---
title: Students are driving change with FIRST
description: FIRST is a global robotics community preparing young people for the future and the world’s leading youth-serving nonprofit advancing STEM education.
image: https://community.firstinspires.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/395x380-Hero-lilly.jpg
---

### Lilly Kam

*FIRST* Mentor; Director of STEM, i.am.angel Foundation

Bringing *FIRST* to a struggling public school in a low-income community required sheer force of will. Teachers wouldn’t help us. We had no classroom. We had to use bathrooms at a nearby fast food restaurant. How do you establish a culture of achievement in a community where failure is the norm? Our small team of 10 rookie students did it. The students themselves are driving change. It’s year two and we’re still here and growing. We won a Judges’ Award in 2014 (our rookie year), and in 2015, our captain was named a Dean’s List Winner!  
  

[ Share Your Story](https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/5d5985a569d8423b8a0739c9efa27cea)

** [Educators](https://community.firstinspires.org/topic/educators), [Mentor Stories](https://community.firstinspires.org/topic/mentor-stories)

#### Share it:

[** ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://community.firstinspires.org/students-are-driving-change-first) [** ](https://twitter.com/share?url=https://community.firstinspires.org/students-are-driving-change-first) [** ](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://community.firstinspires.org/students-are-driving-change-first)

![Default Author Image](https://community.firstinspires.org/hubfs/Community%20Blog%20v2/images/FIRST-author-icon.svg)

Author

[Admin](https://community.firstinspires.org/author/admin)

### Related Posts

<https://community.firstinspires.org/first-helps-change-lives-world-over>

** [Volunteers](https://community.firstinspires.org/topic/volunteers)

FIRST helps change lives the world over

July 13, 2017

<https://community.firstinspires.org/colleges-seek-students-empathic-behaviors-learned-through-first>

** [Educators](https://community.firstinspires.org/topic/educators)

Colleges seek students with emphatic behaviors learned through FIRST

February 12, 2018

<https://community.firstinspires.org/first-inspires-student-and-community-leaders>

** [Volunteers](https://community.firstinspires.org/topic/volunteers), [Mentor Stories](https://community.firstinspires.org/topic/mentor-stories)

FIRST inspires student and community leaders

October 24, 2017

![](https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=1200203950045814&ev=PageView&noscript=1) ![](https://ct.pinterest.com/v3/?tid=2615041699514&noscript=1) ![](https://ct.pinterest.com/v3/?tid=2615041699514&event=PageVisit&noscript=1)