FIRST Was founded in 1989 by Dean Kamen. Its headquarters is in Manchester, NH. With an estimated 214,000 students, 19,334 teams, 17,834 robots, 57,576 mentors/adult supporters, 34,000 event volunteers, and more than 12 countries worldwide involved, it was created to inspire teens to participate in science and technological advances. FIRST is a non-profit organization designed to persuade young adults and teens to pursue an education in science, technology, engineering, and math while helping build important and vital life skills.

FIRST adopted the phrase "Gracious Professionalism" from Dr. Woodie Flowers FIRST National Advisor and Pappalardo Professor Emeritus of Mechanical Engineering at MIT as its key message to its participants. It describes the way of doing things that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and the value of respecting individuals and the community. In a sense "Gracious Professionalism" is another way of showing good sportsmanship.

The first competition took place in 1992 with 28 teams in a New Hampshire high-school gym. Now it affects roughly 214,000 kids worldwide and the FIRST Championship is held in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. FIRST has many sponsors including General Motors Corporation and NASA. FIRST doesn’t just persuade kids to pursue careers in science and technology, FIRST also offers out scholarships. They have provided over $12 million in college scholarships and still going. In the end, FIRST has become a major influence in high schools, middle schools, and even elementary schools around world and they continue to grow.


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