Virginiafirst

VirginiaFIRST: Empowering the Next Generation of STEM Leaders

VirginiaFIRST is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to providing students in Maryland, DC, and Virginia with STEM-based leadership programs. The organization was founded with the goal of inspiring young people to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields.

At VirginiaFIRST, we believe that every student has the potential to become a leader in their chosen field. Our programs are designed to help students develop critical thinking skills, problem-solving abilities, and teamwork skills that will serve them well throughout their lives.

Our flagship program is FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC), which challenges high school students to design and build robots that can compete against other teams from around the world. FRC combines the excitement of a varsity sport with hands-on learning opportunities in engineering and computer science.

In addition to FRC, VirginiaFIRST also offers several other programs for students of all ages. For example:

- FIRST LEGO League Jr.: This program introduces children aged 6-10 to basic engineering concepts through building LEGO models.

- FIRST LEGO League: This program challenges children aged 9-14 to design and build robots using LEGO Mindstorms kits.

- FIRST Tech Challenge: This program challenges middle school and high school students to design and build robots using more advanced materials than those used in FLL.

- VEX Robotics Competition: This program allows middle school through college-aged students to design and build robots using VEX robotics kits.

All of our programs are designed with one goal in mind: To inspire young people to pursue careers in STEM fields. We believe that by providing hands-on learning opportunities for children at an early age, we can help them develop a love for science and technology that will stay with them throughout their lives.

But our mission goes beyond just inspiring young people; we also want to empower them. That's why we focus on developing leadership skills as well as technical skills. We believe that by teaching children how to work together effectively as part of a team, we can help prepare them for success not just in STEM fields but also in any career they choose.

At VirginiaFIRST, we're proud of what we've accomplished so far - but there's still much more work left to do. We're always looking for new ways to reach out to young people across Maryland, DC, and Virginia - whether it's through expanding our existing programs or creating new ones from scratch.