Veida Lekakh
Health & Science High
Class of 2013
Beaverton, Oregon
Ever since I was a little girl, I have been interested in the medical field. As far back as I can remember, I went to doctors with my grandparents to translate, hoping that some day, I will eventually see patients of my own. Last year, I realized that wearing a white coat isn’t the only way to save lives. It started with a dual-credit course with OIT called Introductions to Engineering Design. We made the CAD parts of a miniature train, then printed them with a 3-D printer. My nephew loved his birthday present, and I loved learning the basics of engineering.
A friend invited me to come to Robotics Club. I became so fascinated with the idea of getting dirty and building things with my hands so I joined the team. Being on the team required a commitment of at least 100 hours in the 6-week “build season”, where students design and build a robot to go through a certain challenge for competition. I was both on the business and mechanical side, where I applied for grants and awards, as well as learn about engineering and built parts for the robot.
Interesting fact: At the Seattle Regional Competition our robot won 1st place, and in Portland, we won the Chairmen’s award, based on community service and spirit, both of which gave us a ticket to St. Louis for the World Championships! This year, I am presenting the Chairman’s award at Regionals and I’m also volunteering with Autodesk to teach other students on different teams how to use their software.
Future: a biomedical or chemical engineering career
Ask me about: hiking and music
NWrWIC 
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