Nathaniel Aibangbee

Nathaniel recently graduated from Kenwood Academy High School, Chicago, with a 3.91 GPA and is enrolled to begin Mechanical Engineering at Cornell University this fall. He was previously class valedictorian and a Cambridge O Level prize winner at Lifeforte International High School in Nigeria, where he served as Social Prefect, STEM Club President, Class Captain, and cell leader at his local church. He is also a Yale Young African Scholar (2024 edition).

His interests span soccer, robotics, tutoring, swimming, and sustainability. He was active in the Robotics Club and African Students Union at Kenwood Academy, played for Kenwood’s Broncos Boys Basketball Team, and served as goalkeeper for the Broncos Soccer Team and Lifeforte Senior Boys’ Soccer Team, earning MVP recognition in 2025. He also played center for the Lifeforte Senior Boys’ Basketball Team.

He has mentored junior students in math, physics, and robotics. His STEM projects include building a motion-detecting surveillance robot with Arduino, infrared sensors, circuits, and a buzzer at Young Inventors Summer Camp in Nigeria, as well as designing basic computer games with Scratch.

He has shown commitment to sustainability through Lagos beach cleanups, hostel cleanup initiatives, recycling awareness, and personal study on Nigeria’s plastic-waste challenge.