As I say goodbye to my parents, I grab my wallet and keys, the clinging and clanging of the keys are deafening as the garage door opens, and my eyes squint so as not to get hurt by the beaming light. The unlocking of the car and the pulling of the door feel so familiar, so routine, it felt as if I have done this a million times before, at this exact time every day. The key enters the ignition and I look to see something very familiar and so comforting. A piece of plastic, not even a pound. Layers and layers thick of filament, all in one compact 1 ½” dinosaur. Its 8-bit design and sharp corners, along with its thin appearance and simple design make it perfect for keeping anywhere. Even though it is just a piece of plastic, it means so much more than that, it is filled with the ups and downs, boosts and pitfalls of 1 robotics season, a time machine to bring me back to where it all began, 6 months ago, all balled up into what people would assume to be some minute detail, scoffed at and thrown aside. A smile appears on my face as I realize where I’m about to go and what is about to happen.

As I exit the car, the cool breeze and crisp air hit my body, walking toward the double doors, a few hours of learning new things, and hanging out with close friends are in my future. As I enter the gymnasium, the low buzz of the AC and faint humming of machines in the back room let me know today will be a good day. The hello’s and hi’s are generous and comforting, seeing everyone here all over again is quite the spectacle. Some people furiously typing, trying to figure out the problem that was caused the previous day. The other side of the gym has people troubleshooting what the next step of the broken part is. All were filling the room with chatter, questions, and laughs. I sit at my black, metal desk, on my oak-brown, wooden stool, that’s been there for who knows how long. “What’s up buddy” I hear as my shoulders are grasped and shaken jokingly. I turn around to see a familiar face. My gaze is met by a big smile and a gleaming eye. He is as jolly as Santa, and it spreads like wildfire. He wants me to be the best I can be and do the most I can do every day. I turn back around, looking at what I have to do today on the falling, ripped paper. At the same time, I see all of the tools spread around and random things that I’ve never seen before, mostly things people have left and couldn’t find another spot for. Every tool I look at I could immediately name and know how to use it. Wire strippers, check wire crimpers, check, snips, check. Thinking back, I would have no clue how these things worked or even what their names were.
The luminescent, looming red light turns off, and I enter the machining room. Crammed with drill presses, band saws, a lathe, a mill, and even a CNC router. Of all of these machines, there is not one I don’t know how to use. The smell of coolant is looming in the air, almost stinging the back of the throat, after the fresh cut of a part. Shining metal and metal chips lay thrown about on the floor. No one has swept the floors in all of the hustle and bustle. The almost falling apart lathe, on its last life, still turning down metal like a champion.
As I stand there, watching friends and mentors whizzing by, I feel a sudden flashback to when I was in 6th grade watching people do all of the things I wish I could do. Now I can do those very same things with such confidence and precision. I was thinking, Oh How Much I’ve Learned