Trash everywhere, children running about with no shoes or shirts, constant visits from the police, my neighborhood was not very welcoming. Growing up in a poor neighborhood taught me at an early age what to do, and what not to do, to best prepare myself for the future. Watching others around me fail and succeed helped me notice one factor that determines the success or failure of an individual. The skills one has in collaborating with others properly and efficiently are critical to one's future. This drove me to join many clubs and extracurricular activities that involve me sharing ideas with large groups.
  

The first activity that involved me collaborating with others to complete one task was football. Although it did introduce me to communicating with large groups, it minuscules to my involvement in F1 in Schools. F1 in Schools gathers the six to eight of the most intelligent students a coach can find to test their skills in engineering and communicating with other group members for competition. One team consists of six different positions: a Project Manager, Resource Manager, two car designers, a Mechanical Engineer, and a Design Engineer. Having each member of the team on the same page is important to winning the competition, so communication never stops when working.

When I first joined F1, intimidated, shy, and quiet, I knew I had to communicate with my new teammates in a professional manner, which left me with an uneasy feeling. They showed me quickly that when you are comfortable with your teammates, you can collaborate easier. Working with them gave me practice exchanging my ideas with others, taking in consideration the different beliefs each of us had, we still managed to handle everything professionally and logically. This eventually aided us in getting second place in the national F1 competition and qualify to compete in the world competition!
   

The experience I had with F1 helped me practice skills that are necessary for me to be successful. I know now how it changed my life, giving me skills more valuable than any amount of money, skills in working with others. Moving a thousand pound boulder is impossible alone, but with enough people the boulder can travel miles. I intend to use my new earned tools to help move me into a successful future.