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2026-27 Competition Season Begins Sept 1!
Featured Article:
HTD Horizons Newsletter
August 26, 2026
This month, we invited Kevin Johnson, Lead Scrum Master, HES LOB, back to share more about his volunteer work with youth. He was featured for his “hidden talent” in last month’s Horizons newsletter, as well as in ICF’s Weekly Roundup July 20 issue as the Q2 GivingPlace winner for logging volunteer hours. (Did you know? If you enter your volunteer hours in GivingPlace at least monthly, you can be eligible to win one of the quarterly drawings and receive $250 to donate to the charity of your choice!)
Q. What inspired you to get involved with Fire Rockets, and what keeps you coming back year after year?
It all started when a young woman from a local National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) Junior chapter earned a spot on the U.S. Spacemodeling Team and competed at the 2017 World Championships in Poland. Noticing a stark lack of diverse representation in this aerospace hobby, she and her mother launched a regional rocketry competition to change that. I stepped in as a mentor, and I’ve been hooked ever since.
What keeps me coming back is watching students get genuinely thrilled by engineering. They tackle complex design challenges with zero preconceptions. Some have never held a basic hand tool before, yet they come up with wildly creative solutions because they aren’t bound by “how things have always been done.”
Q. For those who may not be familiar with Fire Rockets, what does the program do, and how does it help spark students’ interest in STEM and aerospace careers?
We use rocketry to ignite imaginations, open doors, and break barriers. Through hands-on workshops and multi-month challenges, students learn physics, rocket simulation software, engineering design, and teamwork.
In our primary challenge, teams are given precise, real-world constraints. For example: Design and build a rocket that carries a raw egg to exactly 500 feet, stays airborne for 36 to 39 seconds, and lands safely without cracking the egg. Seeing something you designed on a screen take physical form and blast off into the sky is an unforgettable rush for these kids.
Q. Can you share a memorable moment or success story from your work with students that demonstrates the impact of the program?
At a recent NSBE Junior National Convention in Baltimore, MD, our Fire Rockets youth leaders helped over 100 students build and decorate their own model rockets. We then partnered with the Maryland Science Center to launch them right at the Inner Harbor. Every single participant successfully flew their rocket and took it home. For many, it was their first time launching a rocket and doing it alongside mentors and peers who shared their background made the milestone even more powerful.
Q. What skills or lessons do you hope students gain through Fire Rockets, and how has volunteering with the organization influenced you personally or professionally?
I want students to realize that critical thinking and the engineering mindset apply to everything in life and, above all, that there is a place for them in STEM. Professionally, working with these kids reinforces a core truth I bring to my job every day: innovative solutions can come from anyone. Diverse teams with varied backgrounds make us stronger and far more resilient. Personally, nothing is better than the feeling after seeing a student graduate, pursue a degree in engineering, and know that a spark lit by Fire Rockets helped launch their future!
Thank you, Kevin, for helping develop future leaders and set them on a path to success. Your talents and dedication to mentoring young people help propel future generations toward bright futures. By creating these meaningful STEM experiences, you are leaving a lasting impression on students and communities.
Have a volunteer story to share? We’d love to highlight your impact in a future Volunteer Impacts spotlight. Please complete this form for yourself or a colleague.
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