I met Andrea Mandel at our very first Girl Scout FIRST Lego League Robotics team meeting in 2010 when I was in sixth grade. As our coach, Mrs. Mandel ensured that we had all of the engineering and programming skills needed to succeed.
From the start, she encouraged us to become independent thinkers and never built our robot for us. We gained not only technical skills but self-esteem and confidence as we competed many weekends and eventually competed at three world championships.
Mrs. Mandel was there cheering for us every step of the way, from New Jersey to Scranton, Pennsylvania, to St. Louis, Missouri. Even though her daughter had graduated long ago and moved on from Girl Scouts, Mrs. Mandel attended every meeting for seven years supporting our team.
As we progressed from Lego League to FIRST FTC Robotics, we discovered how to use resources to teach ourselves the technical skills needed to build and program a highly competitive robot. We became the independent girls that Mrs. Mandel had taught us to be. Mrs. Mandel helped launch me on my journey to become an engineer and taught me to be a lifelong learner.
Mrs. Mandel has the necessary skills to be an outstanding member of the West Windsor Town Council. She is a dedicated, smart and selfless leader who is tireless in the pursuit of excellence in all she does. She is never afraid to take on a new challenge or embrace any experience. I believe you should vote for Andrea Mandel for West Windsor Town Council this fall.
Caroline Cardinale
West Windsor
