[Red2486]

FIRST has definitely inspired me to go into education. Mentoring FLL teams and having my two lead coaches be extremely passionate about education, I really found it to be my calling. I was really passionate about writing to begin with, but FIRST really showed me the intersection of writing and STEM. As a future English teacher, I want to show students this intersection as well.

The other really big thing FIRST did for me was to show me how COOL and meaningful STEM is. A lot of the time, people forget about the STEM appreciation part of the FIRST mission. It's not just getting kids into STEM, but to also make them informed, to make them care about it. Before FIRST I really didn't see big value for STEM in my life, but it has inspired me to show this value to others through education. It is important to remember that just because someone isn't majoring or working in STEM, it doesn't mean that FIRST has failed. There are more ways than one to be inspired by FIRST.