MORE than Robots.
First is a non-profit organization that was founded by Dean Kamen and Woodie Flowers in 1989. What appears as a robotics competition is so much more. Teams compete for the Inspire and Chairman's Awards that recognize team who not only excel in the robot portion of the competition, but are able to share their love of STEM throughout their communities and make a strong impact. There is also an award called the Dean's List Award, for individual students who embody the values of FIRST and are a beacon on their teams and in their communities. ​
Even the facts show how incredible FIRST is.
Via FIRSTinspires.org
48%
of women who participate in FIRST declare a major in engineering of computer science
81%
of FIRST alumni declare a major in STEM
90%
of students who participate in FIRST have better communication skills
93%
of students who participate in FIRST have better conflict resolution
94%
of students who participate in FIRST have better problem solving skills
95%
of students who participate in FIRST have better time management