[Collin Fultz]

On 234, students are required to pay fees that help cover travel, as well as fees that help cover shirts/jerseys/polos/windbreakers/etc.

Also, all students are required to bring in a small business community sponsor. This requirement has two main purposes. First, it helps the team raise the vital funds necessary for survival. Second, it pushes the student outside their comfort zone, forcing them to go out into the world and talk to people about FIRST. These sponsorships come in many forms. Most are monetary, but some have resulted in relationships with suppliers and machine shops to help with building the robot.

In my experience with the team, we have not had a student not be on the team because of the fees or fundraising requirements. If a student cannot afford the fees or does not want to pay them, they can generate more sponsors to offset some of that cost.

In the end, it's an investment in your future. If parents and students cannot see the value in the team, then we as a team are not doing our job of showing the benefits of being a team member.

Because of FIRST, I recieved a full-tuition scholarship to Purdue which provided me with an amazing education. I also recieved a high school internship with one of our sponsors, which turned into a full-time co-op role, which is now a full-time engineering position. Not a bad return on investment, in my opinion. In fact, I'd argue that in a world with so much uncertainty, FIRST and programs like it are one of the surest bets out there.