, Manchester, NH, USA

Rating: 5 stars  

This is one great organizational structure with vision--and a lot of "fun" work opportunities. No other group for which I have volunteered has provided such an intensive feeling of accomplishment. My involvement has allowed me to be involved one-on-one with students to motivate and be motivated. Working with the other judges, I have been involved in some intense discussions of which team should get a particular award. In the back-and-forth evaluations of performance against criteria, I am amazed each year that we can actually come to a consensus, always with an overriding concern for the students on a team at the forefront of our deliberations.

I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...

the feedback I receive from students. I think they actually respect us (the judges)!

If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...

None. Each game is different and I have liked some more than others, but by Championship it all comes together.

What I've enjoyed the most about my experience with this nonprofit is...

(besides working with committed individuals) knowing that so many young people are being inspired and trained at the required detail level to pursue engineering and science as a career.

The kinds of staff and volunteers that I met were...

not afraid of hard work.

If this organization had 10 million bucks, it could...

support more teams and involve more students. It could create more game competitions directly related to society's problems such as modular water treatment packages or submariner robots. It could change the world faster.

Ways to make it better...

I had more time to be involved at the team level.

In my opinion, the biggest challenges facing this organization are...

handling the growth while appealing to individual efforts, raising sufficient funds to support the games and teams (this is an expensive educational sport), and sustainability of spirit.

One thing I'd also say is that...

I am confident that the leadership can meet their challenges.

How frequently have you been involved with the organization?

About every six months

When was your last experience with this nonprofit?

2010

Role:  Volunteer & Judge-Regional, Championship.