FIRST Technology Challenge

One of the best things about being a part of FIRST® is joining a community of like-minded individuals who work toward a common goal. In the short term, that may be building an awesome Robot, but in the long term, that means changing the culture we live in. For every one of us who works for FIRST, participates in the Programs, and most especially donates our time, energy and resources, we do so with the goal that we are making a difference. Where all that starts is within the team environment. Both students and Mentors/Coaches learn and teach each other more than just how to build and program a Robot. They learn about Leadership , careers that are open to them in the future, and the how to work as part of a team. In the majority of careers, knowing how to work as part of a team is essential . There are very few jobs in this very connected day and age where people work completely alone. Within a FIRST® Tech Challenge team, by working on teambuilding , team members benefit in the areas o...

Photo credit: Scott W. Nichols from the The Webb School “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Who hasn’t been asked that a million times by adults? And when we were little, we would answer that question with whatever felt right to us in the moment: “Unicorn.” “Fire fighter.” “Astronaut.” "Superhero" “Ballerina.” “Doctor.” "Teacher." And we knew in our heart that we could be the thing we wanted to be, and more often than not we were encouraged to pursue our dreams. And when our dreams changed, we wholeheartedly pursued the new dream. And then one day the question became harder to answer. Why? We live, we learn, and we start to judge what our heart wants as attainable or not based on our beliefs about ourselves and our ability to achieve the dream. A boy dreaming of being a ballerina might only see pictures of girl ballerinas and develop the belief that boys can’t be ballerinas. Or a girl might dream of being an astronaut until someone says, “Girls with glasses...

The U.S. Air Force is a big supporter of  FIRST and one of the ways they do this is the Air Force Leadership Experience. Today marks the launch of the third annual edition of this opportunity, which is for  a select group of FIRST Teachers and Mentors who are inspiring today’s youth to become the technical leaders of tomorrow. U.S. Air Force Academy Twenty-four FTC and FRC Mentors, who are also K-12 teachers, will be selected to attend an all-expense paid seminar at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado, August 4-5.  These individuals will learn about unique career opportunities the Air Force has to offer the next generation of technology leaders. For more information, please visit the USAir Force Leadership Experience website.  The deadline to apply for this program is June 6, and The process is competitive.  Good luck!