“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, What are you doing for others?”
— Martin Luther King, Jr.
MEMORIAL FIRST SCHOLARSHIP WINNER
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Congratulations
Joanna Peng
“Our team is like a family where mentors care about each student through teaching, listening, and guiding them to their greatest potential. We see them as the next generation of leaders. What they learn and become is more than just possessing a great capacity for knowledge; it includes selflessness, creativity, team building, and the awareness of and a genuine caring heart for the world they will encounter. Joanna Peng joined our team over three years ago with all these qualities already guiding her, we gave her an opportunity to demonstrate and grow her abilities, and she has grown stronger and more determined as a successful and caring leader every year.” – Scott Christiansen, Program Director, FIRST Robotics Team 3663, Cedar Park Robotics
Not only is Joanna the President of her school’s National Honors Society and ACTS Honors Society, she also was an intern with Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center on HIV Vaccine Trials Network. Her dream to become a doctor has been reinforced, not only in her internship, but in her participation in the UPenn Summer Med Program and her experience with her FIRST Robotics Team. Congratulations and best wishes in your future endeavors, Joanna!
DEAN’S LIST WINNER
SPOTLIGHT
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Congratulations Tiffany Toh
“In my 15 years as head coach of FRC Team 1540, the Flaming Chickens, I’ve mentored over 600 students, including one Dean’s List winner and two finalists. Tiffany Toh, my Dean’s List candidate for 2020, is the strongest I’ve ever submitted. Co-president for 2020-21, drive coach, Mechanical manager, Outreach manager, Chairman’s presenter, 4.0 GPA —she’s one of those rare people who can do it all. Dedication may as well be Tiffany’s middle name. At competitions, she’s the one with the tutu and the knee-high red rubber rain boots, who dances every dance and cheers every cheer. Her FIRST career began in 3rd grade; by 5th grade, she had led her FLL team to win at State. After being recruited in 8th grade by the coach of an all-boys, all-high-school FTC team, she rose to team captain within her first year. Now, on 1540, she’s logged over 1400 hours since 9th grade, averaging 40 hrs/week this season, the most in our 30-person team.”
“…The bottom line: Tiffany Toh is incredible. FIRST, in so many ways, she consistently exceeds expectations and embodies the passion and drive we strive for — and she juggles this with varsity swimming, conservatory-level piano, theater, community service, and an intense honors workload. I’m honored to be her mentor.” – Dale Yocum, FRC Team 1540 Head Coach
Congratulations Tiffany on your well-deserved award!
MICROSOFT ALUMNI NETWORK
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Support FIRST Washington through your employer volunteer programs
Want one more way to be an effective volunteer? Alumni Network members get matching dollars for your volunteer efforts via the Microsoft Alumni for Good Challenge 2020. When you are making your decision, please consider FIRST Washington as your nonprofit of choice!
With competition seasons and championships being canceled, this is a new way to stay connected through this strange time in our communities. This group is for anyone and everyone in the PNW FIRST community.
Have something cool your team is working on? Share it! Have any ideas on how to stay creative and engaged in STEM? Share it! This group is an opportunity for you to be in control and keep our PNW FIRST community strong. Connect with people, share your knowledge, learn new things.
The FIRST Washington and ORTOP community is unlike any other, we need to band together to get through this. As we all know, FIRST is not just about building robots. It’s about what we do together, to make the world a better place.
UPDATES TO 2020-2021 SEASON
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Staying safe during our new season
We know everyone is wondering what will be happening next season with competitions. We don’t have any specific information to give you at this time but FIRST and FIRST Washington are working hard to make sure that we have something to deliver to you next season. Some of the things we are considering: shifting the season slightly so the game play starters later for FIRST LEGO League & FIRST Tech Challenge, remote judging, and online match play.
We are also doing contingency planning to make sure our plans can be flexible and adjust as things change around us.
We will certainly
keep you all updated when we have more specific information through team blasts and newsletters.
