Damaris Rivera

Damaris Rivera is the Program Delivery Partner for FIRST LEGO League in the South Texas Region. Damaris graduated from the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). She worked for 10 years within the school system, planning events and handling the financing of campus activities, school clubs, departments, and athletics. Damaris is an experienced STEM instructor and robotics mentor with a passion for inspiring the next generation of innovators. She has worked with her local college to provide Arduino, EV3, and Spike Prime Camps through their Robotics and STEM initiatives. Her commitment and expertise has led to a partnership with the City of McAllen Public Library Program to provide free robotics camps and make STEM education accessible and exciting. She has mentored/coached FIRST World Championship advancing teams in FLL Jr., FLL-Challenge, and FIRST Robotics Competition programs. As a mentor/coach she has guided students in developing teamwork, problem-solving, and engineering skills through hands-on competitions. Her journey with FIRST began in 2019, volunteering in FLL Challenge as a Volunteer Coordinator for South Texas. Over the years, she has taken roles within the FIRST in Texas community, serving as a Volunteer Coordinator and Judge Advisor for the FIRST Tech Challenge (South Texas Region) and a Judge for FIRST Robotics Competition. She has volunteered at the FIRST World Championship, learning from world Judges and Judge Advisors to continue growing her knowledge of all FIRST programs. Her guiding philosophy is that everyone can be an engineer and pursue a career in STEM. Her goal is to expand opportunities and remove barriers, so that all students in South Texas can discover their potential. Damaris is passionate about supporting coaches and her entire region so that all teams and students can achieve success.