The 2026 Woodie Flowers Memorial Grant Recipient Announced: Thalis Katsimichas

The Woodie Flowers Memorial Grant honors the legacy of Dr. Woodie Flowers, a gifted professor whose hands-on learning philosophy helped shape engineering education and the FIRST^®  Robotics Competition. This prestigious, portable, and renewable annual Grant is awarded to exceptional FIRST Tech Challenge or FIRST Robotics Competition students who have demonstrated excellence in FIRST^®   through the FIRST Leadership Award. 

The Woodie Flowers Memorial Grant Selection Committee is proud to announce Thalis Katsimichas as the recipient of the 2025–2026 Woodie Flowers Memorial Grant.

A FIRST Leadership Award winner from FIRST Tech Challenge Team 22043 in Paiania, East Attica, Greece, Thalis has made an extraordinary impact as a mentor, volunteer, and advocate for expanding access to FIRST. From supporting teams on remote Greek islands to mentoring students internationally, Thalis is committed to ensuring more young people can experience the power of hands-on STEM learning. Woodie’s wife and Memorial Grant Selection Committee member, Margaret Flowers shared the following about Thalis’ selection:

"Thalis wants to innovate with purpose, communicate with honesty, compete with integrity and mentor with empathy. Thalis said, 'Woodie Flowers didn’t ask us to build robots. He asked us to build meaningful lives.'"

Congratulations to Thalis Katsimichas on this well-deserved honor and for carrying forward Woodie's legacy.