Josh Eversmann’s 15-Year Impact on Students Through FIRST

Josh Eversmann got his start as a volunteer while still a student, helping at FIRST® LEGO® League events hosted at Westwood High School. What began with scorekeeping and refereeing quickly grew into a 15-year journey spanning nearly every role FIRST in Texas has to offer.

Over the years, he has worn many hats: referee and head referee for both FLL and FRC, mentor at Westwood High School for FRC and FTC, and now a FIRST Technical Advisor and League Commissioner as his school began hosting FTC events in 2022. “Over the years I’ve also filled in for a number of other volunteer roles at events including queueing, scorekeeping, field reset, robot inspecting, and judging.”

For Josh, the most rewarding part of volunteering is tied to the experiences he had as a student. “Being on a FIRST team as a student made a big impact on my life, and I’m proud to spend my time helping more students have that opportunity. It’s been incredibly rewarding to watch the growth of FTC at our own school and the surrounding community through the events that we host.”

Volunteering has also enriched his life beyond the field through the many friendships he has built along the way. “I’ve made a lot of friends through FIRST over the years and showing up to events each year has been a great way to stay in touch with everyone.”

Hosting FTC events is another way Josh helps build the FIRST ecosystem, and it brings both challenges and joy. He admits that hosting can feel stressful at first with all the preparation leading up to the event and the early mornings on competition day. “But once we start the timer on the first match of the day everything falls into place and it’s high energy fun until it’s time to clean everything up.”

When asked about the most exciting part, Josh doesn’t hesitate. “It’s always fun to compile the rankings and announce who advances from our championship tournament. We run a big event that advances a lot of teams and the ranking system gets a little complicated, so there’s always a few teams who didn’t expect to advance and are really excited when they find out they made it.”

Of course, behind-the-scenes moments are often the most memorable. Josh recalls one year when they were set to begin finals ahead of schedule until the judges asked him to stall so awards could catch up. At the same time, both finals alliances approached him requesting extra time for repairs to ensure the matches would be fair and exciting. “I told them I was impressed with their spirit of coopertition and that I would work with the head referee to get them some time for repairs. The students were really happy when the referees gave them extra time before the match, and never knew that behind the scenes we were stalling for time anyway and that the referees were happy to take a break.” It was a moment where coopertition came alive, and everyone got a little breather.

When it comes to advice for future volunteers, Josh’s focus is clear. “Focus on having fun and creating a fun experience for the students. I think the best indicator for a successful season is when the students are proud of what they accomplished and want to try again and do better next season." He notes that you don't need a technical background to inspires students to learn. His advice is to start by making building and competing with robots fun and the students will find the skills and knowledge along the way.

From student volunteer to referee, mentor, and league commissioner, Josh’s journey reflects the lasting impact of FIRST. Thank you, Josh, for bringing your energy, dedication, and joy to the field year after year.