FIRST

Team even has a rock band now - because - this is not just a robot

FIRST is an organization designed to prepare kids for careers in STEM through competitive robotics. It's been a huge factor in making my high school years rewarding and fulfilling as well as giving them direction: through FIRST, I was able to gain hands-on career-level experience in what I really want to do: software engineering. Not only that, I was able to do it with a tight-knit community of like-minded kids, while making friends with other students from all over the world. Each year, every team designs and builds an 120 pound robot from scratch in just six weeks, to take part in a set challenge. Students learn skills such as design, CAD, electrical, mechanical, and software engineering, project management, and business skills needed to fundraise and keep the team going. It's been one of the most exciting and profitable things I've done with the past four years and I want to continue in the program as a mentor once I graduate high school.

I encountered First Robotics in 1992. Working with my engineering coworkers and teaching the students about the design process was really fun. Seeing the reaction of the students when a design went from the whiteboard to a fully functioning robot was priceless. So many students gave engineering a second look and a few of those students are now coworkers in my engineering department. As an additional benefit, working with my fellow engineers, outside of the workplace, really enhanced our cooperation on work projects. FIRST robotics is a great program for students and engineers.

I joined a FIRST Robotics Competition team my senior year of high school, it was a fantastic experience and inspired me to become an engineer. I've now been mentoring FIRST Robotics Competition teams for five years, and have seen the tremendous impact FIRST has on my students and others in our community. Unlike many other STEM programs, FIRST connects students with industry mentors who guide them through intense design challenges, showing them that they have what it takes to be an engineer, and often help them to get jobs and internships after graduation.

Find another organization that has such a massive impact on the lives of hundreds of thousands of students each and every year, I dare you. FIRST isn't just a charity, its a pathway for your life. I started FIRST over 4 years ago while I was in high school, and now I mentor for two teams while being a full time college student. I help guide others towards their passion in engineering, while continuing to learn these skills myself. My decision to join FIRST has impacted my life greater than any other decision I have ever made, and FIRST continues to inspire a huge portion of the next generation of engineers, technicians, and scientists. Not only does this provide a huge benefit to these students, but it makes an immeasurable impact on the world around us. The next great discoveries, or breakthrough companies, or amazing achievements in the world of STEM, will probably come from someone who was inspired and participated in FIRST programs.

I know it's a cliche but FIRST has absolutely changed my life! It has given me a great sense of purpose and self worth. I fully dedicated my life to the program and see no end to my dedication. I have never met a group of kinder, driven and capable people in my life! It will not save the world but is a great resource for anyone who is involved!

I am a mentor of two high school teams that participate in the FIRST FRC program. I also have worked with the FIRST Louisiana Mississippi Region President and Director to assist them in developing their regional strategy.

I have found the FIRST organization to be highly professional. It is well-run, with excellent focus on ethics and on delivering meaningful results -- namely the development and inspiration of youth to pursue STEM interests and careers.

As a retired engineer and corporate executive in a STEM industry, I believe that this organization is extremely important to the future of our society, of the environment, and of our economy.

FIRST is one of the few organizations that my wife and I choose to support.

What this program does for kids, their education and self-confidence is amazing! It is a sport like no other sport!

As a coach and mom, watching kids gain confidence, get inspired, and develop as a team is amazingly rewarding. They’re there watching each other’s programs run, cheering when it works, and helping their friends figure it out when it doesn’t. This is made possible through FIRST. From Core Values to fun science and tech, to Coopertition - this place has it all.

5 years ago, I was asked to help teach some high school kids how to use the a 3D printer at the local makerspace. These kids were attentive, motivated, and willing to help other members learn what they learned. It turned out, they were part of a FIRST Tech Challenge Robotics team and they were building a robot for that year's competition. I helped out as a mentor for that team for the next four seasons.

FIRST gave these kids a new challenge every year - one that was difficult but never impossible. They help provide a competitive environment where cooperation, gracious professionalism, a great work ethic, and project management skills were all rewarded. For those loner kids who don't fit in, this is a blessing. They didn't need to be book smart to succeed- they needed to learn to solve problems and communicate to do well. This program is one of the best preparations for working in the real world.

As a volunteer, mentor and corporate sponsor I watch for the unspoken benefits of FIRST in preparing our next generation of clients, employees and partners. From technology, to planning, administration, project management, working in teams and yes building robots I see the program provide nearly every skill imaginable to prepare for the workforce.

After convincing myself this was for the kids, I realized that each year I learned something myself. I have changed some of my habits, and I have pushed my own limits. For example, I spent most of my career giving presentations. FIRST put me in front of thousands on a big screen! Scary stuff, but I go through it with help from my volunteer mentor.

FIRST is indeed the 'hardest fun you will ever have', regardless of your age or contribution.

FIRST is such an amazing nonprofit with a passion for putting tools in the hands of students. As a parent and educator finding a STEM program that ticks all the boxes in a hands on creative way is hard but FIRST does that. Their focus truly is on creating opportunities for kids. Not only is this nonprofit meeting a current need in our society but it is impact the future!

Note: I was both a client served and a volunteer.

My biggest regret was joining a FIRST team three years too late. As someone who has been through the FIRST robotics program and visited elementary schools to promote STEM, I would like to say that year was the best of my high school years. If I hadn't been in a team in high school, I would not have had the technical skill and expertise with CAD, machining, and programming that I do today.

Moreover, FIRST stays true to its tagline of More than Robots: the FIRST Lego League (FLL) program has a research component that lets elementary and middle schoolers research topics that pertain to the robots they just built, and the Chairman's Award for the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) rewards community impact. Most importantly, the FIRST community is supportive; it emphasizes building each other up and competing with integrity.

changed my life in an unmeasurable way, loved every second

FIRST truly does inspire kids to work cooperatively and teaches them core values that they carry throughout their lives. As an FLL coach I can say that I have seen FIRST bring out the best in all of my team members

By doing FTC (One of FIRST’s amazing programs) I was able to learn about not only engineering but also how to work in a group, how to be a leader, how to take charge, how to listen to other people’s ideas, explain things that I was passionate about and how to be literate in the STEM world. FIRST taught me about Gracious Professionalism, which I try to live my life by day to day, and they taught me how to make life long connections that will last a lifetime for me. A lot of my closest friends came from FIRST and the FIRST community really turned into a second family for me.

FIRST more than robots is the STEM education tool I continually choose year after year because it offers so much to all qho volunteer and particpate.

The FIRST family of programs are the BEST at engaging students and introducing them to the STEM jobs the world will need in the future.

Very rarely do you find a nonprofit where the volunteers so deeply believe in the program that they give up multiple weekends during the holidays to help at events. FIRST is one such nonprofit.

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.

FIRST is a fantastic organization for young people interested in STEM education and careers. They get hands-on experience with realistic parameters (time, budget and materials constraints), giving them a true tase of engineering careers.

I have donated both time and money to FIRST for many years - while the program may be built around robots the real outcome is preparing our next generation leaders to tackle the future!!

If I didnt have this program... I wouldn't be attending college or pursuing my dreams!

Student for 7 years, Mentor for 3, Volunteer for 5. FIRST gives students a real inspiration, and makes them realize that it's cool to be into STEM. No other organization that I've found does that to this degree. I will be with FIRST for a very long time to come.

Awesome organization with wonderful mission. So many great opportunities to be had through FIRST.

I can’t stress enough how important FIRST is to me. I found robotics at a very hard time in my life but it brought me such joy and began to make the pain of that time go away. FIRST teaches kids not just about robotics but about how to be a good person. I truely believe FIRST will create generations of skilled engineers, programmers and even film makers, writers, businesspeople and leaders ( because of the varied aspects of the FIRST programs) who will not only be able to change the world but will have the values and morals to want to Change it for the better. I am so proud to be a part of FIRST, an organization that has helped me learn how I can use my talents to help others.

