Harvard Class of 2026: Lael Ayala

Why It Matters

Ayala’s profile highlights a convergence of athletics, hands-on engineering and leadership training that feeds both entrepreneurship and public service, illustrating how elite universities are incubating technically skilled founders with real-world discipline and military experience.

Summary

Lael Ayala, a member of Harvard’s Class of 2026, balances roles as an outfielder for the Crimson softball team, a mechanical engineering student and an Army ROTC cadet. She grew up near Atlanta, discovered Division I softball early, and chose Harvard for its emphasis on personal development. For her thesis she built “SoftBot,” an autonomous robotic system that detects and collects softballs using computer vision and machine learning, and she plans to commercialize her work through her startup, Gander Robotics. Ayala expects to serve five years in the Army after graduation while pursuing her robotics career.

Original Description

Lael Ayala 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.