By Joyce Yang ‘23, Anchal Bhardwaj ‘24

Recently, the 2023 FIRST Robotics Competition Silicon Valley Regional (SVR) was held at San Jose State University. The Janksters and their 2023 competition robot, Caroline, attended SVR along with 59 teams from five countries.  

FIRST stands apart from other competitions in STEM and sports due to the FIRST Ethos of Gracious Professionalism, the concept of Coopertition, and the commitment to the FIRST Core Values. The guiding force behind these principles was co-developer of FIRST, Dr. Woodie Flowers, who was instrumental in contributing a unique perspective, wisdom, and communication style to the FIRST Robotics Competition. The Woodie Flowers Award was founded in 1996 to honor FIRST mentors who demonstrate the leadership, ethical behavior, and communication skills exemplified by Dr. Flowers. The Woodie Flowers award is a student-led effort. Each year, students are tasked with nominating one mentor by writing an essay that answers the question, “How did the candidate inspire your team throughout this process?” This year, the Janksters chose to nominate the team’s co-director of 14 years, Marta Carrillo. With the input of current team members, mentors and graduated Janksters, students wrote and submitted a nomination essay. 

We are proud to announce that our very own Ms. Carrillo won the Woodie Flowers Finalist Award at the 2023 Silicon Valley Regional! During the awards ceremony, this snippet from the award-winning essay was read by last year’s SVR Woodie Flowers winner and Jankster mentor, Mr. Mulla.

“This mentor challenges students to plan for the future through leadership development weekends, where students are at the forefront of envisioning technical goals. This mentor teaches young women to advocate for their ideas, from early whiteboard brainstorming sessions all the way to competition strategy. Working to inspire the broader FIRST community, this mentor hosts summer bootcamps to introduce others to robotics. Operating with an “above and beyond attitude” she has inspired generations!”

For more than a decade, Ms. Carrillo has been a persistent advocate for her Janksters. Day in and day out, she supports Notre Dame’s Robotics Program, and her roles stretch far beyond the title of “Co-director”. As 1967’s branding guru, communication pundit and hot chocolate supplier for 70 female and non-binary students, she motivates with enthusiasm, plans with passion and leads with heart. Her impact reaches far beyond Notre Dame’s campus. With her guidance, the Janksters have introduced engineering to Spanish-speaking communities in downtown SJ, started FIRST-wide charity drives, and grown FLL teams at local schools. Beyond the team, she helps host the Young Women's Engineering Symposium, where female engineers have shared industry experience with more than 400 students over the last eight years.

Each step Ms. Carrillo takes is a step towards empowering strong leaders, communicators and gracious professionals. From the minute students walk into their first robotics meeting to when they enter the workplace, Ms. Carrillo teaches the Janksters to lead, learn and walk with purpose. We are immensely proud that Ms. Carrillo’s long-standing dedication and hard work has been recognized by the FIRST community!