Nikira Lane is so selfless, humble, and independent that she isn’t often acknowledged for her incredible brain, beautiful personality and unique hobbies. A robotics phenomenon and tennis star, she thrives in anything she does.

The first thing that comes to mind when talking to someone about Lane is her astonishing brain power.

Smiles plaster people’s faces when they see they are sitting next to Lane on the seating chart. They know failing is impossible when paired with her.

Taylor Johnson, one of her best friends, met Lane in Chris Kleckner’s science class at Central Middle School. Kleckner is now an assistant principal at Dimond.

Johnson said, “She’s the reason I´m in Engineering and passing with an A at the moment.”

Lane is the prime recruiter for Dimond Engineering and Robotics, which Johnson also started participating in this year.

In AP Chemistry junior year, Lane missed the electrochemistry test due to being at the World Robotics Tournament in Texas.

When it came to deciding who would receive the Department Award for Science, the teacher, Jeff Keller, always goes with who has the highest grade.

He asked the class whether we would be ok with giving it to Lane despite her test grade not being in the gradebook yet. The answer was unanimously yes.

There was no question in their minds that she would have aced the test and increased the gap between her grade and everyone else in the class.

Additional qualities that can´t go unmentioned are her inclusiveness and selflessness.

Johnson said that when it comes to being a better person, “I pretty much aspire to be her.”

Her selflessness is also shown in her care for her animals.

Lane has goats, chickens, cockatiels, a dog, guinea pigs and is a beekeeper. She builds close connections to her animals and takes the best care she can of them. She once wasn’t able to make it to a friend get together when one of her goats wasn’t feeling well.

Beekeeping has made her very tough and she isn’t afraid of bugs at all. Her biggest pet peeve is when people do not know the difference between bees and wasps.

The Lane family has been beekeeping for 13 years and once had 27 hives at one time. They are often at craft fairs to sell their delicious honey.

Her family is very close to each other and has been a big part of shaping who she is. Lane helps out with her family and nephew with a disability regularly. Inspired by her nephew, she has become passionate in supporting and raising awareness about people with disabilities.

Lane is part of many clubs around Dimond. She is a member of Z-Club, Robotics, National Honor Society, tennis and the engineering program.

When asked about her various hobbies, Lane said, “My three favorite things are robots, tennis and things involving dirt.”

She has applied to about 10 schools around the nation, most of which are land grant schools, and plans to major in agricultural engineering.

When it comes to describing Lane, her friendly demeanor and humble personality stand out.

Wade Roach, the First Robotics Competition sponsor and an engineering teacher at Dimond, said, “A day without Nikira is like a day without sunshine.”

Savannah Woodke, another close friend, said, “She is unbelievably funny without trying to be. The other day she was peeling her mango over a trash can with a steak knife and talking about her passion for grilling at family get togethers, saying, ‘If someone touches my grill while I am grilling, they are in a world of hurt.’”

Her personality makes for a great leader in robotics. As the only girl on the FRC team from Dimond, she lead the school to Worlds in Texas and the Engineering Inspiration Award at two of their competitions. Her fast problem-solving skills and plain brilliance will no doubt help her change the engineering world.

As Roach said, “She is nothing less than infinity.”