Inspire

Welcome to Inspire, a blog from FIRST.

After years of inspiring young people, as well as the adults who work with them, we decided it was time to share some of the things that inspire us.


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Why you should invest in the next generation through giving to FIRST

Jun 29, 2020 By Mark Giordono, VP of Development at FIRST


There are many incredible organizations in the world doing amazing and impactful work. For those who have the means to donate, FIRST VP of Development Mark Giordono shares why investing in the next generation of innovators through FIRST should be a part of your portfolio of giving.

How to Develop Students’ Holistic Skills Through FIRST Core Values During Distance Learning

Jun 18, 2020 By Libby Simpson, FIRST Director of Education; and Faith Bongiorno, FIRST Education Implementation Specialist


At the heart of our community are the FIRST Core Values. The FIRST Education team sheds some light on what that means for educators and students, along with beneficial ways that you can incorporate the methodology of FIRST in your remote learning environment.

Engineering Ambitiously: Why NI is Investing Boldly in the Future of FIRST

Jun 16, 2020 By Tabitha Upshaw, Head of Corporate Impact, NI


The world needs engineers now more than ever. They are everyday heroes, using problem-solving skills to tackle some of the world’s toughest challenges, from launching rockets to creating life-saving medical devices. They are engineering hope for our world. Today at NI, we launched an updated brand that puts the engineers we serve front and center. We’ve changed our name from National Instruments to NI and have a new look and a rallying cry – to “engineer ambitiously.”

An Open Letter to FIRST Teams Around the World

Apr 09, 2020


We’ve known for a long time that FIRST is more than robots, but with each passing day it becomes even more clear that the skills and values you’ve learned through these programs have uniquely positioned you to innovate right now – and long into the future.

Three Lessons for Robotics Parents from “black-ish”

Feb 27, 2020 By FIRST Staff


Jack Johnson joined a FIRST robotics team and his parents wondered how to best support him on this week’s episode of “black-ish.” On the Inspire blog, we share three lessons parents can take away from the episode, which featured a cameo from FIRST founder Dean Kamen.

An Engineer’s Greatest Legacy: Inspiring the Next Generation

Feb 21, 2020 By Larry Cohen, FIRST President


To celebrate Engineers Week, FIRST President Larry Cohen shares stories from the documentary “Dream Big: Engineering Our World” and reflects on the importance of mentorship in creating a diverse pipeline of engineers and inspiring the next generation of leaders.

Shining in our Abilities: Robotics Education for All

Feb 03, 2020 By Danielle Jenkins, Teacher and FIRST Mentor, Mountain View High School, Lawrenceville, GA


Special education teacher Danielle Jenkins has long wanted to start a FIRST team for her students, who are often left out of STEM opportunities. She shares how her students broke barriers and shattered expectations with their success as a first-year FIRST LEGO League team.

How My Students Apply Social Good Through FIRST and GoBabyGo!

Jan 07, 2020 By Gavin Wood, FIRST Robotics Competition Coach & STEAM Director of The Barstow School, Kansas City, Missouri

Gavin Wood, FIRST coach and award-winning STEAM educator, shares how his students’ leadership in the GoBabyGo adaptive technology movement have made them more empathetic, innovative, and passionate about STEM by using their skills to hack ride-on toy cars into motorized wheelchairs for children.

4 Lessons from World-Class Engineers at Apple HQ

Dec 16, 2019 By Ishaan Oberoi, FIRST Tech Challenge and Apple Engineering Technology Camp participant


FIRST participant Ishaan Oberoi shares his experience learning from Apple engineers at the Apple Engineering Technology Camp, where he was able to build on skills he learned through FIRST and then bring his takeaways back to his FIRST Tech Challenge team.

Coding and Robots: For Inspiration and Recognition of Computer Science and Technology

Dec 09, 2019 By Libby Simpson, FIRST Director of Education


The need for K-12 students to not just understand the high-tech world around them but what makes it work is an essential and largely missing element of the top academic focuses of education. To celebrate Computer Science Education Week, FIRSTtv will host an Hour of Code activity on December 12.