This year, science teacher Jennifer Lee made the difficult decision to step back from her adviser role in the MSET robotics program. So far, the school has not found a replacement for her.
For the past six years, she has been the main administrator and staff link between the program and the school, managing the logistics, attendance and overall organization.
According to students like senior FRC team lead Akash Gupta, Lee also helped many students by teaching them soft skills like leadership and helped them reach their full potential.
“Even though she is absent, we will carry on the things she has created for the program,” said senior mentor Anh-Quan Nguyen, one of the main parents involved in the program. “There will be some minor chaos as we fill her shoes, but she was wonderful at setting everything in place in a way that we can maintain sustainability.”
Six years ago when she was new to the position, she observed what was happening with the team and filled administrative roles. But with each year, she helped to find ways to expand the program by establishing systems that would ensure MSET’s longevity: ways to track applications, acceptances, requests, attendance and other processes to improve efficiency.
As the club grew, however, Lee found the time commitment difficult to maintain when combined with her many other responsibilities, such as teaching AP Physics 1 and 2 for the first time this year and the additional oversight required supervising the Advanced Science Research Club (ASR-C).
“The role got bigger and bigger, and the time commitment, along with other things I’ve also committed to, made it a little bit hard to juggle,” Lee said.
Lee will be missed by many MSET students, who found that her guidance was able to help them gain confidence and to make their voices heard.
“She’s definitely a big part of me having the confidence to try and take on something bigger than what I feel like I can at first glance,” Gupta said. “My main message is: Thank you for giving me the confidence to take on bigger challenges.”
Senior Willis Chung, FTC team Cuttlefish’s hardware lead, recalled his first one-on-one meeting with Lee. Chung found that talking with her made him feel less intimidated and that his voice was truly heard.
“That was like one of the first times where I felt like I was seen and supported by mentors,” he said.
According to Chung, Lee’s guidance over the last few years has left lasting impressions and practical systems that will ensure the continued success of MSET. This hard work and guidance from Lee to sustainably improve the program has reaped incredible rewards.
Just last year, for the first time in the program’s history, every MSET team advanced to their regional competition. FTC team Bettafish won their first Inspire Award ever, and FRC team Fish advanced to Worlds for the fourth year in a row.
As Lee has stepped away, other members of the MSET community are stepping forward. Students and parents are working to divide the work Lee previously executed among themselves. Many parents are also choosing to take on a larger role, assisting with inventory and logistical tasks.
“One of the reasons I think I felt OK stepping back is we have, in a good way, the perfect storm of things happening that I think are really good for the program,” Lee said. “So I think the future is looking strong because we have some really great mentors who’ve been involved for years.”
