So, I get a Virginia Tech Application for the University Honors Program in the mail, decide to go ahead and fill it out - Saturday decides whether or not I can go to NC State, I hear about that on March 1. It involved a personal statement, 500 to 1000 words... I ended up at 919 (Raleigh area code! Damn, I really want to go to NC State) words, and it is a sincere essay.


March 4, 2006. Richmond, Virginia. The crowd roars, teams are locked in a robotic battle, the sounds of smashing aluminum, engines running, gears shifting, the scene is dominated by an intense competition.

These were the finals of the 2006 Richmond/VCU FIRST Robotics Competition. While most teams were in the stands, cheering on robots selected for the final rounds, one team was absent. For the first time in five years, Team 339 and their robot, Kilroy VII, was not selected for the finals. Placing fifty-fourth out of sixty-five teams, Kilroy VII seemed to be a hopeless case, a robot with no will to win.

The team mentor, Mr. Shotwell, made an address to the sullen congregation in the pits, one which I will never forget. “This is not a failure!” His opening seemed rather contradictory to the televised rankings, yet as he continued on, it became clear that he was right. He stressed that the event wasn’t just about winning, it was about learning, growing, and becoming better people no matter what our interests might be. We may not have been selected as finalists in Richmond, but as long as we learned from that event, we would be winners.

Most of the team returned to the stands, too dour to appreciate the revitalizing speech. However, four team members remained in the pits. We each made the silent realization that we were the core of the team, we would continue despite the seemingly insurmountable odds, we would fight to get this robot ready for our next competition. No one was going to tell us that we, despite our best efforts, were going to meet defeat. We would rise above the expectations. We would prevail against the majority.

That day proved to be life-changing. Never again would I settle for less than my absolute best. Never again would I fail to see a positive side of a situation, no matter how negative it might appear on the surface. Never again would I succumb to the mindset that an individual is too insignificant to change the world.

Although my Eagle Scout Project was completed before the 2006 Richmond Robotics Competition, in retrospect there were many important aspects of that project which I failed to realize until after the competition. I completed the project thinking it was a service to community, merely a token offering that was designed to organize a Boy Scouts of America troop and keep up the good image. That mindset was wrong.

The Eagle Scout Project is designed not just to help the community, which it definitely does, rather it is there to identify which Scouts are ready to take the next step. The project is extremely difficult, requiring the Scout to identify a project, plan the event, seek donations, organize the delivery of materials, organize a workforce, and document the entire process. These tasks are significant not because they are a final step on the path to Eagle; they are significant because they require a Scout to look beyond the concept that a single individual is powerless to complete anything truly great.

I have learned that an individual is a powerful being, capable of influencing others in a positive manner. To become an influential character, the limits associated with being a single person have to be overlooked. Once a person is capable of ignoring assumed limitations, they can achieve great things.

As an avid environmentalist, it concerns me when neighbors are unwilling to use their recycle bin, insist on watering their yards during the heat of the day, leave lights on throughout the night, and engage in similar acts of indifference. If motions are made to discuss the lack of concern with the environment, the most frequent response relates the miniscule impact of one household on the world environment. This typifies human beings setting limits, believing they are incapable of achieving certain things because they are only one person.

If every person was willing to turn off the lights at night, recycle, be generally conscientious about the way they treat the environment, then the millions of small steps would take care of the great leaps. People don’t have to buy hybrid vehicles, recycled material insulation, dual-pane windows, dual-flush toilets, bamboo flooring, recycled material cabinetry, recycled glass terrazzo countertops, or other specialized environmentally friendly items. All it requires is the understanding that taking a small step, no matter how small, is the right thing to do. Once a person makes that decision, they have succeeded in becoming more than just one of millions. They have risen above the rest and become an empowered individual.

As I look forward in life, I strive to be the person who breaks past limitations and sets goals rather than settling for mediocrity. This concept of being an individual looking past societal, social, and assumed limitations applies to every aspect of my life, from music to academics to the environment. Every day is an opportunity to find someone sitting back, apprehensive about doing more or being more, and tell that someone that they aren’t just a part of the masses; they are a human being capable of thinking and acting on their own accord.

March 18, 2006. Annapolis, Maryland. The stands were alive as the finals progressed, but this time Kilroy VII was on the field. Team 339 overcame the odds, and after major modifications, placed fourth out of more than fifty teams at the Chesapeake FIRST Robotics Competition. A few individuals on the team took small steps, and together rose above the highest expectations.