Annual Report & Financials

Annual Report & Financials

The FIRST annual report includes a summary of the progress of FIRST programs, FIRST financials, and a listing of FIRST supporters.

INSPIRATION IS EVERWHERE

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FIRST Alum Hans Mueller

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FIRST taught me how to learn from my peers

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Hans Mueller

FIRST Alum & Volunteer

FIRST Alum Hans Mueller began building hands-on experience and exploring his passion for STEM on a FIRST LEGO League team in third grade. In high school, he joined FIRST Robotics Competition Team 2220 “Blue Twilight” in Eagen, Minnesota, which was captained by his older brother. The team gave Hans an opportunity to learn from his brother and other experienced peers. “One of the biggest things I learned from FIRST was how to be a leader and how to take feedback from those upperclassmen and use it to be better,” Hans says.  

What did you do after becoming a FIRST Alum?
After becoming a FIRST Alum, I started college at Iowa State. I am currently a sophomore majoring in industrial engineering. I chose industrial engineering because the skills of process improvement can be applied to a lot of different focuses, which makes the skillset more marketable. Our program at ISU is economically focused, which I find to be very interesting.

What are your future plans?
I want to pursue an MBA and work in a technology-focused company because that is what I’m passionate about. I’m interested in process improvement work and project management.

How has your FIRST experience impacted your post-graduation life?
FIRST gave me hands-on experience that helped me learn about my passion for STEM. I was originally on a FIRST LEGO League team in 3rd grade and joined a FIRST Robotics Competition team my freshman year of high school. FIRST was something I loved being a part of, and it was also a bonding experience for my brother and me. My brother was the team captain during my freshman year. We had an 80-person team with 40 seniors. It was great to learn from them, and they became mentors to me as well. Our team also has outstanding professional mentors from industry jobs that were instrumental in my technical and soft skills development.

You’ve continued to be involved with FIRST as an Alum; what have you been up to?
This will be my sixth year as a FIRST volunteer. I’m excited to continue this streak for many years to come. This year I’ll be volunteering at the Minnesota regionals.

You shared that you’ve made and kept great FIRST friends/established a great network within the FIRST community – any advice to current participants on how to do that?
You have to be willing to take advice and feedback and apply it in positive, helpful ways. When I first joined my FIRST team, I was on a team where 50 percent were seniors, which was overwhelming initially; but, I learned that the upperclassmen know what they’re doing and can provide insight that I haven’t experienced yet. One of the biggest things I learned from FIRST was how to be a leader and how to take feedback from those upperclassmen and use it to be better.

Visit firstinspires.org/alumni for more FIRST Alumni spotlights. Share your story for a chance to be featured.


6 STEM Experts on Sparking STEM Interest and Career Discovery in the Classroom

Oct 18, 2018 By Media Planet


Educational technology has blossomed, giving educators new tools to nurture STEM interest in children and create the next generation of STEM superstars. FIRST President Donald E. Bossi and other STEM experts explore strategies for encouraging career discovery in the classroom.

Creating STEM Engagement Opportunities for Tomorrow’s Workforce

Sep 26, 2018 By Kelli Anderson for EdSurge


FIRST President Don Bossi spoke with EdSurge about putting inspiration in front of education in the only sport where every kid can go pro and offered insight on why a diverse workforce is the best workforce, and how to go about creating it.

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STEM Gender Equity: Supporting Girls in STEM Without Diminishing Boys

Sep 17, 2018 By Domonique Bulls, Ph. D.; FIRST STEM Equity Fellow


Dr. Domonique Bulls, Designing STEM Equity Fellow for FIRST, shares what it means to collaborate on gender equity in STEM and why it’s important to ensure girls and women are provided with opportunities that meet their needs, interests, and experiences.

Young Changemakers on Creating the STEM Educators of Tomorrow

Sep 06, 2018 By Mackenzie Sicard and Danielle Newman, FIRST Alumni, Kell Robotics


Mackenzie and Danielle, young leaders from FIRST Robotics Competition team “Kell Robotics,” make the case for how the FIRST community can play a huge role in educating and inspiring future STEM educators and filling the STEM teacher pipeline.

How to Help Students Take the Lead in Their Learning Through Robotics

Aug 15, 2018 By Sherry Comer, Camdenton R-III Afterschool Services Director & Robotics Coach

Sherry Comer is the afterschool services director for Missouri’s sprawling, rural Camdenton R-III School District. She shares her strategies for using hands-on STEM programs to build kids into leaders who take charge of their own learning and gain skills to succeed in any field.

STEM: At the Crossroads of Traditional and Online Learning

Jul 16, 2018 By Donald E. Bossi, president of FIRST


FIRST President Donald E. Bossi explores how online and “blended” learning is ushering a new wave of opportunity for educators, companies and all of us working to advance STEM education to equip students with meaningful tools and resources they need as a foundation for a brighter future.

INSPIRATION IS EVERWHERE

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D. Scott Heister - FIRST Mentor

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FIRST mentors change students’ lives

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D. Scott Heister

Mentor, FIRST Robotics Competition Team 66 “Grizzly Robotics”; Ypsilanti STEMM Middle College Director, Michigan

We used our FIRST robotics team as a model to design our new school because we realized that when our FIRST kids came to us to work on the robot, they were actually engaged. They worked harder in FIRST robotics than they did in school and they actually cared about what they were doing. –Scott Heister, Ypsilanti STEMM Middle College Director

When we incorporated the FIRST values and principles into our new school, we transformed what had been a failing school into a unique vibrant educational opportunity for our students.

The FIRST experience — the hands on, experiential learning in close partnership with mentors — drove learning the basics of engineering and the fundamentals of science and mathematics, engineering, technology and manufacturing – and turned the traditional style of education on its head.

Today, our kids don’t just sit in a classroom doing busy work, but rather, they are connected to a friendly learning environment that encourages them to work with others and to build; and design as engaged members of a team.

By adopting the FIRST principles of guided, hands-on learning, our teachers act more like mentors – always willing to help if a student doesn’t understand. Formerly disenfranchised students are now inspired by those mentors.

The metrics of the impact adapting a FIRST system has had on our school are impressive. Our suspension rate has decreased from over 35% to less than 3% and our graduation rate has increased from 69% to 97%.

Our mentors and teachers use robots. That is our hook. That is how we get our students to be engaged. For all FIRST mentors, if you ever doubted the impact you have, I’d like you to meet some of our Grizzly Robotics kids. 

Meet Grizzly Robotics students and alumni in the video below.

To learn more about how Ypsilanti STEMM Middle College, a dual-enrollment high school, was created on FIRST principles, download the FIRST case study, “A New Type of School Teaches Skills for the Future.”