In 4th grade, Ryan Lavery was introduced to Lego robotics, at the time he felt somewhat forced into it by his friends. Fast forward through middle school and into high school and robotics has developed into a true passion for him. He’s moved from simple robots made from kits to designing novel machines alongside a team of his peers that have won many competitions including last year’s world championship!
Check out the picture of Ryan (2nd from the right) and his winning team at left.
Ryan is a young man of many talents and is also a proud member of the Michigan Lion Dance Heritage, an organization dedicated to sharing the tradition of lion dance while fostering connections across diverse communities. Michigan Lion Dance had connected with Brilliant Detroit several years back, visiting hubs to share Chinese and Taiwanese traditions and support programs from literacy nights to community dinners. As part of March is Reading Month in March of 2026, Ryan visited the Chandler Park Hub. While there, he and his teammates performed a traditional lion dance, taught the kids how to play the tang-gu drum and dance inside the lion and read Lunar New Year stories.
Ryan was struck by the joyful environment at the hub and the children’s eagerness to learn and try something new. Seeing how excited the youth were to try out Lion Dancing, Ryan thought about bringing his other longtime passion, robotics, to Brilliant Detroit. He had already started a non profit organization, Seed Seek Robotics, to share his passion and got to writing a proposal for a robotics course he could offer during Brilliant Detroit’s summer camp. Our staff quickly saw the value in Ryan’s idea and set him up to lead his program.
July 9th marked the first Robotics with Ryan session. Going into it, Ryan was a bit nervous, he would be teaching a group of kids he had not yet met and wondered how he and his robotics lesson would be received. He was warmly welcomed at the McDougall-Hunt Hub and got set up in a classroom upstairs. The lesson that day was about building a Lego remote-controlled car. Ryan explained that there were two types of wheels available to the kids, some can move in any direction, including sideways while others gave increased traction at the expense of flexibility. Parents and children alike were at the table, puzzling through how to connect the lego pieces and build up to a robot. The parents and kids carefully studied the building diagrams, counting the number of pegs between each piece to perfectly replicate Ryan’s designs. The ultimate goal was to create a robot that the kids could program to move. As they completed steps, the kids reflected on what their creations looked like, “mine looks like a bed. Mine looks like a couch.” Adding a piece on top, the “bed” became a “bunk bed.” With the sides assembled, the robot builders moved on to adding wheels to their creations. Ryan showed the kids how if they wanted their wheels to spin, they had to be attached to an axle, not stuck directly onto the robot.
As the kids completed their robots, they resembled small cars – 4 wheels, 2 axles, and one robot “brain” that was connected to what looked like a video game controller. Venturing downstairs to show Community Engagement Coordinator DusJohn, the kids unleashed their robots on the carpet. They struggled a bit with the controls at first, as the left and right joysticks propelled the corresponding sides of the robot independently. Once they got a bit of the hang of driving, they tried to direct a plastic ball with their robots. For some, the robots took on a new life, “mine is a dog,” “well, my robot is a cat!” The joy of all in the room was palpable. The session ended with the promise of building on today’s creations next week and seeing Ryan’s World Championship-winning robot in person.
While Ryan’s lesson was designed for youth, every adult in the room expressed how eager they were to come back and see what is next as well. “Can you come back and teach a class for adults? I love putting puzzles and stuff together.” After a program session at the Outer Drive-Hayes hub, one of the staff members told Ryan that she had never seen the children so happy. At the end of the day, the joy and enthusiasm of the participating youth are what keeps Ryan coming back. He’s proud to be inspiring the next generation of scientists, inventors, and engineers. Brilliant Detroit’s hubs are a perfect outlet for sharing his passion. Reflecting on his experiences with Brilliant, Ryan remarked, “the leaders and the families of Brilliant are so organized, welcoming, and have a love of learning. The hubs are a safe haven and learning center for kids. I am so lucky to have partnered with Brilliant Detroit and I have already recommended that other peers share their talents with the people at Brilliant Detroit.” We look forward to having Ryan return for more robotics sessions and wish him the best as he continues to pursue his ambition to be an engineer. Thank you for sharing your expertise and inspiring our youth!
At Brilliant Detroit, we pride ourselves on offering meaningful ways for you to support our mission. Have a talent or passion that you would like to share at our hubs with our kids and families? Connect with our Volunteer Team by clicking the button below.