Debbie English
WFA Recipient · 2026
Debbie English won the Woodie Flowers Award for 2026 while mentoring Team 4499, The Highlanders, at Fort Collins, Colorado. She became a finalist for the Woodie Flowers Award in 2017.
According to Debbie, the most important legacy of being a mentor is not the robot that the students design and make, but the confidence and the capabilities that they will be equipped with for future success.
The start of Debbie’s journey with FIRST came almost two decades ago in the form of FLL. As the students progressed from FLL to FTC and then started FIRST Robotics Competition Team 4499, The Highlanders, the vision for this team has been to provide meaningful STEM opportunities to students irrespective of their school or financial status.
Having completed her education in Computer Science at Colorado State University, Debbie has worked throughout her career in software development. The experience in her career field has contributed to her mentoring style by giving her emphasis on both technical skills as well as communication skills, problem-solving skills, and teamwork skills that are required by the students in the future.