I participated in FIRST (For Inspiration & Recognition of Science & Technology) from 6th through 12th grade. As a nerdy teenage girl, I felt like FIRST was a place where I was accepted and important. I was already interested in science and technology, so I appreciated being mentored by professional engineers and scientists and learning real-world technical skills like college level physics, computer programming, and using power tools. FIRST was an Inspiration and helped me have the skills and confidence to jump headfirst into a hands-on engineering project club in college. In turn, these experiences led into a research position and a NASA internship. I feel like FIRST gave me a head start on my future mechanical engineering career.
Some of my teammates were less technically inclined and have gone on to study less STEM-focused majors. Nevertheless, they learned so much about science and technology that they all have a greater Recognition and appreciation for the role it plays in our lives. Additionally, many hard skills from FIRST do apply to areas beyond the STEM fields. My nursing-major teammates have greater understandings of noise induced hearing loss, foodborne illness, arthritis, and the risk of falls to senior citizens from our years in FLL's Body Forward, Food Factor, and Senior Solutions challenges. My business major teammate used her experience fundraising for our team's trip to the World Championship to help her earn the positions of first Marketing Manager and then General Manager of the Student Store in high school, and she contributed lots of knowledge to our FTC team's business plan.
All of us, regardless of interests, learned many important and endlessly useful soft skills like teamwork, good sportsmanship, initiative, public speaking, commitment, confidence, and a value for learning and for giving back. FIRST is an excellent organization for any child to be a part of, or for any adult to support. Volunteer at a competition, mentor a team, convince your company to sponsor teams or your university to give scholarships or your local politicians to support the teams like a sport, or just visit an event and be amazed by what a group of kids can accomplish with the right help.

I have 4 children. All have participated at different levels of FIRST. We love it so much that I have started 2 FTC teams, 2 Jr. FLL teams and an FLL team! We want to share this experience with as many as possible,

Awesome program all kids should join and have access to.

The experience gave me the most inspiring. I learn so mach in first about since technology and about community and how to communicate with people. I feel I Part of something huge. First Raised my self-confidence and leadership. First is my best world

I have been participating with this organization for 7 years now as an Engineering professional helping high school students get interesting in science and technology. It is a great teacher of STEM, teamwork, professionalism and fun....while working hard in the process.

I was an enginering mentor with FIRST for 7 years. It was really awesome seeing these young minds absorbing all this knowledge and using it to better themselves and being so respectful and the best thing I saw was the teamwork they displayed. Not only to each other but to other teams when they needed help.

The best experience of my life. Robots + friends + mentors + learning = SO. MUCH. FUN.

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

What a service! Cured my loneliness, helped me get used to America and made my engineering dream com true. Keep it up FIRST.

FIRST gives me hope for the future. It's more than robots! Youth have the opportunity to look at the world around them and come up with innovative solutions to relevant problems in their community.

I was a 12th grade student in 2004, when I participated in US FIRST Robotics, and it was the most amazing experience ever. Thank you guys for all you do for so many years!

FIRST is a great organization for getting kids involved in STEM.

FIRST has had a huge positive impact on my life both as a student and a mentor! I'm excited to continue participating in the program for many years to come.

FIRST has changed my life by exposing me, on 4th grade already, to STEM.

A life changing experience! FIRST robotics will always have a place in my heart

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.

As a current team member, and a volunteer FIRST helped me a lot!
I was a shy kid, and I thought everybody hated me, and FIRST proved me wrong!
I saw an amazing community, with people just like me, who love robotics and engineering. It is the right place for everyone not just geeks. I will definitely still be here after graduation

FIRST has made a huge difference in my child’s life, and in mine. She has found new pathways to explore, and found a new passion. And for me, being a coach has helped me not only become a better teacher by learning to be a guide, but has lead me to become interested in STEM topics that I had never considered as “my thing.”

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!!

FIRST has provided such a rewarding experience for both my kids as students on teams at 3 levels as well as myself as a mentor. This is such an important part of so many young people’s lives who aspire to be future leaders and innovators. It truly is the varsity sport for the mind.

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.

FIRST is an outstanding organization focusing on teaching children the skills and characteristics that are necessary to make them successful in STEM fields. My son has gained programming skills, engineering and technical design skills, research skills, an increased understanding of physics concepts, and core values such as teamwork, perseverance, collaboration and professionalism.

My son has also learned about real world issues as he and his team research the challenges and identify solutions.

FIRST provides many resources that help both coaches and students gain additional skills as we work towards completing challenges and we have found these resources increasing and improving over the past three years that we have been participating in FIRST Lego League.

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.

I was on a FIRST Team for 5 years (8th-12th grade), and I can honestly say it changed my life for the better. My mentors pushed me to be courageous, intuitive, and passionate, and my teammates reminded me everyday of why I stayed. With my skills that I developed using FIRST (self esteem, public speaking, social skills, engineering skills, work ethic) I ended getting into Princeton, the school of my dreams, and I couldn't be happier!

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.

FIRST is an amazing orginization that helped me get my start in IT. Without FIRST I would not be anywhere close to where I am in my my career today.

What can I not say about FIRST. I have three kids and for the past 3 years they have all been involved with FIRST, and my oldest two 4 years before that. I have been very privileged to see my kids grown from JrFLL, to FLL, and now both of my oldest are FTC. Past two years I have even stepped away from just being a parent and coach JrFLL, and this year I am branching out more and coaching two JrFLL teams. My oldest two are so inspired not only do they compete but they also mentor younger teams. I recommend this program to anyone and everyone. Kids learn important skills that they will use for the rest of their lives.

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, specifically the FIRST LEGO League, is the best program I have ever found for kids. I homeschool my kids and it is a perfect fit. The educational opportunities through FIRST are unlimited, both academically and in real life ways that have led to incredible character building. Problem solving in woven throughout the entire program - from their project to the robot to learning to work with the team, and we have visibly seen a difference in our kids from our first year (4 years ago) to the present. I cannot express how appreciative I have been for this program.

As for my own son, FIRST has given him a place to express his creativity and his extreme drive for learning. It has given him a community and a place to 'fit'. If you were to ask him who his heroes are, he would tell you that those he looks up to are his peers; it is the kids on other teams that have left such a deep impression on him throughout the years. He follows other FLL teams, like some kids follow sports, and they have inspired and driven him to create more and think deeper. There are not words to adequately describe this programs impact on his life and his development. I wish there were. I could never say Thank You enough.

A very cool program that gets kids learning about Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) under the guise of building robots, friendly competition, and gracious professionalism.

This program is changing the culture of our world for the better. Pairing students with professional mentors to work side by side to achieve a goal with too little resources and time is astonishing.

Many people think that FIRST is just about engineering and robots but as someone who went into digital marketing I can tell you that what FIRST is: FIRST is an opportunity to be inspired. It is the platform that is provided that can launch your life by not just teaching the technical skill, but the soft skills required to be prosperous. Coming into FIRST when I was in high school I was deathly afraid of public speaking. Now I embrace it though hosting events, my own podcast, and articulating myself to be the influential person in the room.

I now give back as a mentor in my own FIRST program to hopefully inspire the next generation as I was before. Thank you FIRST.

FIRST is amazing! I'm in FRC, and have learned so much (both technical knowledge and general life skills) from the hands-on experience it provides.

This organization helps students achieve their goals.

