FIRST

I am a writer for the Prescott eNews in Prescott AZ. I covered our local teams competing against each other in the recent water based challenge. I was highly impressed by the enthusiasm, teamwork and hard work of the teams. I was also impressed by the fact that the volunteers putting on the event included many former team members (although former is not quite correct as they seem to be members for life.) Many are studying or working in STEM fields. I now follow FIRST both locally and worldwide on Facebook.

They organise events that inspire young people from all over the world to go into STEM fields.

FIRST robotics was an experience that changed my son’s life. He was a very quiet, shy and reserved little boy when he joined our local FIRST team. FIRST encouraged him to become an out going, confident leader. He found a love for all things mechanical, made life long friendships, & won scholarships through the program which enabled him to attend a university he may not have been able to otherwise. FIRST is a fabulous program for everyone.

I love first! It is absolutely a wonderful program that helps children worldwide be able to connect to stem and brings out the best in them I love my team and it builds so many skills for the future!!

Back when I was in 6th grade I joined this program, through FIRST I got promoted into STEM more and more. I am now currently a senior in High School and if it wasn't for FIRST my path I want to go to in the future would be vastly different. FIRST helps promote STEM and once I'm out of high school I plan to volunteer as much as I can to help promote STEM in today's world.

I started out with FIRST by joining Jr. FLL. I did that for a year, then moved on to FLL. I did that for 5 years, on the same team each year, and we had pretty much the same group of kids every year. It was a lot of fun and I don't regret doing it. At our 2016 state tournament, they announced that there was a change in the age rules for the 2017 season, so that would've left the group of kids we had with 2 or 3 kids that could do it, and our coach didn't want to start with a whole new group. In addition to our team being over, I moved from Michigan to Georgia recently and had to say goodbye to it all. My coach gave me our Gracious Professionalism trophy from the 2016 season, and it's currently sitting on top of my shelf in my new house. We had a good run in our 5 years of being a team, and I'm really going to miss it. I am glad I had the opportunity, and if I could rate FIRST a million stars, believe me, I would. It's a great program and I love that there are different levels for different age groups, so younger kids can get involved as well.

When I started in FLL I was a shy third grader, when I left my high school's FRC team I was a different person. Being in FIRST gave me confidence and the ability to talk to people, if I had not joined a FIRST team then I probably will still be in a shell. I was nominated for the Dean's list which is one of the best moments of my life and became the team captain during my senior year of high school. Along with all of this it FIRST taught me how to work with people that i may not see eye to eye with but learn to put it past and work for a common goal.

This is an organization that introduces girls and boys of all socioeconomic levels, races, ethnicities and religions and brings them together to compete in robotics: that is, it's competitive engineering for all kids. It's the only high school sport (that I know of) where 100% of the kids can go pro! More schools' budgets needs to go into FIRST!

FIRST has changed my life, and Helps me strive for excellence in everything from robot building, to real life skills.

My son's high school just started a FIRST team last school year and the experience he had as a part of the FIRST Robotics season was amazing. We have always known he was an engineer at heart, but this program helped him see it and embrace it for the first time in his life. He is a shy kid, but as the team's driver and captain, he had to overcome his shyness and seek out other teams and collaborate with them in their alliances. Being a part of the FIRST program really opened up something meaningful inside of him.

This organization is providing experiences and opportunities that our kids and society desperately need. It gives tech-minded kids a place to learn, collaborate, compete, and have fun. More importantly, it encourages the kind of character development that will make our world a better place. I appreciate that they make all of their events free to the public when so many other extracurricular organizations are using performances and competitions as money-making opportunities. Thank you, FIRST!

I have been so impressed with the students with whom I've interacted! Some of them joined half-heartedly and are now pursuing engineering degrees in college or have gone on to work for NASA and high-tech firms. Others were looking for a way to connect in high school and are now enthusiastic leaders of a team where they are pursuing a new-found passion. It's really wonderful to see the genuine enthusiasm and commitment these students express during the competitions and how that carries over into their school environment!

What a wonderful way for our young population to compete. This program progresses through all grade levels and ages involving its participates in competitions that inspire using STEM and creative disciplines to succeed. Building robots out of LEGO technologies for the younger kids and complicated hardware software components for the older kids. It is extremely close to real-world problem solving through engineering. What a way to build the leaders in the next generations!

I was a teammate from 2013-2015 for two seasons,and this influenced me a lot. It even solids my decision to study aboard to see more. Also I am going to become a mentor for FTC and FRC teams this year.

I am entering my second year in the FIRST Robotics. This started with me and some friends deciding to start a team. As one thing led to another, we went from three members to a little under twenty team members trying to solve the problem using only the tools we owned and the kit of parts provided. We had a large amount of help from many teams as well as the FIRST workers themselves. In the end we won the rookie inspiration award and almost every team member is back this year with more first year kids with us. It has helped us with our education by teaching us teamwork, responsibility, and helping your fellow teams in their time of need. This is a life changing program that I am ecstatic to be a part of.

FIRST Robotics Program is involves all 50 states, plus many countries. Its purpose is twofold: 1—Help students to develop 21st century skills that all employers are looking for such as: gracious professionalism (teamwork, leadership, problem solving, learning to work with other people, project management, meeting deadlines, working within a budget, etc.) 2—Get students interested in various careers including those that involve science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). They also provide opportunities for students interested in programming, web design, photography, public relations, marketing, creating business plans, team spirit and more. FIRST creates a school-to-career pipeline through which young people are inspired to explore opportunities in science and technology. By successfully forming coalitions with corporations, universities, and public schools, FIRST has become the premiere after-school engineering and robotics competition program in the nation.

The FIRST Robotics Competition began in 1992 with 28 teams in a New Hampshire high school gym. The FIRST LEGO League program was introduced in 1998, followed by both the FIRST Tech Challenge and the Junior FIRST LEGO League in 2007. Today, with the support of thousands of dedicated volunteers, the organization serves 196,000 students not only in asll 50 states, but also in 9 provinces and 38 countries.

Another of the key benefits of the FIRST programs that I have observed, is the proper behaviors it nurtures. Gracious professionalism and cooperation are FIRST’s core values, encouraging participants in all FIRST programs to do their best work. It is not about winning or losing, but working together to achieve a common goal. FIRST programs embrace and encourage students of varying interests, abilities, and academic competencies and foster participation by all youth, regardless of income, gender, ethnicity, or background.

This is a fantastic after school program for all youth--K-12-- to engage in.