How FIRST Event Volunteers Are Building Professional Skills

FIRST^® volunteers don’t just show up; they make FIRST possible. This Volunteer Month, we’re celebrating all the dedicated volunteers who are making an impact and furthering the mission of FIRST across the globe. From building fields, inspecting robots, and everything in between, their passion and dedication help inspire our participants to be the next generation of innovators, capable of positively shaping the future of our world.

We asked employees of long-standing FIRST supporters — Emerson/NI, John Deere, and nVent — about how their own FIRST event volunteer experience strengthened their real-world skills and STEM careers.

Meet Mile, FIRST Event Volunteer

Mile started at Emerson/NI as a Customer Service Representative, supporting customers through the order and quotation process. Now further into her career, Mile is a Software Sales Engineer supporting aerospace customers and helping them implement software solutions through technical demonstrations and workshops using NI tools such as LabVIEW. A committed FIRST volunteer, Mile contributes her time as a program judge and referee and also helps students expand their STEM skills and bolster their leadership, teamwork, and technical communication skills.

“Volunteering with FIRST sharpened my leadership, teamwork, and technical communication skills while mentoring students solving robotics challenges with tools like LabVIEW. The amazing FIRST community reignited my passion for aerospace and inspires me to advocate for girls in STEM and expand these opportunities to students in social risk in Costa Rica.”

Meet Sam, FIRST^® Tech Challenge Alum & Event Volunteer

Sam is a UX Designer for Digital Aftermarket and Customer Support at John Deere. As a FIRST Alum, Sam has eight years of volunteering experience with FIRST, serving as a FIRST^® Robotics Competition Game Announcer and Emcee, in addition to supporting FIRST^® Tech Challenge in multiple volunteer roles.

“Being on a FIRST team and volunteering with FIRST has shaped me into the teammate and leader that I am today. I exercise the empathy-building, critical thinking, and conflict resolution skills I learned through FIRST in my daily work as a User Experience (UX) Designer at John Deere.”

Meet Austin, FIRST Tech Challenge Alum & Event Volunteer

Austin is a Senior R&D Designer at nVent. He also currently serves as a FIRST Tech Challenge volunteer judge and judge advisor across the Midwest, including Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, and other regions. Austin has been volunteering with FIRST since 2012

“Volunteering with FIRST has helped me continue to build networks of friends, explore emerging technologies and stay connected with the up and coming future of STEM and industry”

Help us celebrate the impact of our FIRST volunteers! Thank a volunteer or share your own volunteering story on social media using #VolunteerMonth.

Interested in volunteering with FIRST? Check out the Volunteers page to learn more about opportunities near you.