FIRST is all around great! Their progression of programs FLL Jr. > FRC and everything in between is a great learning mechanism.

Having seen this organization in action working with kids, I can easily award them 5 stars!

The best! I've watched kids step out of their shells and let their ideas bloom.

As a current member of the FIRST group, I can say that I am 100% proud to be a current 2nd year participant. Going through the FIRST Stronghold gave me a huge boost in my understanding of engineering, a greater sense of teamwork, and gave me a chance to make more friends and meet new people. It is very exciting to go to each competition and see how well the project you worked on does.

Incredible program for kids and youth! I have volunteered as a Judge and as a coach. Very well planned and organized.

Being on an FRC team has changed my life forever. I've made life long friends and I've gained extremely valuable skills, not only a future engineering career, but for the rest of my life.

FIRST is a wonderful organization. I am proud to be both a parent of a member and a mentor.

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

I participated in FIRST programs throughout school, and am now a mentor for an FRC team. I had and continue to have a lot of fun, and I learned a lot of really valuable things. The main overarching concept I learned was what working as an engineer (of any kind) means. School (even college to a large extent) really doesn't involve much engineering. To me, this means solving open-ended problems with complex constraints as a team. I enjoy doing this, and FIRST helped me see how a job in engineering is a good fit for me. As a volunteer mentor, I enjoy working with high school students to help them discover what this means too. I think actual experience is by far the best way to decide whether you want to study engineering in college and beyond, and have some idea which area you want to learn more about.

Unlike school, FIRST's programs help participants learn "why" (why are we doing this? why aren't we doing that? why are we doing this now? why are we doing it this way? why is that important?). If you want to really understand something, that's the most important thing to know, and FIRST is good at designing programs which encourage students to figure that out, both on their own and with help from experienced adults.

Incredible! I've been hooked ever since I first heard of it. When I grew out of competing I started mentoring because I truly believe in their vision and I want to do my part to see this program reach as many people as possible

Both of my sons participated in FIRST Robotics and it truly was a transformative experience. They had hands-on opportunities to explore and build, and to compete in the most positive way. What's really special about FIRST, though, is the outreach to kids who would not otherwise have a chance to build a robot or be on a team or travel to a competition. FIRST opens their eyes to the possibility of a career in STEM, and the experience of being on a team builds skills and confidence that make such a career possible. I now volunteer for FIRST so I can give back and make it possible for other people's children to have this same opportunity.

FIRST is life changing and a great learning experience for students and mentors. Opens doors you never even thought were an option.

fIRST is a great mentoring and learning opportunity. Highly recommend it for students and anyone else who want to learn technical or human interaction skills...

Great experience for kids and mentors alike. They learn great life skills.

FIRST is much more than robots. It is a life changing experience for students as well as adult volunteers, coaches, and mentors. FIRST programs offer something for every grade, K-12 and not necessary all related to science or technology. It is important to FIRST for the students to become well-rounded individuals in whatever they do.

FIRST changed my life. I was a quiet, shy girl in class... until I joined my robotics team in high school. Then, I led the revolution of STEM in the lives of my peers and community around me. FIRST has become such a passion of mine that I volunteer regularly, and help organize the volunteers in the state of Washington. I can't recommend these programs enough, for students, parents, teachers, members of industry who can mentor young minds, and anyone with the time and ability to volunteer! I have loved the nearly 10 years I have been involved with this organization.

Amazing activities and programs, Completely changed my life as a FIRST LEGO League alum and a FIRST Robotics Competition team member.

I've constantly been amazed with the amount of fun I've had and the amount of education and experience I've gained through this program.

This nonprofit's programs help to fill the gap of global technology education and prepares student for real-life work experiences. It really is a program that gives students the opportunity to go pro in a wide range of careers.

Helped mentor an First Tech Challenge team 5942 and a FIRST Lego League team 1323.
The group has the best programs for all ages, no way to recommend enough
The challenges are exceptional as teams help each other succeed, nothing like other competitions, everyone shares their ideas
All aspects are wonderful

FIRST Robotics has forever changed my life. I have found my passion. I have never found somewhere I have been this happy. It is by far one of the most phenomenal experience any person can have, no matter how old!

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!

FIRST and their programs provide students valuable training in technical, leadership,
and problem-solving skills. These tools will help them succeed as the next generation of
inventors that will drive the future.

Mentoring, sponsored and working with this organization is such a joy, I'll never stop doing it.

FIRST is second to none in providing a full experiential learning experience for students who want pursue careers in technical and business areas. They solve real problems under real deadlines as a team. It's not just about building a robot and being successful at competition, but they have to raise money, do community outreach and become all-around ambassadors for the program in their school and community. This program builds character as well as knowledge, something that few other programs can do.

First is amazing best experience of my life. FLL, FTC, and FRC. It is awesome everyone should do first.

Mentoring FIRST FTC teams inspired my teaching (I teach Computer Science) and invited me into the world of mechanical engineering. I saw my students learn lifelong lessons through interacting with each other, the students they competed with and the many wonderful volunteers who work in the FTC program. If an opportunity like this had been available when I was in high school it would likely have encouraged me (a female) to pursure engineering. I discovered that I LOVE building things!

First Robotics helps introduce engineering and robotics to kids and teens in a fun and competitive way, but also in a way that lets them explore the world of science, tech, marketing and engineering. First makes these fields accessible to kids who might never have thought of or pursued engineering and science. And First is a great entry for girls into STEM. And First stresses good sportsmanship and comraderie at the competition, and helps build an engaged and supportive community.

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!

As a seventh grader my older brother joined the local first team and I went to competitions with my parents I was hooked. Then when I entered 9th grade the teacher coach told me I had to join so I did. Then I was on the team for four years. Also I was on an ftc team where I was their first female captain and mainly built the bot by myself. During my senior year I helped our town start up FLL teams. After high school I became a junior mentor. I also started a JR FLL team with a teacher that I met through FRC since her daughters went through the program also. Now I am a two year old teacher and a mentor for the ftc team.

Going to regional competitions, once as an advisor and once as the parent of a middle schooler, I've been impressed with the enthusiasm of the student participants. The kids really get into the program. They want to do well, for themselves, for their teams and their schools. The kids and the mentors put in additional hours, even beyond their commitments, because they're excited by the challenge. The children show a level of engagement equal to what I've seen in school sports. They're learning how to work together and how to solve problems -- which is something students don't always get in classroom subjects. The commitment I've seen from mentors is equally impressive. As an advisor, I've heard amazing stories about how participation in FIRST has helped children, and has motivated them to major in STEM disciplines in college -- including some students who had never thought they could attend college. I'm very proud my son participated in the FIRST program!

FIRST is one of the most influential forces shaping my life. As a high school student, a small spark of interest in engineering and technology was fanned into a passion and a career by the intense fun and practical learning provided by FRC.

As a professional engineer now mentoring multiple levels of FIRST programs, I see - on a daily basis - the impact a competitive environment and a supportive community of passionate volunteers can have on students from a vast multitude of backgrounds.

This program gave me an amazing start and continues to do so year after year for thousands of bright young minds across the country and even the world.

Dean Kamen's vision of changing the culture and elevating careers science and technology to a level of admiration only given to entertainers and athletes is a noble one. And the organization he founded has executed against that vision year after year, only growing bigger and louder with each season.

Too many of the top teams that students look up to only care about having an "perfect image" and don't actually care about the students, mentors or any other members of FIRST. These people alone have made my experience with FIRST absolutely horrible.

