Friday - Second Day of Qualifier and Ceremonies
The humming sounds of water running from the sink and the streaks of lights refracting from the bathroom door awoke me. Like the one early bird in our room, my roommates and I dragged ourselves out of bed, got ready, purchased a smoothie for breakfast, and sluggishly walked down to the hotel’s lobby. We wrestled out the front entrance as the sun’s rays bounced off the dewy windows of the skyscrapers into our drowsy eyes. The buildings stood guard like fearless knights, watching above us as my team strolled down blocks to catch the metro train. We scanned our train pass and waited for the train. Business people dressed in khakis and polished collared shirts, sipping their morning coffee, trying not to be blown away by the harsh Houston wind, hurried down the streets as cars buzzed by. Beside us was a woman with frayed clothes pushing a tattered buggy with what probably was all of her belongings. Finally, the train arrived, and we all got onto the train. I had never ridden on a train before until I came to Texas, so this was a new experience for most of my teammates and me.
We passed by rows of buildings with murals and restaurants, stores, and hotels. Pulling up into the Brown Convention, a bustling crowd of kids and young adults wearing colorful and vibrant shirts, hats, skirts, capes, and other garments filled the streets. Food trucks lined the sidewalk in front of the building. The convention center was lavish, and glass was the primary material of the construction. We walked to one of the entrances and had our bags checked. The inside was a long and open corridor; the ceilings were high and deep, stretching to the left and right of the building. People sat on the floor near beams that were holding up the roof. Beverages, food, and gift shops covered the walls of the hallways. In the middle of the corridor was a gaping hole that was the entrance to the FIRST Robotics competition arena and pits. We walked in, and beeping sounds, robot motors, and announcers’ commentary filled our ears. “Ahhs” and “Oohs” echoed throughout the vast stadium. To the right were the pits that looked like the city skyline that went on forever.
On the left were the stands where the teams and observers would view the matches. Of course, in front of the platform was the game field. Above each section of stands were signs that named each area. Our division, the Carver division, was the farthest from the entrance. So, my team walked to the seating areas to view our robots’ first match and do light scouting. After that, I went upstairs to explore the college fair convention. Some tables hosted different schools, universities, and programs like MIT, YALE, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute. I collected information, pamphlets, and flyers from these schools. Next, I attend a seminar about how to run a successful team. Learning about what makes a successful team and others’ mistakes made me realize how productive and ahead the Commodores are, but we still lack some basic standards. We are not perfect. No team is. When the afternoon rolled around, Mr. Hatcher bought our team chick fila for lunch. I stuffed my face with a chicken sandwich while sitting on the carpeted floor in the corridor and then scrambled upstairs again to participate in the Black networking convention. Multiple African Americans in different fields came to this network to talk about their career and connect. I met two people who work at NASA. Brianna Johnson does Trajectory Design and G&C Analyst for NASA, and Dr. Cecil Shy is a project manager for NASA. Mrs. Johnson figures out the flight routes for different satellites and rockets while Mr. Shy approves various projects and tests if they work. I asked them questions about their jobs, what they do, how they got into their field, and how being black affects how people view them and how to overcome it.
When the networking ended, I bounced back down to our pit to check up on the robot. Big Mac was having a rough day, and his drivetrain got a little janky. So, the pit crew and I fixed him up. Finally, I climbed up to the stands to watch our final matches and the ceremonies. Surprisingly, we won the Judges Award in our division. At first, I couldn’t believe it; we won an award at the World Championships, and the judges picked us out of 75 teams. Our chins pointed to the sky as we accepted our prize, as the crowd clapped, cheered, and swooned for us.
Back Home
Rolling out of my bed at 5:00 am, I gathered all of my clothing, shoes, and pins and lethargically moved my stuff downstairs to the lobby. We quickly hopped on the bus and headed back to Albany, Georgia. Darkness covered the buildings, and city lights sporadically shone through, looking out the window. I instantly fell asleep and woke up to the sunlight shining in my eye and cars zipping by. We passed by the oil wells that lined the border of Texas, we traveled through Louisiana and revisited the crawfish farms and french style buildings. We passed over the Mississippi River and the gambling signs that stood by the highway. Plantations, stores, restaurants, marine ports, and trees flew by as we watched the Terminator movies on the bus. Again, we stopped for food and bathroom breaks in Louisiana and Florida. After reminiscing on my memories in Texas, an Albany sign grew closer, coming out from the abyss. Suddenly, we were at the 4c academy, and we knew that our vacation was over. Have you ever heard people say they changed after traveling to a different state or country? Traveling to a big city like Houston exposed me to other people, cultures, and opportunities. It made me realize that a little ole city like Albany had similarities to a diverse city like Houston. For instance, poverty. Albany is not the wealthiest city, but I never saw strips of tents occupied by homeless people like I saw in Houston. It made me realize that my community is not the only one that suffers from problems. Likewise, Houston is still vastly different from Albany. Tall buildings and skyscrapers ruled the city forever, while Albany barely had enough people to be considered a city. My parents greeted me in the 4c parking lot and helped me put my luggage in the car.