High School: Poway High School
College: University of New Mexico
Robots are independent. They are also emotionless. As build captain, drive captain, safety captain and treasurer of the Robotics Team at Poway High, Lyle Ikeuchi helped his team achieve a spot in the World Championship of Robotics. Any similarity between the craft and Lyle, however, does not exist. He thrives on teamwork. He has heart. Although personal circumstances led him to become independent as a teenager, he mentored middle school students and sought out other high schoolers eating lunch alone to provide company. Lyle became known for his wide smile and for holding doors open for his classmates. Inspired by the power of great films from a young age, Lyle has his sights set on filmmaking. At University of New Mexico, he’s taking a full academic load and recently hosted a competition with the U.N.’s FreeRice to see who could provide the most rice for the needy. Within just an hour, his team generated 100,000 rice grains to be donated to a foreign country. Heart and brains make Lyle a stellar human being.
Words I live by-
“Happiness is like jam. You can’t spread even a little without getting some on yourself.”