I know of no other organization that does supports education and kids in such a fun way as FIRST. I first got involved as a parent, and when I saw how much fun FRC is for the kids and the mentors, I knew I had to be involved. I am not a techie and wasn't sure how I could be a part, but found my niche in helping with fundraising and providing meals for the kids on long work days. As an employee for a grade school, I suggested (ok, I begged) to the principal that we add FLL as an elective for middle school. I was shocked when she asked me to teach the class! I found that even I, a non-techie mom could coach an FLL team- and I love it!
My younger daughter has since stepped into the FIRST world as a scout on her FRC team and it has really become a family "thing." I have watched as both of my daughters have gained confidence, experience, and a purpose that they would not have found anywhere else. FIRST has empowered them and given them am amazing "resume" for their high school years. I have heard it said many times that "there is no exit strategy for FIRST" and I'm sure I will still be a part of the team even after my girls both graduate.
When I meet parents of new high school students, I always encourage them to have their kids try out FIRST. Many kids who would be lost in other programs and sports find their home there.

When I began in first. I was in 5th grade. Seeing the programming and building in First Lego League was amazing. How can a 11 year old build a robot? A better question is, why don't people understand how amazing FIRST is! There is no other program where kids as young as 6 can start working with robots. I'm on 1 of 3 Girlscout FRC teams. I makes me so sad when I see the amount of girls interested in robotics. I would just like to tell all girls who are passionate about robotics to tell all other girls, if they want to be in robotics, do it!

When I first joined the robotics team when I was a freshman, I didn't know what I was getting into. Over the years of growing up with FIRST Robotics, I learned how to design, how to write, and how to communicate. FIRST robotics touches every person who participates and it teaches them to lead the future. Much of the recent progress happening in today's society can be traced back, in some way, to FIRST.

I've been in FIRST for six seasons now, entering my seventh (third FTC). FIRST has greatly influenced and improved my life, by teaching me a slew of skills, from engineering processes to coding to business aspects. As well, I have met a lot of great friends through it. FIRST is awesome!

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've been an adult volunteer for multiple years each in scouting, youth sports, and several STEM extracurriculars. They all serve their communities well, but FIRST stands out for developing a combination of technical and non-technical skills together with positive, inclusive core values that prepares students for workplace and college success.

The FIRST organization is well-managed at headquarters by pros who do an incredible job managing a huge staff of passionate volunteers. Dollar for dollar, FIRST provides an incomparable return on investment with documented results.

I became involved with FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) in 2007 when my kids joined our local robotics teams (one in FRC - high school, and one in FLL - intermediate school). This is a world-wide program that encourages students to learn about and become inspired by science, technology, engineering, and math through hands-on activities and competitions which are free and open to the public. As an engineer myself I was drawn to help the team and mentor the students in areas from programming to writing award submission essays to working on their presentation skills in front of groups of adults as well as other students. I cannot say enough about the positive skills that my kids learned from their experience on our Robotics teams. They are now in college, one majoring in Computer Science & Engineering and the other majoring in Elementary Education with a collaborative second major in Math and Computer Science. They learned to work as part of a team; they learned math and engineering skills. They learned confidence; they learned respect. They were both honored to be team captains in their senior year; they learned leadership. FIRST is a life long experience that will be with them for the rest of their life. As for me and my husband (yes, we got the whole family involved), we are still mentoring the team even 3 years after our kids have graduated from high school. I too learn something new about engineering, or working with young people, or about myself every year. Our kids also come back and work with the new members of their team when they are on break from college. If you have an opportunity to become involved with a FIRST team, do not hesitate. You will never regret it. It is the hardest fun you will ever have... and the rewards far exceed the cost.

I became involved with FRC as an advisor three years ago. At first, the program seemed daunting as there were no blueprints or designs other than a rule book to follow. This was very frustrating to myself and the students that were involved.

With that being said, FRC has been the best program for both myself and my students to grow in learning how to reason, design for the challenge, utilize resources, collaborate with others, and in general compete with the resources we have at hand. For us, it has brought together multiple groups of students together who would otherwise not cross each others paths. Students who are mathematically and computer science gifted are natually drawn to this program, as are students who excell in fabrication and construction. All talents are required and necessary to make this project successful.

This upcoming season, our FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) team is celebrating ten years. We started in 2005with help from other FIRST teams and folks from NASA. We live in Garrett County - a very rural county in the State of Maryland, about an hour or so south of Pittsburgh. The impact of our team is beyond measure - affecting not only our students members but our County as a whole. All of our student members go on to college with at least 95% pursuing STEM careers - many receiving scholarships and entrance to their preferred school as a result of their FIRST experience in high school. In addition to affecting our student members, our team has grown to be the leader for community and school-based STEM education in Garrett County - sponsoring everything from summer tech camps for elementary school students to pumpkin chucking events in conjunction with local fall festivals. It's been wonderful for our team to have competed at the Pittsburgh Regional giving those who live in Garrett County and support our team a greater chance to travel to see a FIRST (FRC) competition.

I was introduced to FIRST through my son. Coming from a background of electromechanical industrial controls, I naturally took to the organization. The students and mentors involved are the best people to inspire young minds of today. The FIRST organization provides a venue for the team and personnel talents. The yearly challenge and strict rules allows the wildest designs to come to life and solve very difficult problem. Everyone, no mater the skill level can have a huge part of a team. The best part of FIRST is that an entire school can be a part of the project. No matter the interest every student can play a role in a FIRST team. The draw for me as a volunteer is the total package. But helping students explore science and problem solving techniques has been very rewarding and always leaves me cheering on the teams.

FIRST is a program that gets high school students more educated in robotics and engineering. It is much better than a normal classroom setting, where you follow a set of instructions to complete your robot and learn the VERY basics of programming. FIRST is definately trial and error based, where students are encouraged to think outside the box or normality, and come of with great ideas. One of the best parts about FIRST is how the games are as fun and exciting as a tradtional sporting event; even the atmosphere is similar to going to baseball/football game. I have been involved in FIRST for only two years, and I have already gotten these messages I am explaining and many more. If it were not for FIRST I would certainly not be as knowledgible in robotics, and not considering going to college at CMU or MIT, definately one of the most prestieged science/technology colleges in the world. I would personally like to thank FIRST for intoducing me into a new field I may not have been interested in otherwise.

FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is an organization that gets kids excited about engineering, science, and technology. Excited doesn't really quite cover it. Students participating in FIRST events are more enthusiastic about conquering engineering challenges than any Pittsburgh sport fan. Every time I go to the competitions I am amazed by the excitement and energy of these kids.

I am a mentor with a FIRST Robotics team at a local high school. (There are other FIRST organizations for junior high and elementary school ages, too.) Each year FIRST Robotics introduces a new engineering design challenges in the form of a game. All the teams have six weeks to build a robot to play this game. At the end of the six weeks we ship the robot and don't see it again until competition. I work as an engineer and having a deliverable in only six weeks is an amazing feat.

One of the things that impresses me most about FIRST is the concept of “gracious professionalism”. The teams are very focused on winning the game, but they are even more tightly focused on helping everyone have a good competition. It is not uncommon for a team to show up at competition missing a key component (such as a working program for their robot) and by the end of the day other teams will have helped them get the machine up and running. The culture of gracious professionalism is, I think, my favorite thing about FIRST. We are helping train young people to go in to the world and be fierce, focused, competitive, but NOT jerks!

Im a highschool student in ftc that has only been a part of FIRST for two years but ever since I started I have loved it. It has taught me more about electrical systems 3d modeling, and mechanical designs along with the importance of gracious professionalism and teamwork. FIRST has given me the opprotunity to explore the world of engineering in a way i had never thought of before

I have worked with FIRST as a volunteer at a regional competition and I am in my second year as a mentor to a high school that has both FTC and FRC teams. FIRST is a great way to address the STEM needs in our schools. The kids on these teams are the best. One of the most important things they learn from FIRST is gracious professionalism. Former FIRST graduates in our school have gone on to study various types of engineering, computer software, even biomedical engineering. The regional competitions are a lot of fun for the kids. I really enjoy working with these young people.

