Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1464867
62 PCB007 MAGAZINE I APRIL 2022 hiring practices, he said first and foremost he looked for somebody who knew how to solve a problem. If you understand how to solve a problem, then you can really make advances in life. When I talked to students here today, one of the first things they told me is that they're learning how to solve problems. Collins: As we bring on more sponsors at FIRST national and FIRST Washington, the sponsors are recognizing the value in those problem solving skills. I've had a lot of people say, "If we see FIRST experience, that resume goes to the top of the pile, because we know they can solve problems and that they're innovators." Matties: You're also fostering teamwork, because nothing is done alone in this program. Tell me about that. Collins: Yes, we teach teamwork and "gracious professionalism," because the team that you compete against in one round, you will col- laborate with in the next. Our students are extremely competitive; they want to win. But they want to win because their robot's the best, not because their competitor's robot is strug- gling and having problems. You'll see teams working on another robot, helping a team that's struggling, even though they're com- peting against them in the next match. It's all about being the best because you did the best job of solving the problem or meeting the chal- lenge—because you earned it, not because somebody else failed. I think that is my favor- ite thing. It doesn't matter whether you're here or not, you can have that feeling. Even through COVID, I was worried if some of that would be lost, because most of these students have never seen a competition. ankfully, that whole feeling of gracious professionalism survived the pandemic. Matties: "Gracious professionalism" is a great phrase, and one I haven't heard before. ank you for sharing that. Collins: It was coined by Woodie Flowers, one of our founders. It says so much, and I love it. Matties: Now, how is FIRST funded? Is it fully sponsored? Collins: No, the teams do quite a bit of fund- raising for what they need. FIRST national gets some sponsorships; locally, ORTOP and FIRST Washington get sponsorships to sup- port the teams. But local teams have to work with their respective schools for help. Sum- mer camps help spread the word about FIRST, but part of their problem solving is figuring out how to raise funds. is money helps buy tech- nology, travel to competitions, and do all the things they need to do. Matties: at's great. ROBOTICS TEAM SPECIAL REPORT