Leadership Through Technology by Bobbie

Leadership Through Technology by Bobbie - April 2022 Scholarship Essay

Three years ago, I timidly entered my first robotics meeting. Though I was a freshman with little prior experience, I was determined to earn my place on the team. That week, I, along with another teammate, was tasked with creating the brackets to hold our robot’s claw. We worked tirelessly researching, designing, and producing our robot’s brackets. Unbeknownst to us, however, our team captain had switched claw designs without warning, rendering our brackets obsolete. I was surprised by the lack of communication between the build groups. In both competitions that year, our robot scored near the bottom of the leaderboard.
The next year, I returned with more experience and confidence. Wanting to avoid last year’s communication issues, my friend and I volunteered to design our robot’s entire claw. However, we found ourselves in the same situation when the group leader of our robot’s arm made an emergency design change, resulting in our claw being too heavy to lift. That year, our robot placed dead last. I talked to some of my other teammates, and they, too, expressed a lack of inclusion in major decisions. At that point, I realized the problem with my team was not a lack of talent or resources. The problem was a lack of leadership.
The prior two years at the bottom of the leaderboard taught me a successful team needs planning, teamwork, and communication as well as leadership. At the end of the season, I created a five-page proposal detailing plans for the team’s future and submitted it in consideration for a leadership position. This included a new way of delegating responsibilities, an improved build schedule, and a fairer system of selecting our robot driver. It also specified times for input and brainstorming. Through my proposal, I was voted Build Team Captain and head of team scouting and alliance building. I also created the position of team videographer. Most importantly, I ensured everyone on the team was able to voice their opinions and ideas.
I did not lead my team to success alone. Instead, I learned how to facilitate and delegate my team’s brilliant ideas. It was through both my leadership and my team’s hard work and dedication that we became the unbeatable, top-seated team in the district. Now, I am ready to pursue the next challenge at the University of Oregon using my experience to approach a problem, define its scope, and direct the impact.