Editor’s note, correction: This story has been updated for clarity.

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Meet the next Nikola Tesla. He walks the hallways at Woodland Park High School.

“He’s my idol,” Riley Russo said. “Tesla was a legendary engineer known for being significantly ahead of his time and chasing one lifelong goal: to progress humanity.

“Following in the footsteps of Tesla, I have dedicated my life to this common goal … it has become my life’s purpose”.

At the age of 11, Russo was inspired to design an ion thruster. Although his prototype “was a failure”, he said, “This was just the start of my journey and love for design engineering”.

Russo has been significantly influenced by the three foreign exchange students that his family hosted over the past three years. Treveen, from India, was amazed by the availability in America of regular, hot showers. In India people in his social strata use buckets of water to maintain cleanliness.

Faiz, another exchange student from India, was from a more privileged family. He inspired Russo to push forward with problem-solving, and to be proactive in developing a plan to supply generators to a wide population for a reasonable price, providing regular access to clean water.

“The combination of the two of them led me to my dedication to my ability to advocate towards the betterment of humanity,” Russo said. “I would like to begin working on establishing a cheap and reliable way to supply power to third-world countries”.

Current foreign exchange student Marko, from Serbia, is the “most joyous person I have ever met. He has taught me to never lose hope and just be happy.”

Russo shines in leadership and entrepreneurial roles. He leads the WPHS electronics sports team, is a member of the student council and National Honor Society and created a successful YouTube business. As treasurer of the National Beta Club, the largest national community service organization, he led community cleanup and organized a food drive that raised over $10,000.

Last summer Russo was accepted into the Colorado School of Mines SUMMET LEAD program, and is working to create a new automobile engine using an unexplored fuel source. Russo explains that his goal is to patent “both a more economically and environmentally stable alternative compared to petroleum-based engines society relies on today”.

“Riley has demonstrated resilience and determination in the face of personal challenges”, Malgorzata Drews, STEM teacher at WPHS said.

She notes that he continuously pushes himself to excel both inside and outside the classroom. She considers one of his most admirable qualities is his integrity, along with honesty and a strong sense of responsibility.

Russo focuses on his progression as a person, his prowess as an engineer, and a lifelong goal is to leave a legacy that will change the world for the better.

“Using my love of engineering, I will help solve problems that affect people across the globe,” he said.