We began our invlovement with FIRST last year. Our students were very excited about the prospects of building a robot, even though, we had no idea what to expect. Fortunately, we had three veteren teams in our area that pitched in to help us get started and before we knew it, the build season was upon us. It was the longest/shortest 6 weeks of my life! Long hours, everyday, but the weeks flew by as we prepared for the Pittsburgh Regional. As the day finaly arrived, our students were excited beyod containment. The event organizers in Pittsburgh prepared for and ran a flawless competition and our student's were fortunate enough to win the Outstanding Rookie Award as well as qualifying as the top seeded rookie team.
What an experience for our student's! Many of them were able to solidify their career choices as engineers and computer programmers after the experience provided by FIRST and the organizers in Pittsburgh. My thanks to all involved in making this experience a great one for all of my students and the great number of students from all of the other schools represented. I can't wait to go again this coming year. Our students are getting excited as they begin making preparatiions for another build season.

I have been working with a FISRT team for 10 years. We get young 9th graders who know very little about robotics, design, building, tools, etc. When they graduate as 12th graders, they have a huge head start on their college peers.

I have had seen several students win full 4-year scholarships to college based upon their FIRST experience. There are dozens of colleges offering FIRST scholarship.

FIRST changes lives! These children are our technological future.

To learn more, visit their website at FIRST dot org. Also, do a youtube search and see some fantastic videos.

I started volunteering with FIRST in 2008 as an assistant coach. I became a head FRC coach in 2010 and started an FTC team in 2011. The impact FIRST has had on our students is immeasurable. I have watched the kids grow from wide-eyed freshmen to true leaders and professionals. Time spent with FIRST is very well spent, and I plan to continue serving FIRST as long as I can. Personally, I have changed since starting with FIRST. I find myself regularly doing community service now, and I like it! FIRST is an amazing experience for the students, coaches, mentors, and sponsors!

My husband and I became involved with FIRST in 2009 when our son was looking on the web for academic challenge. The experience has been irreplaceable ! Now we are running a nonprofit for several FIRST robotics teams and mentoring. FIRST builds successful, confident, and bright students for our future workforce. The students become better problem solvers, team players, and learn a variety of skills. This skills include machining, programming, electrical, CAD, pneumatics, designing, and following a timeline. Because of the success of the students that have been through our FIRST program, we continue our mission even though our son is in college. Seventeen students have graduated with FIRST skills from our team and received $799,000.00 in college scholarships. THAT IS SUCCESS! All of them credit FIRST for their choices that have made. It doesn't end there, once graduated, they continue by finding other teams and programs so they can continue to mentor. It is a wonderful cycle that encourages giving back to your community. I know from experience, once you get involved you get hooked on FIRST.

A family friend had mentioned that there was this FIRST group built around STIMs, (I did not know what the meant), but I knew that it was robotics and my one boy was very interested. So, I supported it and then became immersed in this amazing culture. We had worked together in another creative thinking team competition and that really creates an environment for the kids to come up with ideas, learn how to articulate their ideas so the team can understand their ideas and then bring it to life in the CAD program, and then physically. I am in my second year of mentoring. My other son has joined a team in his age group and I was am still blown away by the things the kids create and the "Gracious Professionalism" demonstrated by them and everyone in this program. I am still overwhelmed that a little over two years ago, I had no idea it even existed.

I decided to donate to FIRST after interacting with some of the kids at the local farmer's market. They were all very knowledgeable about the robot, how it was built, and the plans for the team. The local team (MARS) invited me to their weekly practice, and I've been hooked as a mentor ever since. The program really gives these wonderful kids a great outlet for their intelligence and creativity, and I enjoy the opportunity to assist them. I was in different gifted/magnet programs and schools as a child, but this is so much more advanced than any of the programs I was ever exposed to. I see FIRST doing a great job, and I'm happy to devote my time to it, even though I don't have any kids.

My husband and I became involved in the FIRST organization 6 yrs ago when my son joined his school robotics team as a Freshman. One of the most impressive things we have witnessed is how these kids do not hesitate to help other teams during competitions. They compete against each other yet they are there without hesitation when one team is having trouble and needs assistance. They cheer for one another and pick each other up when they are down. Thanks to FIRST my son learned what real team work means and learned how to be a leader. These are life lessons and skills that will help take him through his personal life and his career. He is now in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Cincinnati and landed a co-op position at an engineering firm thanks to the skills he learned while being a member of FIRST ROBOTICS Team 279.

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.

i joined FIRST as a parent of an enthuiastic High School Freshman. It wasn't long before I, as an engineer, realized the amazing opportinities that FIRST provides. You cannot get closer to a real life engineering experience, not even on many internships and college coops. The program also goes way beyond engineering and provides opportinities in marketing, programming, graphics and automation design, and many more. This is now my third year on what was a rookie team. My younger son has joined and my husband provides IT consulting services. There is another aspect I must mention. Unlike many competitive activities, FIRST encourages Graceful Professionalism. Teams are encouraged to teach and assist other teams. Even though the competition is fierce, everyone is helpful and everyone that succeeds in even getting to competition can be proud of their accomplishments. We had a graduating Senior with 2 years of FIRST experience and one year of LabView get selected as a Freshman at Carnegie Mellon to work with Graduate Students on a Lunar Robotic Rover project.

This is my fifth year as a FIRST Mentor and coach. I am also an educator. There is nothing else like FIRST in the schools. Why is FIRST important? I could tell you all about the need for STEM education or the need for programmers or the way that FIRST gets kids passionate about STEM but that would only make it a good program. What makes FIRST great is the ability to provide kids that would not be successful in other extra curricular areas the chance to really shine. My heart melts every time I see one of my robo kids cheered on by others in the school because of what they have done and are able to do. Robotics provides a connection to the school for kids that might not be connected.

This is my 4th year as a mentor for a FIRST FRC Team in Western PA. My role on the team was created because our school started a new team and my son was part of this. However, this is now my second year without my son being on the team. He graduated high school and is at a university that is #3 for Mechanical Engineering in the US. I keep coming back because the program enables students with many different skills and abilities to work on a STEM related project as a team and succeed. I have students on the team that have autism, ADHD, learning disabilities, the highest GPA's and the lowest GPA's, those who will not continue their education beyond high school and those who will create the next biggest thing, all working together. What program can incorporate all of that and still turn out a team of winners? It is FIRST Robotics. I am not an engineer or technical person. I am a nurse by trade. The Pittsburgh Regional Director and its program provides guidance and assistance to our team so that we can succeed!

I've been involved with FIRST as a judge, a coach, and a parent for over ten years now. In my opinion, THE most important thing that comes from a student's participation in FIRST is their evolution into a young person who understands and values those life skills that will lead to their personal success. I spend way too much of my personal time working with FIRST students and I wish I could spend more. I'm a professional educator and working with the students restores my faith in the next generation every year. The programs are a great combination of sport and creativity and additional mentors and coaches are always needed. That such an amazing program runs through the efforts of thousands of volunteers is just one example how valued these programs are by so many people.

This is my 11th season as a co-coach of Mountaineer Area Robotics MARS. We enjoy competing in the Pittsburgh / Western PA tournaments. We currently mentor four teams from there. The sharing of knowledge, life skills and common bonds is outstanding in a FIRST team if the effort is put in by the coaches and mentors. Have attended 25 FIRST tournaments with my daughter and many other outstanding youth. Always a great time for them and me. Would not trade the experience for any other on a team or personal level.

