Telva McGruder

Years on Team: 5

Sub-Teams: Game Piece Manipulator

What are 2 fun facts about you?

I used to have long hair – really. I abandoned it so I could use “hairdo time” to do things I really enjoy, like mentor a robotics team.
I love music and dancing.

Why did you join the Adambots?

I decided to become a mentor because I have always had a strong passion for building students’ appreciation for how book/school knowledge can be applied in the real world. As a student, I always used to wonder how trig was at all relevant in “real life”.  I believe that having that understanding as early in life as possible allows students to relish learning for meaningful reasons. I also believe that many students do not pursue careers in STEM areas because they do not believe they have what it takes to be successful. Adambots allows everyone to learn about and develop their strengths and weaknesses so they can be confident in their abilities.

What is your favorite memory from robotics?

I have built many great memories on the team. One of my favorite memories was the year our shooter blew apart after a dry fire in the middle of qualification rounds.  Pit crew ran up to the stands requesting help from us, as we had to move fast to recover for our next qualification match.  While we had spare parts, we’d never imagined having to incorporate so many parts that quickly. We all went into this high commitment mode where we were nearly reading each other’s minds as we focused on the right strategy to get the bot back together quickly. The students had fantastic ideas and relinquished typical responsibilities to get the job done in time. It was great performance in the face of a big challenge.

What have you learned from being on the team?

I have seen that we have such a truly diverse set of students and mentors that balance each other very well. Within the technical subteams, all of the personalities allow for many great ideas and/or considerations through the design and build phases. I have learned that the program management, communication other business subteams really drive our overall progress and are critical to our total product.

What are you excited about for FIRST?

I am really looking forward to seeing our robot in action in the game. This is a very difficult challenge, and I cannot wait to see everyone’s reactions as we realize we have met many of the challenges.