Thanks to each and every one of you for voting for FIRST NC as the Honeywell/Panthers Community Innovation Champion! We were honored to receive the award at the Carolina Panthers' final home game.

It was also humbling to stand beside the other groups doing such great work with youth in Charlotte and across North Carolina. Please think about supporting these terrific organizations: Carolina Youth Coalition, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation, Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools Foundation, The Accelerated Training Program (T-ATP), Dottie Rose Foundation, and Digi-Bridge. 

Thanks for supporting programs that help build a stronger future for our students!

FIRST North Carolina's own VP of Education and Operations, Julia Wagner, received the 2025 Distinguished Afterschool Champion Award from the North Carolina Center for Afterschool Programs (NC CAP) during the 2025 Synergy Conference in Raleigh on November 18, 2025. 

NC CAP’s Afterschool Champion awards recognize and celebrate the outstanding contributions of afterschool and out-of-school-time (OST) professionals across North Carolina. 

Here's what was shared about Julia and her accomplishments at the event:

Julia Wagner is a passionate nonprofit professional dedicated to expanding STEAM experiences for students across the state. As the Vice President of Education and Operations for FIRST North Carolina, Wagner works closely with teachers, schools, and community members to mentor FIRST Robotics Competition teams and support high-quality programming in the afterschool environment. She provides vital professional development for educators, advocates for equitable STEAM experiences, and is committed to expanding STEM and robotics opportunities to students in every corner of the state.

With a strong background in science and science education, Wagner brings a deep understanding of pedagogy and curriculum to her work. When she's not empowering the next generation of innovators, she loves to cook and spend time exploring with her husband and dog.

Julia was selected as a 2025 Distinguished Afterschool Champion because of her skill with partnerships. She partners with a variety of organizations - schools, community-based organizations, and youth-led efforts, to infuse STEM learning into students’ afterschool hours by bringing the world of robotics to life for youth people. She also partners with people, to share her resources, expertise, and knowledge with school-day and afterschool educators to help them feel confident, competent, and empowered to lead hands-on STEM learning. She has successfully expanded her program statewide to make sure that students all across North Carolina have access to engaging STEM opportunities that teach them real-world problem solving.

Voting is officially LIVE for the Community Innovation Award Champion, and FIRST North Carolina needs your vote to bring this win home! The Community Innovation Champion will be honored on the field during the Panthers’ final home game and receive an exclusive grand prize from Honeywell and the Panthers.

Let’s show the entire Panthers community what FIRST Robotics North Carolina can do. Vote for "FIRST Robotics North Carolina" today, then rally your family, friends, coworkers, and fellow STEM fans to do the same. Share this link far and wide! Thanks!!

A new and growing partnership!

A huge shout-out to Honeywell for their tremendous support of FIRST North Carolina! We were thrilled to bring eight area FIRST Robotics Competition teams to their headquarters in downtown Charlotte, an event that sparked some terrific local news coverage of both the teams and FIRST NC. Check out these clips:
• Up 'N Adam Interview with Jayme Meyers -
  Honeywell employee and FIRST NC Board Member
• Up 'N Adam Interview with Students
• Up 'N Adam Interview with Marie
• WBTV-CLT - QC Life

And the excitement didn’t stop there! In partnership with the Carolina Panthers, Honeywell launched a season-long celebration of community innovators—organizations using technology to create meaningful change. FIRST North Carolina was honored to be recognized during the November 9 Panthers home game!

FRC Team 3196 SPORK and FRC Team 6004 f(x) Robotics fired up the crowd with t-shirt-launching robots during pregame festivities, while FRC 3196 SPORK, FRC 4935 T-Rex, and FRC 10583 Stampede wowed fans with interactive robots at Legends Row.

Cast Your Vote for "FIRST Robotics North Carolina"

Voting has officially opened for the Community Innovation Award Champion, and we need your support! The winning organization will be honored live on the field during the Panthers’ final home game—and receive a special grand prize courtesy of Honeywell and the Panthers.

Let’s show the world what FIRST Robotics North Carolina is all about!
Vote for us today and rally your family, friends, and colleagues to do the same. Share this link far and wide. Help us spotlight the incredible impact our teams have across North Carolina—one vote at a time!

Ready, set… submit your vote!

SAVE THE DATE!!

FALL AUCTION

OPENS THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2025

All kinds of great stuff to bid on to support students building robots all across the state!