We will provide mentoring and assistance to all other teams in FRC, FTC and FLL
P.Tucker MARS FRC 2614
GO MARS!! MARSFIRST.ORG

Last year we started a FIRST Robotics Team with 7 high school students who just wanted to explore the field of competitive robotics. We had NO idea what we were getting into! After having been through the process of setting up a team, identifying mentors with experience in CAD design, Programming, Electrical Wiring and Mechanical Building, and taking those students through a six week build cycle to complete their first Regional Competition, I can say this is THE best engineering experience hands down. Over the course of the year we recruited 7 more students, raised money to fund our robotic team and got to work closely with industry professionals. Our team members learned what it's like to solve a real engineering problem with real time constraints and real resource limitations. No one is going to do it for you. Your team and the team dynamics are what you make of it. Your fundraising and team marketing is what you make of it. Your robot and your technical skills are as effective as the planning and training and effort that you put into it. It is a great model for the real working world. If you as a student want to be an engineer, this is the opportunity of a lifetime to gets hands-on experience working in a team environment on an engineering challenge that's too big for you to solve.

I'm a teacher at United High School in Armagh, PA. This program has helped steer many rural students, who thought they had no choice but to accept a career in local activities, to many different STEM careers. I have had many students go on to careers in engineering and computer programming as a direct result of FIRST.

The FIRST Robotics program has given 4-H members a wonderful opportunity: to work together with youth from various schools, mentor youth, learn from experts in the engineering field, time management skills, decision making skills and creative development. Youth who have been involved learned a great deal from the adult mentors and industry experts who offered to help. In the community, publicity from the project created a greater awareness of opportunities in the science field and robotics in our town. As a springboard, a summer robotics camp was launched to help provide a feeder system for the high school program. All aspects of the project have been positive. The most difficult part is the funding area which is very competitive in a small community. Thank you.

Why I keep coming back. The exhilaration of watching kids work together for a common goal! They believe that this is all about the “winning”. But it is about teamwork and becoming excited about science, technology, engineering and yes math too. We see young people, who say they hate these subjects; apply these skills to make the ‘bot better. In the meantime they are developing skills for the future. It’s making kids enjoy learning, interactively. As said by Bill Cosby, enjoy “but be careful you just might learn something.” And they do!! More than we can ever imagine.

My son and I started our local FIRST LEGO League team after researching many options for character building programs for youth. We landed on FLL because it combined my desire for character building (through its impressive core values) with his desire for something practical and fun.

Our first year has been one of the most exciting, challenging, rewarding, and insane things I have ever done.

I have never seen kids so dedicated to a program that has such practical implications for their future. These kids are learning the basics of robotics, team building, project management, work flow, and visual programming. They are also learning to dream big while still laying out the necessary steps to accomplishing that dream.

As a result of our efforts this year, the local school district is already planning and budgeting to support additional teams next year. We have a five year goal of expanding FIRST in our community to include FLL, FTC, and FRC.

On average, I volunteer 6 hours each week for FIRST. Four of those hours are hands on work with students. Two of those hours involve research and preparation using resources from FIRST and LEGO.

FIRST LEGO League is the worst Non-profit organization that I have ever dealt with. They are rude to their volunteers and claim that the Partners in the state will provide training, medallions, etc. They provide nothing to the volunteers, teams or children. The staff in New Hampshire are incompetent and disorganized. When complaints are made against a partner they do nothing at all. I would not recommend this program to any school or community. It is expensive and does not even come close to meeting all that they claim in their marketing. Save your money and use EARLY robotics or Vex or anything else.

FIRST is an amazing program that gets high school students to bring together and share their creativity, enthusiasm, hard work, dedication, and incredible smarts to build a robot which competes with other schools around the world. In order to be successful, FIRST team's need several different types of skill sets from the students, ranging from math and engineering skills to build the robots, to business and marketing skills to fundraise and get free parts from companies. One of the best things about FIRST is they don't hold tryouts to be on the team like most high school sports. If you want to be involved and show initiative, then you're on the team! FIRST is one of the best high school programs around that prepares young minds for life after high school. FIRST is paving the way for the next generation of professionals which will one day run this country.

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.

you state that the president gets a 229,000 annual salary on this site. And people are ginving it 5 stars? Wow! this blows my mind! Why would you want to donate to give the president a 229k annual salary? I will not give it 5 stars, nor 5.00.
People really need to looks at the profit statements, for the salary's before donating to their favorite charity's.
You may think twice. there are a lot of them out there that do not make these enormous salaries!

For over 15 years, I've been involved with numerous activities/programs to encourage engineering at the pre-college level. This program does more to further that cause than any other program. However, it is much broader than that. It provides many kids who follow other paths with a good start in practical technology (in the broad sense of the term), math, science, and, of course, engineering. Many kids have learned they have abilities they were never aware of. It should be in every school.

FIRST is an amazing organization and was just what my son was looking for in an extracurricular activity. My son has always loved science and was looking for more than school offered. We became involved with FIRST robotics when my son was in 4th grade. I became a mentor and worked with some great mentors to help the team find their passion in robotics and science. The students on the team learned to work as a team, to brainstorm and research a problem, build and program a robot, and present their research and solution to a problem in a creative way. I saw all of the students blossom. Their self esteem, organization, perserverance, and sense of community with others interested in science grew through the process of friendly competition through FIRST.

FIRST offers students a view into the world of science and technology that they may not get in their regular school curriculum. It also emphasizes teamwork, problem-solving, and responsibility. It's amazing to see how the students get so excited and involved in the program.

FIRST is true to its name -- providing inspiration as well as an exposure to science and technology. Working with engineers and scientists, students learn much more than valuable technical skills. FIRST exposes the student with excitement of discovery, emphasizes team work, and asks every student and every mentor to exercise gracious professionalism. I have seen students grow in confidence and maturity -- looking ahead to careers that contribute to community and country.

FIRST offers an incredible opportunity for students of all ages to discover their "hidden" talents in the areas of science and technology. I started two years ago with a small high school team who built what they called their "Ghetto-Bot" and competed in our local regional. This robot was built with chicken-wire, "Duct" tape and plywood, hence the name. Last year I coached, or co-coached a total of four teams, one at each grade level. The excitement and enthusiasm of my students (ages 8 through 17) was awe-inspiring! Some of these kids would have said they didn't know anything about science, or robots, or engineering yet, they managed to design, construct, program and operate a variety of robots. My original team (FRC)constructed a robot that truly looked "space-age" with seperate enclosed compartments for both the electronics and the pnuematics. They even contrived pnuematic shocks for the electronics box! My second high school team (FTC)went all to way to the World Championships after winning our local regional and an "Inovation in Design" award from a major aerospace company! This year we will have two of these teams competing as part of the new Robotics course I am teaching at our high school. My elementary teams are "chomping at the bit" to get started on this year's challenge! I cannot say enough about the level of empowerment this program is offering my students. They are so excited about participating in the program and having their ideas taken seriously that it boggles the mind! Yeah, F.I.R.S.T.!

As my company has been involved with FIRST for the past 5 years, we decided to increase our impact and offer scholarships to select participants of the 2010 competition. The FIRST organization attracts such a high caliber of students that it made our selection process a difficult, but enjoyable one. We were able to directly affect the students in a way that our company never has before. FIRST is a well oiled machine that helps companies positively impact students across the nation and world and encourage those students into the fields of science and engineering.

