Niwot High School Senior Spotlight: Meleah Perez

The Left Hand Valley Courier is known for its coverage of athletes and arts students at Niwot High School (NHS). The Courier also honors an array of students who choose to pursue activities such as community service, robotics, academics, and topics that fall under the S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) umbrella.

Meleah Perez, a Niwot High School senior, is not only an outstanding student academically, but friends and teachers have labeled her as an incredibly positive person in class and outside of school.

In addition to her role as Student Body Secretary within Niwot's Student Council Leadership Team, she is engaged in a multitude of rigorous academic and extracurricular activities. With advanced coursework and many responsibilities with the Student Council, Perez stays busy.

Perez works with Up-A-Creek Robotics on the electrical/mechanical subteam and helps build robots. She also serves as the team's administrative lead, typically focusing on managing finances and other various administrative needs for the group.

In tandem with her work for Up-A-Creek Robotics, she also works with First Lego League (FLL) robotics teams. For the last three years, she has worked with a group of six to eight girls teaching them mechanical/programming skills, as well as teamwork and public speaking.

During her sophomore and junior years, Perez maintained an internship with the National Science Foundation with an AI-focused organization, the National AI Institute for Student-AI Teaming, where she helped run tests on how to make artificial intelligence robots effective for practical use, such as using them as teaching aids in classrooms.

Robotics holds a special place in Perez's heart, leading her to her CAS (Creativity, Activity, and Service) Project for the IB Diploma Program. She is designing different S.T.E.A.M-related challenges, to be used in educational kits that make S.T.E.A.M accessible to low-income students, which she then sends to low-income schools. Perez calls her project "STEAM-In-A-Box."

Perez said, "My proudest achievement was winning the First Robotics Competition World Championship in 2022. This was really meaningful to me because I got to see the culmination of months of hard work from my team pay off. It was an unforgettable experience"

Perez is leaning toward pursuing a biochemistry or molecular biology degree in college with plans to eventually attend dental school. Perez said, "I've applied to several schools and am excited to see where I'll be heading in the fall."

On top of all of this, Perez is a CHSAA State Representative. She said, "Through CHSAA, I've had the incredible opportunity to travel across Colorado, hosting and leading leadership trainings and conferences. These experiences have allowed me to grow as a leader, connect with students from different schools, and make a meaningful impact in my community."

Perez's plans to pursue dentistry are not simply because she has a passion for the dental aspect of the job, she also wants to help people gain accessibility to dental care. Perez' goal is to help eliminate socioeconomic disparities within dentistry and ensure that all people's needs are met despite their differences.

In her free time, she enjoys singing, reading historical and science fiction, painting, and golfing. She also enjoys sewing her own clothes and spending time with her pet chihuahua, Cinnamon. Perez hopes to continue bringing innovative ideas to the communities in which she finds herself, and looks forward to seeing what her future holds.