FIRST

Just weeks before a record-breaking milestone of 51,000+ FIRST community members gathering for the 2026 FIRST Championship presented by BAE Systems, another historic achievement was happening nearby. NASA’s Artemis II mission became the first crewed journey to the moon in more than 50 years, guided from Mission Control at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, miles from FIRST Championship.

We caught up with Jenna, a FIRST alum, current team mentor, and Planning and Integration Specialist at Johnson Space Center to learn how her FIRST experience helped launch a career supporting humanity’s return to deep space.

🚀 Read her story: https://hubs.ly/Q04kwcCZ0

Meet the FIRST Alum Helping Shape the Future of Space Exploration Discover how FIRST alum Jenna influences space exploration at NASA, inspiring the next generation of engineers through mentorship and innovative programs.

Drop an emoji in the comments 👇 Which one are you?

🤖Gen Alpha
✌️Gen Z
❤ Millennial
😎Gen X

And be honest… if you weren’t already part of FIRST, which style would pull you in?

From coding and engineering to design thinking and community outreach, STEM problem-solving drives everything we do in the FIRST community!

As you prepare for the season, check out guidance from industry experts, hear stories from FIRST teams, and find tools to turn your team’s ideas into solutions that make an impact.

Explore our innovation and intellectual property resources: https://hubs.ly/Q04bWqby0

Long-standing FIRST Strategic Partner, John Deere is deepening its investment in the next generation of innovators through a new three-year partnership.

With a $2.7 million investment and the support of more than 500 employee mentors, John Deere is helping connect FIRST students across the country to hands-on robotics experiences and real-world pathways to careers in agriculture, manufacturing, and technology.

Read the full press release to learn how this expanded partnership is helping students build the skills, confidence, and career readiness needed for tomorrow’s workforce:

John Deere Invests $2.7M to Build Skills for Tomorrow’s Workforce MOLINE, Ill. (April 21, 2026) — John Deere announced a three-year partnership with FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), building on their fifteen-year partnership to continue expanding access to hands-on robotics programs that build the technical skills critical to ...