Dean's List Essay: Raya Islam

From the moment Raya Islam joined Team 1912 Combustion, we knew we had a superstar joining the ranks because Raya was introduced to robotics when she was only ten years old. Raya looked to her older sister, Laamia, who was President and a three-year veteran of Team Combustion, for motivation and inspiration. Raya saw that her sister benefited from the principles of FIRST not only during her three-year participation on the team, but also as Laamia pursues a degree in biomedical engineering at Duke University. With that motivation in mind, Raya's initial participation in robotics was with the FIRST LEGO League, which fueled her desire to continue to develop her budding leadership abilities in high school. While most freshmen take a passive role on the team, Raya hit the ground running, working as an integral part of the challenge team for the Breakaway game. It was fitting that Raya's first introduction to FRC involved a soccer game, because she is an avid soccer player, competing on her high school team and a club team as well. Sophomore year Raya took on a more demanding leadership role as the team's safety captain while also expanding her knowledge in programming and building cables for the controls team. Her attention to detail and fresh approach to safety matters paid off as Team Combustion won a Pit Safety Award at the National Championships in St. Louis. This year she has broadened her role on the team even more, providing outstanding leadership as the team's Vice-President as well as a key member of the challenge team working in pneumatics. She motivates younger members to get involved and provides superb guidance as the team works toward its deadlines. Her radiant smile and sense of humor keep the team thinking positively, even when setbacks occur during the strenuous build season.

Raya's dedication and passion for FIRST robotics goes well beyond the building of a competitive robot. Raya takes her role as an ambassador of the principles of FIRST very seriously. She shares her enthusiasm and zest for robotics as a mentor of an elementary school FLL team, motivating young students to follow in her footsteps. Raya has been a key member of Operation Gratitude, providing overseas soldiers with essential personal items. She has also organized Team Combustion's participation in several Mardi Gras parades, increasing visibility of the team within the community. During her robotics tenure she has participated in marsh restoration efforts, robot demonstrations at the Louisiana State Capitol, and several other key community activities. Raya even took robotics internationally at the NASA INSPIRE camp in Puerto Rico during the summer of 2011. During the two week STEM program, Raya used her extensive knowledge of robotics and her sparkling personality to lead her team's effort in constructing a robot.

Raya is a stellar scholar with a 4.0 average, while also participating in a number of extracurricular activities including Beta, Student Council, Spanish Honor Society, JETS, JIS, and Girl Scouts. In fact, her Girl Scout Gold Award project this summer will involve building a therapeutic robot for disabled children and introducing a robotics day at a local Girl Scout camp. This summer, she will also travel to Guatemala to provide healthcare services through the GPSA program. Raya is leveraging her commitment to science and math, reinforced tremendously through her association with FIRST and USFirstGirls, to pursue an engineering career. The positive experience that Raya has had within FIRST robotics has had a significant effect on her long range plans, and the ideals and experiences obtained through her association with FIRST robotics played a key role in those decisions. She has gained invaluable experience not only from a technical standpoint, but equally as important she has acquired life skills such as conflict resolution and teambuilding along the way. Raya Islam is truly deserving of recognition as a Dean's List Finalist.