[Liz Smith]

I've been thinking about this for a little while. It took awhile to figure out exactly why this bothers me, but I think I have gathered my thoughts.

"FIRST just wants to grow bigger.. FIRST just wants to make money". It made me think.. who is this "FIRST" that has lost its way? Is it the people behind desks in Manchester? They deal with general FIRST finances, but aren't the ones going and expanding so much. What about the mentors and volunteers? Being volunteers they certainly aren't "in it for the money", but they certainly are the ones starting new teams. But then, they are also the ones who are teaching, which was pointed out as a major goal. Students doing Dean's homework are working on expanding as well, but are the core of this program. Is Dean "doing it for the money"? I don't think so... but one of the goals is to expand and change the way society views science and technology and to educate.

The issue of team funding has come up. The comparison to athletic programs has been made. FIRST teams may or may not be funded by the school. The same goes for athletics. A lot of teams do struggle to find funds year after year, but is that because FIRST is expanding? I personally don't think so. A school which funds an athletic program over an educational program such as FIRST, in my opinion, has priorities which need to be changed. By expanding a program like this, that can happen. Science and technology and education should be made a greater priority in todays society, and I believe that this program is helping to do that.

Of course, student education is important. You learn things by learning how to build a robot. You learn things by being part of a team. Maybe you'll want to be an engineer after being on a team...maybe not. I think this program is bigger than students building a robot and being helped by local engineers. It's definitely bigger than finding out who can build the best robot. It's in the name.. its for inspiration and recognition of science and technology. It's having students, teachers, mentors, sponsors, corporations, government officials, and everyone else aware of the importance of science and technology in today's world. Everyone in that group is "FIRST". Everyone from the students who learn the difference between a sprocket and a gear, to the company who wrote out a check for a local team to compete. That's why sponsors are thanked; that's why there are awards. If you're here reading this, you've probably been inspired by some part of this program. I know I have, and I'm grateful and thank everyone who put something into it.