Alumni Spotlight
Lynette Munez
What team were you a member of?
FRC 4935 T-Rex
How many years were you on the team?
1 FRC year and 1 FLL mentoring year.
Where do you currently work and what is your job description?
I currently work at a technology company called Red Ventures. I am a back end software engineer.
How long have you been there?
I have been working at Red Ventures for 2 years now.
What is one highlight from your time on the team?
When I was in FIRST Robotics, I was fortunate enough to be a Deans List Finalist. However, THE BEST highlight of my experience was when I mentored a brand new FLL team at the elementary school that I went to as a child. Seeing the students and how passionate they were about learning about technology and science to solve problems that they care about was one of the most fulfilling things I have done yet. I say that because I coached them on more than just how to design and program a LEGO robot; I had to coach them on what it means to be part of a team and to be a good team player. Seeing how that impacts a young mind has inspired me to keep teaching even in my current career. I make an effort to still go out to local schools to teach students about skills that will help them in any STEM career.
What are the top three skills you learned from your FIRST experience that have made an impact on your current job?
When people think about engineers, specifically software developers, they think about heads down coding in a dark room. FIRST has taught me that technology is one of the most collaborative industries out there. Everything that is innovative has been done with a team of open communicators. Robotics has taught me the fundamentals of working on a tech team and what open communication looks like. Practicing this open communication has helped me grow in my career faster than any other skill. But not only that, it has helped me become a better leader.
The second skill I learned from my FIRST experience is how to problem solve and what that process looks like. My mentor, Matthew Brown, always told us to keep asking "why?" until you can't any more. Then you will find the real cause of your problem. Those are words that I STILL think about in my daily tasks.
The last but not least skill I learned in my FIRST experience is project management. Building a robot in 6 weeks takes a village, but more specifically, a very organized village. This is where all the skills come together, and if you're not intentional with your decisions, it can make or break your team. Robotics is not just a 6 week club. It's a year round club that takes lots of planning and strategic decisions that can help the team year over year. Being part of FIRST has taught me what it means to project manage and this is a skill that has helped me in my current career in a very noticeable way. I have been proven to be responsible and reliable and that is something that I was first exposed to in FIRST robotics.
How has FIRST impacted your life?
When I was in high school, I thought I wanted to go into art. I wanted to become some sort of art director and help put together exhibitions. I honestly never even considered technology because I always thought it was too complicated for me to even try. When I was a junior in high school I was convinced by my friends to just give the club a try. That was one of the best decisions I had ever made in my high school career. I discovered that I like technology and that it's nothing like what I thought it was. And as a bonus, I was actually pretty good at it. Had I not tried FIRST Robotics, I would have never even considered being in the career that I am in today.
What words of wisdom do you have for current FIRSTers?
Being part of FIRST Robotics is more than learning how to put together a robot. It's an opportunity to invest in yourself and invest in your team. It's one of the most diverse and impactful opportunities there are; and if you're in it for the right reasons, you're going to benefit from those opportunities and you're going to grow immensely. This is why I encourage every current FIRSTer to embrace their discomfort and lean into the investment that will not only benefit themselves, but those around them as well.