FIRST Founder Dean Kamen Honors Soledad O’Brien, Praises Young Innovators at Event Celebrating STEM Education
STEM Education Nonprofit FIRST® Hosts Fifth Annual Gala, Raises Funds to Make FIRST Programs More Widely Available to Underserved and Underrepresented Students
NEW YORK, N.Y., November 12, 2019 - FIRST®, a robotics community that prepares young people for the future, and its local affiliate NYC FIRST, gathered the nation’s most passionate STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education supporters at the 2019 FIRST Inspire Gala, last week for an event that included an uplifting and empowering conversation between Megan Gupta-she, a student on FIRST® Tech Challenge Team 310 “Stuy Fission,” and honoree Soledad O’Brien about education, the importance of storytelling, and the value of hard work.
“For some reason that I don’t understand, we don’t think of robotics as a life-changing career,” said O’Brien. “We owe it to our students to show them opportunity. In FIRST, it’s not out of their reach.”
Soledad O'Brien at the FIRST Inspire Gala
The fifth annual fundraising gala, held November 7 at Cipriani Wall Street, celebrated young innovators and highlighted the impact of FIRST over the past 30 years, while looking forward to further expanding students’ access to life-changing STEM experiences that spark interest, inspire self-confidence, and build critical workforce skills.
“In our culture, you get the best of what you celebrate,” said Dean Kamen, Founder of FIRST. “There aren’t a few million positions available in the NBA, the NFL, or in Hollywood. There are a few million positions open in STEM industries, and they are desperate for skilled people to fill these roles. It’s time to accelerate the rate at which FIRST is adopted. Hopefully it will go from one of those crazy ideas, to something that is indispensable.”
Dean Kamen at the FIRST Inspire Gala
Each year the FIRST Inspire Gala honors outstanding individuals who have advanced technology, STEM education, and the mission of FIRST; this year’s honorees were O’Brien, CEO of Starfish Media Group and host of “Matter of Fact with Soledad O’Brien,” and Tia Singh, a FIRST alumna.
- Soledad O’Brien is an award-winning journalist, speaker, author, and philanthropist. As a reporter for HBO “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel,” O’Brien used her platform to help raise awareness of FIRST by anchoring a segment which told the story of FIRST and the rise of the sport of competitive robotics. She has won numerous awards, including three Emmys, the George Peabody award, an Alfred I. duPont prize, and the Gracie. Newsweek Magazine named her one of the “15 People Who Make America Great.” With her husband, O’Brien is the founder of the PowHERful Foundation that helps young women get to and through college.
- Tia Singh is an aspiring Electronics and Robotics CTE (Career and Technical Educator) enrolled in the Success Via Apprenticeship (SVA) program in New York City. The SVA program is designed to prepare highly motivated graduates of CTE high schools to become CTE teachers over a five-year period. Through SVA, Singh has acquired a depth of knowledge in core electronics and robotics industry standards along with the college coursework necessary to be licensed by New York State as a CTE teacher. She has taught at several high schools and apprenticed at industry partners. As a student at Queens Technical High School, Singh was a member of FIRST® Robotics Competition Team 1796, The RoboTigers, for four years. As a FIRST alum, she is now a mentor for the team and volunteers at FIRST events.
“The FIRST program and the community that surrounds it has completely changed my story and helped me grow from being an impatient and self-conscious teenager to a mentor and educator that my students and fellow mentors can rely on,” said Singh. “I still don’t know exactly where this journey of mine will lead, but I do know that it all started with opportunities and a lot of amazing experiences with my FIRST robotics team.”
FIRST Inspire Gala
Proceeds from the FIRST Inspire Gala go toward making FIRST programs more widely available to underserved and underrepresented students in New York City, throughout our country, and around the world.
If you’re interested in learning more, or donating to FIRST, please visit https://www.firstinspires.org/gala.
About FIRST®
Accomplished inventor Dean Kamen founded FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) in 1989 to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people. Based in Manchester, N.H., FIRST designs accessible, innovative programs to build self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills while motivating young people to pursue opportunities in science, technology, and engineering. With support from over 200 of the Fortune 500 companies and more than $80 million in college scholarships, the not-for-profit organization hosts the FIRST® Robotics Competition for students in Grades 9-12; FIRST® Tech Challenge for Grades 7-12; FIRST® LEGO® League for Grades 4-8; and FIRST® LEGO® League Jr. for Grades K-4. Gracious Professionalism® is a way of doing things that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and respects individuals and the community. To learn more about FIRST, go to www.firstinspires.org.