High School Spotlight on Hannah R.

Hannah Rehard has been in iLEAD Exploration since third grade, when our program first opened. She is one of seven siblings in iLEAD Exploration and has tackled her work in and out of school with grit and determination. Known for her reliability and perseverance, she developed a deep sense of courage and commitment early on. By the age of eight, she had plunged into the world of FIRST Robotics. Unsure whether she preferred the hard skills of engineering or the soft skills of communication, Hannah committed herself fully to both—and it paid off.

Learning independently at iLEAD Exploration made it possible for Hannah to immerse herself in every aspect of the FIRST Tech Challenge, all while excelling academically in rigorous high school and college courses. Her greatest academic hurdle? Mastering Java programming. Hannah dedicated four intense months of focused study—made possible by her individualized learning plan—and led her team to program one of the most advanced autonomous robots in Southern California. As her technical abilities grew, so did her leadership. She was appointed both team captain and lead programmer, meeting with mentors, spearheading STEM outreach, and mentoring youth in eight countries across six continents.

Thanks to her passion, technical expertise, and leadership, Hannah was named one of just 10 recipients of the prestigious 2024 FIRST Tech Challenge Robotics Dean’s List Award—selected from among 100,000 student engineers. Her impressive track record caught the attention of Amazon, earning her both an Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship and a competitive internship. This fall, she will attend California Baptist University, majoring in Computer Science and joining the programming subdivision of the CBU Robotics Team—led by her older brother, Titus.

Hannah is a shining example of a young woman who pours her heart into making a meaningful difference in the world. Her dedication is evident, and we are excited to hear about all that lies ahead for her! Congratulations, Hannah!