When Marcus Goodyear’s children expressed a passion for LEGOs, he never imagined how profoundly that small spark would shape their lives—and countless others. Today, his community’s efforts have left a permanent mark on his family, and a generation of students, demonstrating the extraordinary impact of collaboration and leadership rooted in curiosity, connection, and perseverance.
A Spark Ignites a Movement
It all began at South by Southwest, where Marcus met Dean Kamen, our visionary inventor and founder of FIRST Robotics. Inspired by Kamen’s mission to foster innovation and character in young minds, Marcus saw an opportunity to channel his children’s interests into something greater. When his son decided to leave his extracurricular activity at the end of the season, Marcus seized the moment. “The next activity has to build character,” he told his son, suggesting robotics to combine fun with purpose.
After Marcus started his FIRST LEGO League team, he was very clear but modest for their goals—build a team, share costs, design a functioning robot, and compete. Eventually, Marcus transformed his garage into a bustling workshop, brimming with tools, creative energy and the hum of innovation. What started as a local district-based initiative grew into the Fellowship of the Robot, a community team welcoming homeschoolers and students from neighboring schools. He and Dan Apel, another local father maintained their community team and developed the Kerrville Robotics Alliance. Meanwhile, the district built robotics for FIRST across all their schools!
From a Local Garage to a Global Stage
Marcus and Dan’s journey with FIRST Robotics reached new heights when their community team graduated to FIRST Tech Challenge. The transition was smoother than expected, and as league play was introduced, they fully embraced the opportunity to compete four times. Their success culminated in multiple invitations to compete at the World Championships in Houston. “The first time we went to Worlds, the community here in Kerrville just lost its mind. They were so excited for us,” Marcus recalled. The experience was transformative, offering students an unparalleled opportunity to connect with peers from around the globe. “It was so much fun to be able to come back and say our pit area was between Jordan on one side and Israel on the other, and we competed against a team from Russia and China,” he said, marveling at the cultural exchange.
Even for students who don’t make it to Worlds, Marcus urges them to attend, expressing how life-changing it is to just witness it.
Building a Foundation for Growth
When Dan relocated to the Dallas area for work, he took the Fellowship with him since Marcus’ youngest had already graduated from the program. At that point he could have stepped back. Instead, he doubled down, continuing to lead the Kerrville Robotics Alliance (KRA) to ensure the program’s sustainability. Today, KRA provides funding, guidance and overall support for other coaches in the town of 20,000-with a special support exception to continue supporting Dan’s work with the Fellowship of the Robot. It also gives coaches who commit and register their team a stipend and pay for them to go to FIRST training.
KRA didn’t stop at funding; they’re in the works to partner with Schreiner University’s engineering department to involve students as tutors, offering them scholarships to support their mentorship efforts. The vision was clear: build a community where teachers felt empowered and supported, ensuring robotics remained a rewarding and collaborative endeavor.
Lifelong Impact
The ripple effects of Marcus’ and Dan’s dedication and FIRST program extend far beyond just the competitions. Many of their students pursued prestigious universities and impactful careers. One joined Texas A&M’s robotics team and competes internationally, while others are excelling at institutions like the University of Texas – Austin, the Colorado School of Mines, and American University of Technology. One student is attending Wake Forest University planning to specialize in technology, patent law and consultation. “That’s a version of FIRST that you don’t necessarily think of.” This student didn’t necessarily want to be an engineer, but after dedicating 10 years of his life in that environment, he has developed the skills to talk to engineers and a passion to support their work. Marcus’s own son, who began robotics as a third grader, now attends Stanford, where he conducted research on using AI chatbots to support diabetes patients. FIRST gave him the tools to think critically and collaborate effectively. His son has been accepted to Microsoft Research this summer, examining market designs and looking at ways to create a more equitable economy.
These achievements, Marcus emphasized, were never the primary goal. “I didn’t join FIRST thinking my son would go to Stanford,” he said. “It was the FLL core values. Essentially, that value of having fun was something Dan and I held on to a lot.”
Lessons in Leadership
Reflecting on his journey, Marcus distilled his wisdom into a simple philosophy: follow your child’s interests and tap into existing infrastructures like FIRST. “Dan and I succeeded because we were able to catch the vision that FIRST provides to people like us, and because we’re in a small town,” he explained.
To new coaches, Marcus offered a candid reminder: don’t be afraid to do something out of the fear of disaster. “Your first year is going to be hard and you’ll learn and just make that the goal of the year,” he advised. He also encourages coaches to give back by volunteering as competition judges, reinforcing the ecosystem that makes FIRST thrive and to understand how it works.
He describes FIRST as a small tech company competition in which the robot is your product. He notes that the competition is how you assemble a team to build the product, and all the aspects related to ensure that the product performs well. “The whole system scales around the parents and students involved.” Marcus states. His story is a testament to the power of curiosity, community, and perseverance—proof that even the smallest spark, like a love for LEGOs, can light the way to extraordinary achievements.
