My participation in the Prince of Wales Robotics Team is an experience that has significant meaning in my life. This intellectual achievement, for which I have participated for the second consecutive year, has allowed me to gain valuable insights into designing and manufacturing electrical robots alongside fellow teammates and professional engineers.
Firstly, in connection with my involvement in the Robotics Team, I was able to learn the systematic ways of applying textbook material to realistic problem solving. This was my greatest challenge. As a member of a core group, we were able to devise a functional remote-controlled robot designed to achieve a specific task under the constraints of time. As a consequence of team effort and ingenuity, we ranked first in our province of British Columbia at the 1996 National Championships.
Another aspect of my participation in this high school club was acquiring the necessary funds for construction materials, competition fees, and personal expenses required for traveling outside the province for competitions. Fundraising was stressful and difficult due to limited resources from corporate sponsors. As time progressed, the situation worsened due to financial cuts from the district school board caused by the reduced provincial budget. Convincing sponsors outside of the norm became a task in itself. Through this experience, I am confident in my ability to organize a better fundraising scheme as an active member in future groups. However, successful promotion is definitely necessary for a successful fundraising campaign.
The main reason for this is that if the knowledge about the team was anything other than we need financial sponsors,” then they could have been more comfortable and willing to donate larger sums of money simply because they could see and trust where the money was being spent. Hence, getting people familiar with our Robotics Team became critical. For instance, during last year’s promotion scheme, I performed the usual marketing mix with our team. This mix consisted of distributing invitations for a Robotics Cocktail Party, sending out business letters to target corporations, and voicing the team’s bulletin in the school announcements. I believe the promotion of the team was not intensified throughout the school year because it did not leave a lasting impression or provide sufficient information about the Robotics Competition itself to potential sponsors and students.
Therefore, the image of the Prince of Wales Robotics Team” could not escape the stigma of being “a team that needs money.” This could explain why it was difficult to obtain financial aid from our sponsors. Such an experience is essential and recommended for any student who loves engineering because in the real business world, engineering projects require financial support to be successful. In conclusion, my participation in the Prince of Wales Robotics Team helped me gain valuable insights into designing and manufacturing electrical robots with fellow teammates and professional engineers. Additionally, I gained precious intellectual and business experience that I had never encountered before.
