"Nurturing aspiration is a long-term commitment requiring patience, mentorship, and community. We all aspire to be accepted and valued — to be part of a community. FIRST is more than an organization — it is a very special, very committed community. It provides opportunities for our community members, not just students, to take on leadership roles. They opt to be part of a larger group of people who are genuine, passionate, and selfless with their time."
 

Kevin Ross, founding chairman of FIRST Washington, member of the FIRST Executive Advisory Board, and mentor to FIRST teams in Duvall, Washington, was a design engineer at Microsoft for nearly a decade. In 2017, the Microsoft Alumni Network announced Kevin as its 2017 Microsoft Alumni Integral Fellow for his dedication to igniting the spark for exploration in young people and encouraging them to become technology leaders.