From the Youth, to the Future – Kuzey İLHAN

Hello! I’m Almila, and today I’d like to share with you an interview I conducted with Kuzey, one of our upper-year teammates at EnkaTech, to help you get to know our FRC team and what we stand for.

I believe this interview will be helpful for anyone interested in joining FRC or any other FIRST event — it may even open new doors for them. Through this interview, and the others we’ll share in the future, we hope you’ll better understand that FRC’s mission is not only to spread STEM but also to help students grow in leadership, teamwork, and project development.

FRC aims to nurture valuable individuals with skills that benefit both the community and daily life — such as project management, sponsorship outreach, and collaboration.

Now, let’s dive into my interview with Kuzey, a member of our PR Department!

1) What did you feel when you first joined the team? What drew you to it?

First of all, I was super excited and full of enthusiasm when I first joined the team — because I’d been involved with FIRST for a long time. I used to be part of our school’s FLL team, and we even placed third in the Eskişehir regional tournament.

In fact, I’ve participated in every FLL competition since 4th grade, except for 8th grade — from FLL Junior to regular FLL. So I knew what I wanted to do, but FRC was a totally different experience, and I was thrilled about it.

What drew me most to the team was not only spending time with my friends but also joining the PR team, since I knew it would have a big impact on my CV. It was also a great opportunity to improve myself and pave a path toward my future university applications.

2) How was your first year in FRC? What was your most unforgettable moment?

My first year in FRC was incredibly dynamic — from off-season events to regionals and beyond.

The most unforgettable moment was definitely when they were announcing the Impact Award at the last regional. We had been told that we made it to the final three, so we were all so excited. Unfortunately, we didn’t win, and since we had worked really hard for it, that loss hit us deeply.

3) What is your current role on the team, and what has it taught you?

Right now, I’m working on the Impact Award, and I serve as one of the project leads alongside my teammates. I’d also say I’m one of the team’s main organizers in general.

This role has taught me the importance of organization, and that when many people come together, they can accomplish amazing things. It showed me that I can balance multiple things both in school and in my personal life.

It also made me realize how challenging project work really is — that planning takes time, and success requires consistent, structured effort.

4) What do you think makes our team strong, not just technically but also strategically?

Every year, we build a great robot — but beyond the technical side, our game strategy is also strong.

Ultimately, a lot depends on our driver, but what makes the difference is practice. Our teammates dedicate so much time to improving. Luckily, our school has a half-field practice area downstairs, which allows them to train frequently and really develop their skills.

5) What’s the biggest key to success, in your opinion?

The biggest key to success is teamwork and effort.

In previous years, we mainly focused on winning the Impact Award, but we didn’t always achieve the results we hoped for. This year, though, we’ve really committed to developing our PR department, putting our plans into action, and generating new ideas.

So, aside from teamwork, another key factor is dedication — being fully committed to what you’re doing.

6) What advice would you give to new members joining the team?

My first piece of advice would be: work hard, but don’t wear yourself out. Everything happens in its own time. Be passionate and love what you do.

As your upper-year teammates, we’ll always be ready to help whenever you need support. And remember — teamwork matters. Always try to be there for your teammates.

7) What are the most important steps for ensuring the team’s sustainability?

We should design and implement our projects in a way that allows us to build upon them each year, instead of treating them as one-season efforts.

We also need to focus on topics that capture FIRST’s interests, especially within STEM-related fields.

For mechanical sustainability, having a skilled upper generation and a motivated new generation is essential.

8) If you could describe this team’s story from past to future in one sentence, what would you say?

Honestly, I don’t think our amazing adventure can be described in just one sentence.

Because FRC isn’t just about robots — it’s about laughter, frustration, joy, hard work, and shared emotions. It’s a journey where we’ve cried, celebrated, argued, and cheered — we’ve experienced everything to the fullest.

So, I believe FRC can’t be summed up in one sentence. It’s a whole experience.

CLOSING

Kuzey’s words remind us that FRC isn’t just a robotics competition — it’s a life experience.

FRC isn’t only about building robots; it’s about laughing together, sometimes disagreeing, but most importantly, succeeding together in the end.

Written by: Almila Yıldırım