Alumni Christina W. found that FIRST® Robotics has made her a well rounded individual. It's an undestatement to say that Christina was an introvert. She was quiet and thoughtful, preferring to blend in the background, rather than stand in the spotlight. As a young girl, Christina was consumed with curiosity, always taking apart, fixing, and creating her own projects.
She began her journey with FIRST® Robotics in 8th grade at Short Pump Middle School. She found her bliss with the Short Pump Puma Prowlers robotics FLL team. She loved to work with LEGO® bricks, programming the robot, and interacting with her team.
Surprisingly, in high school Christina found a new love: writing and working with the FIRST® Robotics team 1086 Chairman's team.
"Chairman's is the best part of the team with my favorite people."
Christina worked hard on the Chairman's team, striving to come up with innovative ways to spread the word of FIRST® Robotics, like Woodie World Wide and Flat Dean, and leading Blue Cheese as a co-captain. Through these experiences she became an accomplished public speaker.
After high school she went on to major in Biomedical Engineering at VCU. She also comes back to help the Chairman's team during each build season. She found that all of the skills she developed in speaking and presenting through involvement in FIRST® allows her to excel above the typical engineering student.
"So many of my classmates are terrified of getting up in front of the class. I know that I can handle it easily. I can handle the pressure and think on my feet."
She credits FIRST® for bringing her out of her shell.
"I went from being a quiet nerd to an outgoing nerd."
