Christine Sapio

Before I wandered into Dave Thompson's classroom as his student teacher, I worked as the director of the Challenge Course at Willow Springs Girl Scout Camp in Prescott, AZ and as a counselor at the US Space Camp in Huntsville, AL. I was hired at Coconino High School in Flagstaff to teach physics and to run the Coconino Institute of Technology program right out of my student teaching. My time in FIRST started with the two most terrifying words ever, "Hey Christine." That would be Dave, asking if I wanted to go check out this "robot thing." We started the CocoNuts Team 2486 in 2008 with six freshman boys, one sophomore girl, and zero clue how to run a robotics team. In 2009, I got to turn the tables a bit with, “Hey Dave…FIRST Headquarters wants us to run FTC in Arizona...” Ever since, it’s been our mission to create FIRST opportunities for students across Arizona who don’t have it yet. I’m the lead coach of the impact, advocacy, outreach and marketing team on the CocoNuts. I was completely surprised and honored to receive the 2022 FIRST Championship Woodie Flowers Award! When I’m not at a FIRST event as a volunteer or coach, I love playing outside, reading, cooking, and exploring new places.