CESAR BENEMELIS LOZANO
High School: Miami Coral Park Senior High School
Hometown: Miami, FL
“I am the type of guy that while shopping, will try to push the shopping cart in different ways and angles to analyze the forces at play and the physics laws involved,” says senior Cesar Benemelis Lozano. This penchant for curiosity has propelled him to great heights, including the prestigious MIT Introduction to Technology, Engineering, and Science (MITES) program. There he’s been studying astrophysics and aerospace engineering alongside various MIT professors and other seniors across the nation—fueling his lifelong dream of reaching the stars. One of his greatest achievements during the program? Publishing an article about electrospray thrusters—a promising method for satellite control—on Medium, a community-sourced blog that aims to share insightful content related to useful knowledge.
Growing up in Cuba, pursuing a career in engineering seemed nearly impossible to Cesar, yet his dreams persisted. His move to Mexico City at age six changed his outlook entirely—the architecture and civil engineering projects that surrounded him made his engineering aspirations feel within reach for the first time. The structural beauty of the city showed him what human creativity and technical skill could accomplish, strengthening his resolve to become an engineer. Upon arriving in the United States, this newfound confidence allowed him to fully embrace magnet programs in middle and high school, where he immersed himself in robotics and drones, pursuing his passion without boundaries.
During his freshman year, Cesar met Pastor Humphrey Wawire Tundo, a guardian for orphaned children in Kenya. Resonating with the children’s experiences, Cesar was motivated to start Sparkteck Tutoring. Aiming to create an online community where Kenyan children could learn about STEM disciplines, Cesar’s tutoring has allowed him to not only share his expertise but teach the kids they can dare to dream. Working to scale out his tutoring program, he’s engaged other high schoolers and engineering friends to help teach various topics like 3D design and coding. Recognizing the power of his work, the US Embassy in Kenya, a scientist, and his engineering teachers joined in on this mission. Calling the attention of the local news, his work was featured on CBS’s Miami Proud segment. “We lead with a clear vision: we aspire to leave a legacy, one that brings education to communities,” he says.
In his own Hispanic community, Cesar’s noticed that the lack of transportation is an issue that he’d love to help solve. Largely impacting seniors and non-drivers, the cost to get around Miami is unsustainable with the current cost of ride shares like Uber. His proposed solution would be to involve more civil engineers in city planning, creating safe public transport stops that are better prepared for Miami’s unpredictable weather.
As the first in his family to study engineering, Cesar’s desire to succeed has led him to pursue every opportunity to expand his knowledge and skills in the field. His dedication has earned him multiple accolades, including induction into the Robotics Hall of Fame after achieving the Worlds Award in VEX Robotics, an appointment to the Air Force Academy, and a letter of recognition from Congressman Carlos Gimenez. The journey from Cuba to the cosmos continues as Cesar heads to the Florida Institute of Technology to study aerospace engineering and astronautics, charting a course toward his ultimate goal of becoming an astronaut.
