If you've been keeping up with self-nominations, you may have noticed that we have exactly one person running for each position:

Build Division Lead: Nitya Subramanian
Business Division Lead: Anita Alem
Team Captain: Steven Wong

HOWEVER, we still need people to vote! Please send your votes to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to show your support for our candidates. Please vote by May 31st.

For reference, I've copied the self-nominations below:

Build Division Lead

I, Nitya Subramanian, would like to nominate myself to the position of Build Lead. For the past two years, I have brought enthusiasm and new, creative ideas to the team. I am highly focused and goal-oriented, but I also know when it is time to relax and have fun. Everyone who knows me is aware that I work incredibly hard and take responsibility very seriously. My time management skills are amazing, and I know how to set goals and achieve them. However, I also understand that it is impossible to work efficiently without rest and, most importantly, FUN. As Build Lead, I plan to use my experience working with the Insomniacs to strengthen our team during the next year.

After my first build season with the Insomniacs in 2009, I began to take on a greater leadership role within the team. This past build season, I was our Manipulator Lead and successfully led the task group responsible for both the kicking and tower components of the robot. I also led the electronics task group during the 2009 offseason which reconfigured the electronics layout on the 2009 robot. Additionally, I currently hold the position of Recruitment Officer. Since 2009, I have been able to observe and understand what our team is all about. As Build Lead, I will work to improve communication within the team, especially between the build and business divisions. In the weeks before kickoff, I plan to coordinate a series of team bonding events that will help us grow closer while also allowing us to relax in preparation for the busy weeks that will follow. During build season, I will make it a priority to create well-defined tasks and deadlines that allow for mistakes and can be easily adjusted. I will make an effort to more actively involve both mentors and parents in every step of the build process, from strategy and design to final testing and troubleshooting. I also plan to continue to make finding a permanent workspace a priority.

When I joined the Insomniacs, I found that the entire team formed a support network that would have been impossible without the guidance of the team leaders and mentors. I would like to be a part of continuing the tradition that first inspired my passion for robotics. As Build Lead, I will be able to use my experience and unwavering commitment to the team to help us learn from our past mistakes and constantly move forward.

This past year, I have been actively involved with swimming, piano, and FTC in addition to FRC. Nearly every scheduling conflict that I faced with FRC this year came from the multiple hours that I had to put into swimming every day. Therefore, I have decided to remove myself from competitive swimming next year so that I can completely dedicate myself to making team 2489 the best it can possibly be.

Business Division Lead

I, Anita Alem, would like to nominate myself for the position of Business Division Lead. I have been a part of the team for one year, and in these two seasons I have discovered my passion for the PR side of robotics. I have been a highly active member, and have helped write various essays, such as the NASA grant and Chairman's Award. I also participated in the Chairman's presentation at SVR. I want to be Business Division Lead because I want to improve our team by working out the kinks to keep us sustainable and continue our growth. As I don't have commitments to any other extracurricular activities, robotics is my highest priority. My combination of good leadership skills, enthusiasm regarding public relations, and abundance of free time as a sophomore makes me a unique candidate for this position. I would like to work on the communication between our two divisions by having a few people go to one of the opposite divisions' meetings each week, then explain to their respective divisions what happened at the meeting they attended. Relationships with parents is another aspect that I will work on by sending out monthly newsletters that describe what our team has been doing. Overall, I would like to make our team even more awesome than we are, and I have the time and skills to do just that.

Team Captain

I, Steven Wong, would like to nominate myself for the position of Team Captain. Over the past two years, I have dedicated hundreds of hours of my time to both divisions of the team; looking back, I honestly feel that every hour was worth it. I want to be the Team Captain because I want to continue the efforts of building the foundations of a sustainable team, to create the fun learning experiences that I’ve had for other students in the district, and to spread FIRST throughout the community. I bring to the team a drive fueled by a strong understanding of our past and our goals for the future. My knowledge of how both build and business divisions run and my passion for improving the team make me a unique candidate. I’ve written and edited essays and presentations for business division and I’ve worked as a task lead for build division. I’ve seen the flaws and I’ve seen the triumphs. Increasing our involvement in the community would be one of my main focuses for improving the team. Expanding FLL and FTC in the district would probably be a strong, initial step for spreading FIRST throughout the community. Developing a more positive team culture has also been one of the main challenges that have troubled us before. I feel that to improve this requires better relationships with other teams, our mentors and parents, and even with ourselves. Visits to other teams will give us a better idea of how other teams run and hopefully a greater respect for the FIRST values. Improved mentor and parent involvement will create a greater sense of professionalism within the team. More inter-team events and meetings will give us a stronger respect for all members and an appreciation of the effort we all put in. In the past I have held leadership roles with the MSJ Tech and Robotics club and have been a member of an FTC team. However next year, I will be dropping my membership and leadership positions to make time for the team.

In brief, all I want to do is continue what our past team leaders have done for the team and build on top of their efforts. I hope all of you understand my passion and dedication.