4788 Jaci Brunning (5333, 5663)
Unassuming beginning though she had, she has worked her way up to be someone great. She joined the FIRST community in 2015, and in her 4 years of toil Jaci has made a name for herself among FIRST members around the world. Her enthusiasm for the program influences everyone she meets, encouraging people around her, […]
1114 Karthik Kanagasabapathy, 2010 WFA
Every team needs a mentor who exemplifies passion, enthusiasm, and leadership. These are only a few of the characteristics that Karthik Kanagasabapathy brings to FIRST and to Team 1114. In his twelve years in FIRST, Karthik has shown continuous dedication to teaching young and old minds alike. Karthik is a role model to us all; through his widespread FIRST involvement he gets thousands of people excited about science and engineering, while giving the students on Team 1114 a thorough understanding of many important concepts and a helping hand to overcome challenges related to FIRST and beyond. The enthusiasm that Karthik has for sharing his knowledge and expertise extends to everyone in the FIRST community. He is a member of the Board of Directors of FIRST Robotics Canada, as well as the Waterloo Regional Planning Committee. Karthik’s inspiring level of energy and passion shines through in his emceeing at both the Greater Toronto Regional and the Waterloo Regional, along with many FLL competitions and other FIRST events. Karthik has been a huge contributor to the Canadian FIRST community, aiding as many teams as he can in whatever ways he can and being very involved in the founding of seven successful rookie teams. He has presented segments of his extremely informative six‐ seminar series on the fundamentals of managing a FIRST team to local Canadian teams and at the FIRST Robotics Conferences in Atlanta. The entire set is available online, and Karthik is always eager to answer questions. He has a unique ability to motivate teams, not only teaching students but helping mentors to gain the confidence necessary to meet the challenges of FIRST head on, and to be able to mentor their students effectively. Karthik knows how important the bond between a mentor and a student is, as it allows for effective communication to enable everyone to easily complete tasks and goals and to learn new things. To enhance this bond, he created our innovative “Big Simbot, Little Simbot” partnership program, allowing our mentors to get to know students on a more personal level and give students someone to turn to. A small example of the effort Karthik puts in for his students was when he spent several hours helping a little Simbot prepare for a math exam, giving her confidence and support and helping her succeed beyond what she thought she was capable of. His clear and effective way of communicating complicated concepts in way students can understand reaches far beyond the realm of robotics. Karthik has the ability to subtly guide and inspire students to achieve excellence, making it seem like it is their idea to learn new and innovative concepts. His passion for strategic design has helped students to understand that building robots, just like many tasks in life and engineering, does not start with picking up a set of tools; it starts with careful weighing of options and consideration of the process, and moves in attainable steps toward the end goal. He encourages students to become involved in this process; one of his favourite phrases is “chalk and talk is dead,” and his hands‐on, inclusive mentoring style reflects that philosophy. Having Karthik as a mentor makes 1114 a much stronger group of students and mentors. He is able to convey fundamental ideas in a simple manner and lead students to success. Karthik’s energy is contagious, and his professionalism gives every student a model to look to. His achievements in FIRST and the long list of students, mentors, teachers and parents that he has inspired truly make him a deserving candidate for the Championship Woodie Flowers Award.
1114 Ian Mackenzie
Ian Mackenzie’s passion for FIRST has touched thousands of people’s lives. His love and enthusiasm for the discipline of engineering is unparalleled, and through his mentorship of Team 1114, that love and enthusiasm has spread rampantly. Ian has been involved with FIRST for eleven years. He was integral in the founding of the first regional […]
1114 Karthik Kanagasabapathy, 2007 WFA
The list of things that Karthik Kanagasabapathy has done for FIRST is many miles long, but the list of students, parents, mentors, teachers, and others that he has inspired is many, many miles longer. Not only is he a mentor, he’s a friend, a guidance counselor, and even a big brother. His infectious energy, enthusiasm […]
188 Mark Breadner, WFA
Since 1998, when Mark Breadner founded the original Canadian FIRST team, he has been an important figure in FIRST. Presentations to corporations procured the support of now long-standing sponsors, guaranteeing the prosperity of the movement he started for years to come. Mr. Breadner’s tenure as Canada’s Regional Director of FIRST, saw the formation of 73 […]
1114 Greg Phillips
The secret to success is not having the most resources or skills; success in FIRST originates from exemplary mentors. As a leader, Greg Phillips guides us, as a mentor he inspires us, and as a teacher he opens our minds. Greg has been the leader and co-founder of Team 1114, Simbotics, for 12 years, transforming […]
122 Ansel Butterfield
I have been blessed to be involved in FIRST for three years, and have increased my knowledge and experience beyond any reasonable expectation. There are many deserving mentors responsible for this–but one stands out among the rest. He is someone who has most shaped what I think of engineering; without him, the late nights and […]
2363 Bill Bretton
William Bretton has been the electrical mentor on FRC Team 2363, Triple Helix, for the past three years, and during this time he has affected the team in a significant and wonderful way. He has been an inspiration to his students by teaching them the fundamentals of engineering and design. He has also implemented many […]
2363 Todd Ferrante
Todd Ferrante has been a dedicated mentor to our team since 2011. As a systems integration engineer at NASA Langley, he is beyond well-equipped to teach and inspire a love of engineering in students. Through his abilities to motivate, communicate, and problem solve, his patience with students and mentors, and his willingness to lead, he […]
2363 Nate Laverdure 2016
Nate Laverdure has been involved in FIRST for as long as he can remember. He grew up in southern New Hampshire, less than 20 minutes away from FIRST headquarters in Manchester. In the summer of 1996 between 2nd and 3rd grade he signed up for a summer camp at FIRST headquarters where, over the course […]
