Joseph Chai, Francis Lewis High School, New York

Joseph Chai is a current junior at Francis Lewis High School in Fresh Meadows, NY. Since his childhood, Joseph has always had a deep passion for hands-on projects and making planes from simple materials such as poster board foam or printer paper. In order to take this passion one step further, he enrolled in his high school's three-year Engineering Program and sought outside-classroom opportunities to gain a deeper understanding of aerospace engineering and work on modern-day applications. He currently serves as the 2021 Co-Captain (2022 Upcoming Captain) of the Science Olympiad Team, competed in Wright Stuff, Ping Pong Parachute, Machines, Sounds of Music, and has led his team to reach 7th place at NYC Regionals this year from 20th place last year. He aspires to become a space or tech entrepreneur in the near future, and design new innovations that would help humanity become an interplanetary species. "I love taking on new challenges and devising new and unique ways to solve the issues I see in my community" says Joseph. In his free time Joseph enjoys playing table tennis, hiking, and listening to music as forms of stress-relievers. Aside from striving for his best, Joseph also seeks to develop his social network by meeting new, like-minded peers and learning from them.