Two Featured in Plain Dealer's Senior Standout Section

Ingold Huang | St. Edward High School

"Running has taught me that I can do almost anything if I challenge myself to work hard and believe in myself," says Ingold, who has six varsity letters in track and cross country.

The Westlake teen excels in the classroom in history, calculus and science, including biology and chemistry. He also speaks Chinese and Spanish and volunteers at Fairview Hospital.

During a student-orientation program at the Cleveland Clinic, Ingold rotated through biomedical-engineering experiments. One measured the impact of zero gravity on humans. Another sought to speed bone growth in fractures.

"I like studying engineering and learning about health," says Ingold, whose parents are Mei Wah Huang and Tao Zhi Huang. He thinks he may find a career in bio-med, largely because the field has many options. Some that interest him include genetic engineering, prosthetics, pharmaceuticals and stem-cell research.

Nicholas Szczecinski | St. Edward High School (Lakewood)

Consider water shortages across much of the nation. The easy answer might be to pump water from the Great Lakes to arid regions.

"But why don't we develop more sustainable solutions," says Nick, who dreams of a career in mechanical engineering. "We should learn how to desalinate ocean water first."

The National Merit finalist was captain of a team that built a robot that finished second among 22 teams in Case Western Reserve University's Lego Robotics. Equipped with sensors, including sonar to identify obstacles, the 8-inch-long car is hardly a toy. Without the aid of human touch, the unit navigates around a track, slips past hazards and turns tight corners.

"It's a real-world challenge," says Nick. "Whole manufacturing plants can run on robots."

He stocks groceries at a local store and participates in intramural football, softball and basketball, stage crew, Science and Engineering Fair and Habitat for Humanity.

That's an impressive combination of strengths, says school counselor Tom Splawski.