Hello!

Her FIRST is a volunteer organization committed to empowering girls to explore the world of robotics. Our mission is to foster a community of collaboration, creativity, and resilience where girls can grow their skills and confidence in the STEM world and beyond. Her FIRST focuses on the FIRST robotics program, where teams of students build robots to complete a challenge from scratch while becoming more involved in the STEM community.

About Me

Advika Chaudhari is a sophomore at Eastview High School in Apple Valley, MN. She’s interested in many STEM fields such as coding, robotics, and artificial intelligence. She leads 2 FIRST teams as software captain. Advika noticed the lack of girls’ presence in FIRST and STEM opportunities and embarked on a mission. Her mission is to encourage girls to take advantage of opportunities provided by organizations like FIRST so they feel like they have a place in the STEM community. Advika aspires to create a community to promote the growth of girls in STEM. Outside of robotics, she participates in the debate team and student council while furthering her interest in STEM by taking challenging math and engineering classes. In her free time, she enjoys baking, dancing, and traveling.

Founder's Story

My journey began back in elementary school when my tech-ed teacher introduced me to a captivating virtual robot. Little did I know, this simple introduction put me on the path of basic programming concepts and logic. With this newfound curiosity, I set out on a quest to find opportunities for continuous learning, which eventually led me to discover the FIRST Lego League through a small after-school club. Throughout my elementary and middle school years, I was fortunate to attend numerous STEM camps that further ignited my passion.

However, as I grew older, I couldn't help but notice a trend: the declining number of girls participating in these opportunities. This distinction became increasingly evident, particularly in FIRST where boys took the lead on the technological aspects of the challenge.

In recent years, the corporate landscape has shown a significant trend toward achieving gender equality. To address the issue, they are organizing various events to encourage girls in STEM. I’ve observed the struggle organizations face to get active participation from girls in these events. Drawing from my own experiences at such events, I empathized with the discomfort of attending alone and recognized the common sentiment shared among girls. I wanted to do something about it, thus initiating my passion project.

In the summer of 2023, I successfully hosted a programming summer camp to help programmers in FIRST learn and connect. This camp was the driving force behind Her FIRST’s mission:

Ignite inspiration and motivation among girls, urging them to become active participants in STEM programs like FIRST.

Foster a supportive community where girls in STEM can unite, establish connections, and collectively thrive.

This platform provides girls the tools to put her first in whatever her aspirations may be.