As captain of the Wilson High School robotics team, Kaleb Gezahegn says that he has come a long way from walking into his first meeting. “One of my earliest experiences was one of the seniors asking me to pass a Phillips-head screwdriver, and I had no idea what that was.” Kaleb says that the team is where he found his passion for computer science and he has been “pursuing it ever since.” Kaleb says that the team has “a healthy competitive environment” and that members of the team have become close friends after working on their project six days a week to prepare for competitions. Before enrolling at Yale this fall, Kaleb has already had an opportunity to explore college courses through a dual-enrollment course at George Washington University. After speaking with the professor to skip the introductory course, he took an algorithm and data structures course. “It was genuinely fun. If college is going to be like that, I’m set,” Kaleb says. Thinking back on his time at Wilson, Kaleb says he appreciates that students are “part of so many different communities.” Kaleb wants to encourage younger students to explore their interests. “Make sure that your interests align with your classes, otherwise it will be very difficult to put in the time.”

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