by Angelina DeVincenzo
Alexandra DiCairano is following in the passionate footsteps of her UF alumnus father through their shared love for engineering and robotics. Throughout her four years at St. Francis Catholic Academy in Gainesville and as this year’s WolfBotics team captain, DiCairano discovered her love for competitive robotics and her desire to be an innovative female leader in the field of engineering.
WolfBotics is a competitive student organization at St. Francis, affiliated with FIRST, a science and technology association for young people with a mission to engage youth in mentor-based programs that build science, engineering, and technology skills, inspire innovation, and foster self-confidence, communication, and leadership.
This student organization asks members to construct a fully-functioning robot which will then go head to head with other robots to complete designated tasks in competitions throughout the U.S.
Aside from further discovering her love for this innovative work, DiCairano has been blessed with a program mentor who she happens to call, Dad. Gary DiCairano serves as team coach for St. Francis’ WolfBotics team and was able to stand by his daughter in this creative and competitive process.
As she continues to follow in her father’s footsteps, DiCairano plans to attend UF’s biomedical engineering program in the fall where she aspires to work in the field of prosthetics.
To learn more about St. Francis Catholic Academy’s robotics club, visit: http://sfchs.org/wolfbotics/.