This year for the Woodie Flowers award our team nominated mentor Nik Barber. Here is the essay we submitted to the judges:

Throughout the many years that FIRST Team 1013 has been in operation, it has received help from a variety of people. These ranks have spanned from professional engineers to high school science teachers. However, we believe that our greatest resource came to the team this very build season in the form of a recent Queen Creek High graduate.
Nik Barber has been a long time participant of FIRST Robotics. Joining Team 1013 his sophomore year, 2008-2009 Lunacy season, he immediately found himself addicted to the cause. Nik went on to mentor FLL teams for the 2009 and 2010 seasons. He would later become the Head Technical Judge at the Chandler FLL Regional for 2011, and also maintained a position on the Chandler FLL Regional board since 2011. Then in 2010, he co-founded FIRST SEVERE Robotics Team 3517, becoming their Build and Program President as well as their Competition Captain.
Then the 2012 Build Season approached and Nik, fresh out of high school, came back immediately to mentor his original team, FIRST Team 1013. With only two members returning from the previous year and just a handful of mentors available, Nik helped the Phoenix with its second major rebirth. With his many connections to local businesses, he was able to get the team back on their feet and start the season off running, helping them utilize every possible resource within the community. In the classroom, he instructed a majority of the team on the proper use of power tools, helping them quickly and safely master machinery that none of them had ever had experience with. In addition to his technical experience, Nik also possesses phenomenal leadership capabilities. He was able to inspire confidence in even the youngest of students, helping the new freshmen members conquer their initial hesitance and take on an active role in club functions.
With his engaging attitude, spotless attendance and optimistic demeanor, he rattles off his go-to catchphrase, “You’re Golden!” to students while he tries to instill them with the independence to trust their own abilities to complete an objective. From the start, Nik has stressed the importance of students completing the tasks. He limits his intervention as much as he can, offering bits of advice here and there to help guide the students along, ultimately telling them that “it’s all up to you.” As the 2012 season comes to an end, the team is incredibly grateful for the guidance and support Nik has given them these past few weeks and wish him the best of luck with his deployment in the United States Air Force. Although he could only mentor team 1013 for this one season, the methods learned, the business connections forged, and the witty catchphrases listened to will be added to the extensive legacy of FIRST Team 1013 “The Phoenix.”