Congratulations to Mr. WiIliams: Woodie Flowers Finalist Award Recipient!

“That’s it! That’s the robotics spirit!” Mr. Williams exclaimed. He held his hand up for a high-five to the excited students he was working with, who had just successfully completed their project. Mr. Williams never ceases to inspire his students. His energetic personality and passion for his job are contagious, motivating every student to excel. Over the years, Mr. Williams has left a lasting impact on over 900 students who have gone through his robotics programs. In fact, he won the CBS Bay Area Jefferson Award in 2015 because of his dedication to his students.

An electrical engineer by trade, Mr. Williams could have retired decades ago. Instead, to give back to the community, he became a high school math teacher.  Soon, an enthusiastic group of students asked him to start an FRC team. That was twelve years ago. By last year, he was juggling FRC with 3 FLL teams, 8 FTC teams, and 4 sections of AP Physics, all in the custom workshop-classroom he helped design as part of a school renovation. This year, instead of taking a break during his first-ever sabbatical from teaching, he focused his full attention on the ever-growing robotics program.

Mr. Williams strives to make sure that everyone has a chance to contribute meaningfully. He uniquely structured the FTC program to create opportunities for freshmen and sophomores to develop skills with peers closer to their age. He also fosters a safe and welcoming environment. A former student described robotics as the one place that he felt most comfortable and a place of safety when there were issues at home.

Even with well over 100 students to mentor, he provides everyone with individual guidance and attention. His high expectations seem daunting at times, but his tough love is precisely calculated to push us beyond our perceived limits. When we have questions, he urges us to analyze the problem, question our assumptions, and consider new ideas. By encouraging our quieter students and mixing up veterans and newbies, he transforms loose groups of students into a tight-knit team. He brings out the best in all of us. He shapes today's novices into tomorrow's leaders.

Mr. Williams surely has the energy to move mountains, but he could probably convince mountains to move themselves. Whether he's explaining technical concepts or simply reminding us to get enough sleep, his knowledge always comes across clearly. He urges us to communicate amongst ourselves as well, reminding our subteams to discuss integration, and even quizzing students to see if they know what the rest of the team has been up to.

Mr. Williams embodies the club mantra he coined years ago, “Building People, Building Robots.” Several years from now, the robots we built will have been dismantled, but the character that Mr. Williams empowered each of us to build will stay with us. His perennial presence and steadfast support underpins all our events and programs. If we are the lifeblood of Cupertino Robotics, Mr. Williams is its heart.

We are beyond excited that our lead mentor, Mr. Williams, was presented with the Woodie Flowers Finalist Award for the San Francisco Regional! This award was announced at the virtual FIRST Regional Awards Show this past week.

We are so thankful for everything that Mr. Williams has done for our team and all of the students at Cupertino Robotics. His dedication and enthusiasm has pushed us to grow and learn in ways we could've never imagined, and he is truly an inspiration to us all.

Congratulations, Mr. Williams!