I got involved with FIRST because I was intrigued by the Founders notion that the education "problem" in the United States was a DEMAND problem as distingquished from a SUPPLY problem. "Kids don't stay in school because they can't get their hands on a good book". They don't stay in school and study because they don't understand why it is so important to their futures -- and so don't WANT to be in school. And rather than look to the government or to schools to generate demand, why not look to partner with BUSINESSES. Businesses have successfully generated demand for their products for generations, and so they are uniquely qualified to help generate demand to learn -- paaticularly to learn about things that businessess understand will impact the quality of life for all people on our planet. Armed with this theory, I convinced my company to sponsor a team in Detroit, Michigan. The school would not let me meet with large groups of students as they were afraid of a riot. So, I went classroom to classrom, convincing kids that they wanted to join the new FIRST team. I promised fun and good PR. The kids flat out told me no one would come see the robot they were supposed to build. They told me they were interested in jobs. So, to motivate them to join the team, we promised two team leaders summer internships. And we promised we would pay for the team of kids who actively participated to go to the finals at Disney. Thirty-six kids came EVERY meeting to design and build the robot, design team T-Shirts, organize fundraisers and document their experience. These same kids on their own got dressed up and made formal presentations to the comapany president. The team changed the kids -- gave them an insight into what they could do with themselves if they worked hard, stayed in school and took some math and science classes. It changed the employees who developed a new appreciation for themselves (they were heroes to the kids) and for one another. And this transformation took place in about eight weeks as the team of adults and students came together to solve a problem without enough resources, and without enough time. And they produced a great, attractive robot and won Rookie of the Year! A demand to learn was born, as was a new respect for scientists, engineers and mathematicians.

This is one great organizational structure with vision--and a lot of "fun" work opportunities. No other group for which I have volunteered has provided such an intensive feeling of accomplishment. My involvement has allowed me to be involved one-on-one with students to motivate and be motivated. Working with the other judges, I have been involved in some intense discussions of which team should get a particular award. In the back-and-forth evaluations of performance against criteria, I am amazed each year that we can actually come to a consensus, always with an overriding concern for the students on a team at the forefront of our deliberations.

As a chemical engineer, I have always looked for ways to encourage more of our children to study math and science. The challenge comes with fighting the stereotype that those subjects are hard and boring. When I started volunteering at FIRST events over 12 years ago, I knew I had found an organization that not only challenged those sterotypes, but busted them to pieces! FIRST is the only organization I've found that inspires kids to push the envelope in math & science while simultaneously linking those concepts to solving fun, real world engineering problems. The FIRST experience brings kids from vastly different backgrounds and skill sets together, giving them a common goal - "Building a machine to effectively play our game". Coming together into one cohesive team are the "jocks", the "mechanics", the "programming geeks", the "fundraisers", the "cheerleaders" and the "business folks" - kids that normally wouldn't socialize together, but all necessary parts of a succesful FIRST team. FIRST relies heavily on volunteers who, after attending an event, inevitably want to assist in the non-profit's mission. They get hooked! Engineers and scientists from many well-known companies like GM, ExxonMobil, Lucent, and AT&T as well as federal agencies such as NASA, the US Army and the NSA, have volunteered as team mentors. Mentorship is a critical component allowing kids to see their potential and put their academic knowledge into practice. Mentors provide vision, inspiration, encouragement, technical know-how and love, all the key ingredients a child needs to grow strong. FIRST gets kids excited and wanting to learn more! One measure of FIRST's success is the number of team alumni that return after graduation to become team mentors or sponsors. Numerous teams have a well-defined lineage, anxious to show off their "family trees". Many times team alumni end up sponsoring new teams to promote FIRST's growth. Unlike many organizations that try to force growth, FIRST growth is organic - happening because it is such a posiive experience. People of all ages can't get enough and are anxious to stay engaged. Core to the FIRST mission is a concept called "Gracious Professionalism". So, while there is friendly competition at a FIRST event, you also see an incredible amount of teams helping other teams to succeed. I've witnessed one team help another to completely rebuild a robot that had fallen apart, only to be beaten by them later in the day. Why would they do that? The answer is simple ... FIRST structures events to be a "Co-opertition". The team you're playing against today is a team you may be partnered with tomorrow. It is always in each team's best interest to make sure they have healthy competitors because they don't know who they'll be partnered up with at any given moment! Finally, FIRST heavily promotes community outreach. Teams are encouraged to spread the word of math and science to their communities. Ive seen teams give demonstrations of their robot creations at shopping malls, State Fairs and even the White House! FIRST teams have managed to get coverage in newspapers, on television and in magazines. One Canadian team appeared in three episodes of the popular television show "Degrassi Junior High" touting the benefits of math & science using their robots. I've also seen teams target at risk children, using robotics to get them interested in school again and showing them their potential. The success is found in the numbers - over 88% of the kids involved in FIRST go on to college. To an inner city school, FIRST is an invaluable program to keep kids interested in continuing their education. One final, amazing point ... well over 95% of all the FIRST activities throughout the world are planned, organized and executed by volunteers. This allows money that is raised to go to where it is needed most. It's also a strong indication of how effective the FIRST program is. Sometimes FIRST can be "organized chaos", but with the focus remaining on the kids, it always manages to be a great success. I will continue volunteering for FIRST because I truly believe it's the education model we need for a successful future.

For the past three years I have attended various FIRST Robotic Events both at the regional and national competitions, as Johnson & Wales University is a scholarship provider. From the organizers down to the students, I have been impressed with the different events FIRST puts on. Engineers are needed badly in the workforce and FIRST has provided an opportunity at such a young age for students to work on big projects. These projects have helped develop the technology skills that lay a great foundation for their future careers in technology. We look forward to working with FIRST for many years to come.

FIRST, with all of its competitions (FIRST Robotics, Lego League, etc) provides an opportunity for students in elementary, middle, and high school to become and remain excited about science, math, and engineering. Students in middle and high school often start to question why they are studying math and science -- the FIRST competitions, along with the mentor relationships that are developed, allow students to apply math and science in a fun way, which keeps them interested. As important as the math and science that students learn are the teamwork, problem-solving, and communication skills that FIRST emphasizes. These skills will prepare students for a lifetime of achievement, irrespective of the field that they choose to study and pursue.

FIRST Robotics is an amazing organization that empowers students and encourages them to be the next generation of innovators. It teaches them to have realistic role models and expectations of their futures. It encourages them to excel at all they do and fosters a love of learning. Not only all that, but it is fun, too! I have been involved with this organization for 7 years and have watched the students learn and grow. My own children have become better people as a result of their involvemnet.

I've been a FIRST volunteer for 8 years. The robots, competitions, and all the excitement are fantastic yet what makes FIRST stand out for me, and why I continue to volunteer is the impact it has on students. Every year, I am amazed and impressed to see the creativity students use to solve the challenge. Without the boundary of being told that something is too hard or that something is impossible, the students accomplishments are amazing. Beyond the creativity, what I find most special about FIRST is how it builds self confidence and instills a sense of gracious professionalism in students. It's rare these days to see an organization that fosters hard competition AND at the same time maintains the perspective that HOW you win or lose is also important. Students need to learn how to win and how to lose. FIRST does a great job of giving students the opportunity to learn these lessons.

FIRST is an amazing organization. The premise is to encourage young folks to pursue fields in science and technology. FIRST initially started as the FIRST Robotics Competition (FTC). Then they believed that children needed to get excited about technology prior to high school, so they teamed up with LEGO and had the FIRST LEGO League (FLL) for middle schoolers (9-14 years old). Now it has expanded to Junior FIRST LEGO League (6-9 year olds) and FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) an alternative to FRC for high school-aged students. FIRST focuses on "Gracious Professionalism." In practice, what this means is that team members will work with other teams to assist them. That includes sharing robotics parts, helping them program the robot, and even borrowing a robot when one was dropped during a competition event. Gracious Professionalism is a wonderful concept to instill in young people.

