Bringing STEM to Students for 20 Years

Twenty years of partnership, hundreds of volunteers, and $5 million in support—2024 marks several impressive milestones in the ongoing partnership between Booz Allen, the Booz Allen Foundation, and FIRST Robotics, a nationwide nonprofit that introduces kids to STEM careers.

But perhaps the biggest impact of all is the countless lives that have been changed in schools and communities from coast to coast through showing up, opening new doors, and revealing what’s possible.

Read on to see how this partnership has been investing in the next generation of STEM professionals.

Booz Allen’s support gives students across the country the opportunity to participate in FIRST programming. For example, Booz Allen helps cover the cost of transportation and equipment-related expenses so students in Warner-Robins, Georgia, can travel to out-of-town competitions. In Hawaii, Booz Allen helped plan and organize local competitions, so teams there didn’t have to travel to the continental U.S. to participate. This was especially important for the Lahaina, Maui, team, which turned to robotics as an important activity for students displaced by the devastating 2023 wildfires.

“We try to show our support in many ways,” says Associate Erin MacKinnon, who’s involved in community engagement and partnership development at Booz Allen’s San Diego office. Booz Allen volunteers worked with a FIRST robotics team to clear out a creek bed in southeast San Diego, speaking with the students about their STEM careers while they worked side by side to improve the environment.

Principal Michael Collat serves as FIRST Regional Director for Hawaii and co-leads Booz Allen’s partnership in the Hawaii-Pacific region. Senior Booz Allen leaders are also involved with the initiative in Huntsville, Alabama.

To support the employees who volunteer thousands of hours as FIRST mentors, Booz Allen hosts professional development events. At a recent workshop in the Chesapeake region, mentors discovered new cyber games to weave into their work and ways to demystify AI for students.

In 2023, the Booz Allen Foundation committed four of its Pathbuilder grants to the community of southeast San Diego. “It’s an area that has traditionally been under-resourced,” says Christine Hoisington, executive director of the Booz Allen Foundation.

This place-based grants program unites and funds like-minded nonprofits serving young people in their local communities. Grantees included Lincoln High School (LHS) and three neighborhood and community organizations: MANA de San Diego, Girl Scouts of San Diego, and the Elementary Institute of Science. Each creates pathways to STEM education and careers.

“The Booz Allen Foundation, Booz Allen, and FIRST are focused on a lot of the same things: creating equity in STEM education by building pathways for students to future tech careers,” Christine says.

As this relationship between the Booz Allen Foundation and LHS grew, Booz Allen was the first to step in to sponsor a newly created FIRST Robotics team at the high school, providing funding for essential equipment and useful contacts for the “rookie” team.  

The mission wasn’t easy. LHS was competing against teams with years of experience and resources. But the rookie team prevailed, winning a regional tournament north of Los Angeles against 51 experienced teams. They brought home first place and the right to compete at the world championships in Houston, Texas, as well as the ‘Rookie Inspiration Award.” Next up, the LHS FIRST team brought back the title of Rookie Team of the Year at the San Diego Regional Competition. After that, preparations for World Championships began.

“We’re going to make this happen,” Erin recalls as Booz Allen swiftly expanded its support. “They’ve earned this.”

LHS hosted a football-style pep rally, with hundreds of students and community members cheering the team on. Then they were off to the World Championships.

The team performed well in the competition, but even more importantly, Erin reflects, the teammates expanded their horizons and gained confidence. Many of the students were leaving California and flying on an airplane for the first time. They met peers from across the country, honed their collaboration skills, and gathered new experiences every step of the way.

“Having this experience really empowered them to see that the sky is the limit,” says Erin. “They’re going to go out into the world and do amazing things.”