Going into my final season, I took on the role of Team Manager, which brought new challenges and responsibilities. My main focus shifted to overseeing the media team and making sure everything ran smoothly. Each week, I would plan out tasks for the media team and assign specific roles. For example, one person would handle social media posts, while another would focus on video editing. While I didn’t manage the mechanics or programming teams (as there were team members more skilled in those areas), I made sure to check in on their progress and give constructive feedback on what needed improvement.

This season was unlike any other. I truly became more connected to each role on the team, even though programming was still a bit out of my comfort zone. My biggest pride came from winning the Inspire Award, which felt like the pinnacle of our hard work and dedication. From what I understand, the award was largely due to the strength of our team proposal, and I’m incredibly proud to say that I was one of the two people who helped create it.

But it wasn’t all easy. As Team Manager, I had to face some tough moments where I had to step in when people didn’t listen or couldn’t keep up with the workflow I had planned. Instead of waiting for things to change, I took charge and did the work myself. I quickly learned that it wasn’t worth wasting time trying to explain things to others who weren’t on the same page. It was better to take control and keep moving forward.

One of the most memorable parts of this season was the sense of unity that grew within our team. I spent more time connecting with everyone across different roles. I would hang out with the media team, talking about social media strategies and refining our engineering notebook. On other days, I’d spend time with the mechanics team, discussing robot strategies and engineering solutions. These moments, where we laughed together, shared ideas, and worked towards common goals, were some of the best parts of the experience.

This season taught me something invaluable: it’s not about winning. While winning was great, what mattered most were the memories we created together. I look back at this final season with gratitude for everything I’ve learned and the friendships I’ve made. We faced challenges, grew together, and, in the end, I think we all won, because of the memories we’ve shared. It was one of the best experiences of my life, and I’ll always be thankful for it.