As Scholarship Coordinator for the College of Engineering at the University of Missouri, I have attended regional competitions to promote the University-sponsored FIRST scholarships. I have been impressed with the quality of these competitions and the enthusiasm for learning it has promoted in the student participants. FIRST helps students become well-rounded individuals with a focus on developing their technological skills.

I became aware of FIRST Robotics during a competition that was held at the Kennedy Space Center. At that time I was a member of the Astronaut Corps and was invited to the competition by another astronaut, Dave Brown. I was amazed at the quality of the robots and the level of competition. Since that time I have become involved both from a planning perspective as well as a judge and a judge advisor for the Oklahoma Regional, the Dallas Regional and the National Competition in Atlanta. FIRST provides students with a way to increase their knowledge of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) by working alongside highly talented volunteer engineers and scientists. They work in a real world environment with limited budgets and strict time-lines to produce high quality and technically proficient robots. They take their finished product and compete at regional and national competitions against equally talented and competitive robots. FIRST teaches these students about the value of learning by doing and competing with others in a professional and gracious manner. The skill sets they learn through FIRST are incredibly valuable to their lifelong learning and professional development. I highly recommend that communities work to make FIRST a part of their educational goals for all students in their regions.

I am the Principal Investigator for the TIME Center (Technology and Innovation in Manufacturing and Engineering), a Regional Center of Excellence funded by the National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technological Education Program. We have worked closely with our statewide community college partners, regional FIRST partners and various stakeholder groups to support FIRST robotics as a very effective means of engaging students in problem-based learning activities that spur their innovative thinking and creative problem-solving. It has also proven to be an equally effective means of encouraging students to enter and persist in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education programs and careers. The rebuilding and repair of the STEM pipeline is critical to the continuing success of the United States in maintaining and enhancing its position in the global manufacturing and engineering marketplace, and the FIRST program has proven its value in contributing to that task. On a personal level, I have been truly impressed with the excitement, energy and enthusiasm of the students who participate in FIRST Robotics, and the impact that their participation has on their perception of themselves and the work world they will eventually manage. I am just as impressed with the commitment of the numerous volunteers, teachers, mentors, family members and corporate partners to the very important goals of the FIRST Robotics program, and the enthusiasm with which they demonstrate that commitment. Recent research we conducted also shows that the FIRST Robotics program is attracting more women and minorities to its activities and to STEM educational programs and careers generally, a critical need as we move toward a more diverse, global workforce.

I have been the New England Admission Counselor/Assistant Director of Admission for Florida Tech now entering my 12th year. My very first experience with FIRST was at a WPI/NCSSSMST conference, where I saw the history of FIRST. Then I began to experience the energy, the commitment, the competition of all that FIRST involves. Then, when Florida Tech's freshmen robotics team WON a major competition, and 4 out of the 5 were from New England AND ALL were FIRST competitors, I participated in any and all regional FIRST events. Scholarship Row allowed colleges to be in the hall. Florida Tech guarantees ALL a $10,000 scholarship, if they are academically scholarship qualified for FIRST participation. For my university, and for many more, FIRST is symbolic with excellence, creativity, competition, teamwork and pure love of science. FIRST deserves and has earned your recognition and your support.

Since learning about FIRST in 2007, our company has supported FIRST programs and I have personally participated in programs and at events. What I have observed is an amazing program that engages children from grade school through high school in more than just robotics, it gets them interested in technology, science and math careers. It takes something that could be intimidating and presents it in a way that all can learn and participate. Not only does it support STEM education but teaches SO MUCH MORE. Its theme of Gracious Professionalism teaches students that it is inot always about winning but the importance of working together and helping others. In addition, teams and partcipants are encouraged to share the message in the community, mentor younger children and provide community service. It is a remarkable organization and I am proud to be a part of the FIRST family.

First Robotics is a truly inspiring program. It sucessfully brings together industry, universities, and high schools to build and support the pipline of students who will go into the technological workforce.

FIRST is an organization that seeks to make science and technology interesting and exciting to students through robotics competitions. As well as encouraging teamwork and "gracious professionalism" FIRST hopes the excitement of participation in the competitions will contribute to students staying in school and thinking about post-secondary education in science and Engineering. I am a Professional Engineer and I have judged at many competions over the past seven years. It is inspiring to me to see students excited about the technology of robots, but also very motivating to see the teamwork and growth in the students. Experienced teams help inexperienced teams, older students mentor younger students and past participants come back and assist. FIRST is truly an amazing program and I am grateful for my participation, and to the visionaries who created and continue to lead this effort.

FIRST is a truly unique organization which helps encourage students from all walks of life to get excited and learn about science and engineering. FIRST creates and organizes events nationwide which encourages students to apply knowledge in a fun filled game that requires teamwork, on the spot thinking and creatvity. It is such a fun experience watching these kids compete, and see how excited they can get about science. The program is helping recruit future scientists and engineers, all while letting the kids have a lot of fun.

FIRST Robotics tournaments are the single most exciting outreach activity that I have had an opportunity to witness. As a tournament judge, I am able to interact directly with students who work tremendously hard over a very short 6-week period to build robots for a specified challenge. It is amazing to see what students can do, if you just challenge them. And the FIRST organization does just that. The challenges are difficult, they require time, energy, and resource, but the students get it done anyway. More important is the focus of FIRST on transforming the culture. The award structure celebrates creativity and outreach through a philosophy of gracious professionalism (a term coined by FIRST officials), and a lot of the FIRST teams really get it -- and they know how to reach their school-aged peers. Finally, the FIRST tournaments are like attending a March-Madness basketball event. Music, dancing, and enthusiasm to beat the band. I even saw the band from the Bedford Stuyvesant school in Brooklyn perform at the NY city regional tournament this past spring. It was awesome. If you ever have a chance to go to a FIRST tournament, do yourself and your kids a favor -- just go and see with your own eyes. I guarantee you will have a renewed view of robots and young people in general.

I work for the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and we give scholarships to worthy students who participate on a FIRST Team. Between working for ASME and as a member I have been able to open up the eyes of many coworkers and other volunteers to see all the good that can come from these kids being on a FIRST Robotics team. In the 4years I have participated I have watch freshman evolve into young adults who have a solid knowledge of what they want to do in the engineering fields and other aspects of life. they have learned to work together for the greater good of the team and learned invaluable life lessons from thier mentors and other teams. I am pleased to see how many high school students come back to thier FIRST Robotic's team to mentor when they can. FIRST has made math and science fun, entertaining, educational and most of all for everyone, not just the geeks... These kids get on the job, hands on training on what they learn in class and then they see how it all clicks and works together in the real world. that is invaluable.

FIRST speaks in a powerful voice to the best and brightest students, letting them know that their interest in science and technology is a good thing. FIRST provides an safe environment that fosters, encourages, and frankly celebrates this interest. Students meet others across the globe who share a passion for technology, and learn that they are not alone or outliers or somehow not worthy of adulation and respect. FIRST competitions bring forward many of the values enhanced by traditional school activities like sports or social clubs. FIRST students learn the value of teamwork, refine leadership skills, understand their contribution to the team's functioning, learn what it takes to be a gracious winner and competitor, and learn to honor themselves and respect their talents. I support FIRST in part because I wish it existed when I was in high school--it would have brought me much self-confidence to have the opportunity to spend time with legions of like-minded students.