Softball player and robot builder Lael Ayala ’26

Lael Ayala ’26 has spent her time at Harvard balancing a busy schedule. A mechanical engineering concentrator, she is also an outfielder on the varsity softball team and a member of the Army ROTC. For her thesis project, she combined her love of softball and robotics to build a softball-collecting autonomous robot named "Softbot."

Originally from just outside of Atlanta, Georgia, Ayala has always been fascinated with how things work. She's also been a gifted athlete from a young age, eventually deciding to pursue softball at the Division I level. Ayala chose to attend Harvard in order to be able to pursue all her interests at once and to be part of a team that would support her growth.