FIRST and the FRC present students with the opportunity to experience working on an engineering team while applying concepts of math, science, business and technology. These programs teach many important life skills: leadership, teamwork, time management, project management, problem solving, innovation, communication, self-confidence, and the central tenet of FIRST: gracious professionalism. FIRST brings a diverse group of students, many who may have never met before, together to strive for a common goal and in the process enlightens them about how exciting and rewarding careers in science, technology, and business can be.

Along with providing the experience of a real-life engineering team and facilitating relationships between students and professionals, FIRST also helps us pay for college. There are over $12 million worth of scholarships that FIRST participants can apply for. Many are specifically for engineering majors, but there are a lot of scholarships open to students who plan to pursue degrees in other fields as well. You can read all about the available scholarships on the FIRST website.