On January 13, 2026, Terabridges had the chance to meet with Representative Arvind Venkat to discuss our FIRST robotics advocacy movement.
In Western PA, there is less involvement in FIRST opportunities compared to the other side of the state, highlighted by the far fewer teams and competitions in all three programs of FLL, FTC, and FRC. Philadelphia focuses on FIRST participation considerably more than Pittsburgh, as seen in last year’s FIRST grant in Philadelphia that covers various costs for teams and incentivizes adults to volunteer as coaches.
We realize the amazing opportunities the FIRST program grants us, so that is why Terabridges is advocating for similar supportive programs in our region to balance the involvement of FIRST on both sides of the state. Overall, the goal of creating more teams in Western PA creates a greater FIRST community in the whole state.
We have met with representative Venkat once before through a virtual meeting, but this time we invited him to our space. Initially, we gave a small tour of our facility, and then presented some of our team’s highlights this season to demonstrate the importance of FIRST. After this, we asked representative Venkat what our next steps should be in our efforts. This question sparked an insightful conversation with various ideas like reaching out to different school districts to present the immense impact and benefits of a FIRST program. Before leaving, for a little bit of fun, we shared this year’s game with Representative Venkat and gave him the chance to drive around our robot.
Overall, this meeting proved to be extremely valuable, as not only did we gain a lot of worthwhile information and projects, but also Representative Venkat mentioned his motivation to work with other representatives and senators to propel these efforts forward. From this meeting, our team now stands a step closer to our goals of creating more opportunities in FIRST for everyone in our region, because while we have many amazing chances in this program, many students with the same interests don’t get those chances.