will.i.am mentions FIRST backstage at Jay Leno

[AcesJames]

Originally Posted by Grim Tuesday

When I was first introduced to will.i.am, I was sure he was just doing it for PR. Now, a year later, I think he might actually be sincere. He still has to make up for the 'it's dope' comment last year. I'm hoping for him to surprise me at kickoff.

I think we need to let go of the "it's dope" thing. Think about it like this instead. If you were one of the world's biggest pop stars, and then suddenly after a few phone calls you were on a jet to a televised event you knew next to nothing about, how would you respond? I know Will is no stranger to audiences and cameras, but just think about how hard it would be to formulate an opinion about something you were just being introduced to, and then trying to articulate an educated response into a microphone for thousands to hear. It's not as easy as it seems, but Will has really taken hold of the ideals of FIRST, and a year later he's more or less our pitch man, like the Billy Mays of tech! It's almost unbelievable to think that this time last year all he could come up with was "it's dope", considering the way he talks so easily about FIRST now.

All I can say is, I think he's here to stay, and it's apparent he's genuinely personally interested in bringing STEM to the forefront, and helping out the FIRST community. Remember, he's not gaining anything from this but the gratification of supporting the organization.