Congratulations to Mary Thompson on Receiving the She Leads FIRST Women in STEM Award

Nova Labs is proud to congratulate Mary Thompson, Director of our FIRST Robotics program, on being recognized with the She Leads FIRST Women in STEM Award at the 2026 FIRST Chesapeake District Championship.

The award was presented during the championship event held April 9–12 at Virginia State University in Petersburg, Virginia, and recognizes women who are making a meaningful impact through leadership, mentorship, and service within the STEM community.

Mary's leadership has helped shape Nova Labs' youth robotics programs into more than just a place to learn engineering and programming skills. Through her mentorship, students develop confidence, resilience, teamwork, and problem-solving abilities that prepare them for success both on and off the competition field.

Reflecting on the honor, Mary shared that while the award bears her name, it represents the collective work taking place every day through the Nova Labs robotics community.

"We're building more than robots—we're building confidence, resilience, and future leaders."

Mary also highlighted the importance of creating opportunities for young people entering STEM fields and the inspiration she drew from sharing the stage with other women leaders and scholarship recipients pursuing STEM careers.

Nova Labs has long been committed to expanding access to hands-on STEM education, and Mary has been instrumental in that mission. Her dedication to mentoring students, supporting robotics teams, and fostering an inclusive learning environment has had a lasting impact on countless young makers, engineers, and innovators.

Please join us in congratulating Mary on this well-deserved recognition and thanking her for the leadership, passion, and countless hours she invests in supporting the next generation of STEM leaders.

Congratulations, Mary!