Before Natalie Sampsell joined her brother David’s MATE team, she says that she didn’t have a great understanding of what engineering was. She joined the team because her brother asked her to and because she liked math and science, but it was the real-world problem solving more than the engineering that drew her in.

Now, she works as a software engineer at Google. She credits MATE as a major factor in her decision to pursue STEM in college and beyond, and for all the lessons it taught her.

“More than anything, I learned that engineering is about solving problems and being creative,” she said,” and those are things I can get really excited about.”

Her team’s unofficial motto was “expect the unexpected.” Between system failures the night before a competition, leaky parts during missions runs, and delayed international flights on the way to a competition, they certainly earned that motto. But Natalie says that it was moments like those when she grew the most—and she certainly learned how to troubleshoot and regroup.

One thing that sticks out to her about MATE, though, is the way the competition believes in the capabilities of the kids participating. The missions are challenging, and the expectations are high. As a result, there's an environment where kids are treated with respect, have the chance to discuss their work with industry professionals, and get a taste of what it’s like to be a real-world engineer.

“It’s a really unique and special opportunity,” she said, “and one that I consider myself really fortunate to have experienced.”

Her experience with MATE helped her land an internship with Google during college, then she was hired full-time after graduation. One of her favorite parts of MATE was getting to meet and work with amazing people. She says that’s one of the best parts of her job now, too.