Episode 6 Reflection

Justin Diaz

In this episode of the series, it brought a new form of how someone entered Mustang robotics and the purpose. She started not because she wanted to build or code, she just wanted to try to see how a team works. She talked about how at times high school didn't teach you all the necessities but instead you go out of your way to look beyond what you can do or the opportunities. She decided to find something she wanted and also branch out to see how to pay for college in scholarships to have the ability to afford more. Using the research she found, she was able to apply and also determine another open door to participate in the future. The navy had a lot of steps to go for and a lot of interviews which give you an upper hand to sell yourself that you are a good person in charge or why you are worth it. And in the end, a lot of those things that were taught were because of robotics and it helped her accomplish more.

Woojin Lee

This episode of the Symposium series had Avesta, who talked about working in the Navy and how Robotics helped get her there. In this episode, I could feel that Avesta had a really good sense of direction at where she was at and where she wanted to do/be, which is something that I aspire to have as I’m don’t have a set goal or place in my mind as of right now. She also was a great example of what having a great direction helps you achieve as not only did she get a Navy ROTC scholarship, she got it personally told to her five minutes after the interview, which is very uncommon. However, I also realized that the leadership skills that she showed also hugely impacted her as she was shown to take charge of social situations for college and in the Navy, which shows courage and leadership skills. These two traits that are shown in this episode show how high a person can go with these traits even if it may not be specifically about the military. Something that she talked about that helped train these traits was Robotics, which made sense as Robotics is a very smart and knowledgable club. However, the thing that is repeatedly mentioned is not the technical skills learned, but the teamwork skills that she learned, which just solidifies my thought that Robotics is more about teamwork than anything else, even if the core is about building a robot.

Robert Meza

After watching episode 6, I was surprised to hear Avesta join robotics not due to interest in the robot aspect but rather on the team dynamic. I was surprised to hear this because you hardly hear a reason like this to Join robotics. Throughout the episode, she explains how the impact Robotics had on her with her future careers and such, with one such instance being skilled in interviews. Learning how robotics would improve many people’s skills in communication, made me understand even more how much of an impact robotics has on a person in their future. Besides robotics, it was interesting to see her also be interested in other things like being part of ROTC and programs similar to it. With this, it would allow her to apply to schools with the scholarship in place. Although being in ROTC and programs similar to it doesnt seem appealing to me, it does feel nice to know that there are options out there.

Faith Shin

In this episode of the Symposium Series, Avesta seemed to really convince me that I did not want to join ROTC or any type of program that involved physical training. I refused to believe that students in these programs were required to have physical training on Tuesdays and Thursdays all early in the morning at around 5 am. These days, I always seem to wake up two minutes before class starts and hearing this made me look up to her in awe. I also could not believe that in quartered based schools, if in the following programs, they would have to take a navy class, turning 15 credit quarters to 18 credit quarters. I have nothing against these programs as these programs give birth to our future heroes. However, I do not think I would be able to take on these responsibilities. Again, in unacademic terms, I think she is so cool. I also learned from her that teamwork is an aspect of Mustang robotics that helped her with college. As someone who prefers independent work rather than teamwork, I am glad that this club can help me get used to this.

Sinjin Torgaeido

In episode 6 of the Symposium series, the introduction of Robotics and Avesta Shwany could intrigue many viewers, including being qualified for worlds, many of Mustang Robotics achievements, Shwany’s involvement in Robotics and the military, and what she studies at the University of Washington. She gives common experiences in robotics and high school that could relate to the audience members, so the shared occurrence could help the audience become more willing to participate in listening to the information presented. Shwany, in her interviews in entering the military, was able to use Robotics to answer several questions or requirements needed for robotics, like showing leadership and a problem solver, and she passed with flying colors. With some people of the audience being interested in the military, they may be inclined to join a robotics club for this gain. Shwany’s description of the University of Washington’s beautiful scenery, atmosphere, and medical education may provoke the audience to consider the university as an option to learn more knowledge. Additionally, she describes the difficulty and responsibilities of ROTC and attending college at the same time because of the tiring military training and ample amounts of schoolwork. By describing the positives and negatives of joining the military, it makes people encouraged to also delve into the same path while preparing them for what is to come. Altogether, I believe that the interview was a success since it gave out ample amounts of guidance to the audience on the benefits of robotics and the positives of certain career options like the ROTC program and the University of Washington.

Euphony Zhou

In stream 6, Avesta shared her experience in the navy, which gave me a glimpse of how intensive the physical training involved is. However, it definitely opened me up to more experiences and opportunities involved with the military. Additionally, her experiences with high school robotics was very relatable such as the new connections made. It was also interesting to listen about how the teamwork and other experiences of robotics helped her throughout college.