Cleatus Oakes

Cleatus Oakes

Cleatus has always been the kind of person who wants to build stuff that matters. What started as a love for Legos turned into a passion for solving real environmental problems using chemical engineering. By junior year, he was running an independent research project through his school’s R.A.D. program, experimenting with super absorbent polymers—the same stuff in fake snow—to explore how they could help with water treatment. He’s not just a science kid though. Cleatus ran cross country and track all four years, and he credits that consistency with helping him stay focused and manage his time. Between labs, races, and everything in between, he learned how to stay grounded by doing the things that kept him curious and challenged. What helped him stand out? He didn’t try to do everything. He tried a lot of things, then leaned into the ones that clicked. From chemistry to environmental science to hands-on engineering, he built his path step by step—until it led him straight to Caltech. Message Cleatus if you’re into engineering, love solving problems, or want to know how to turn a random school elective into a full-on research project. He’s a great person to talk to if you’re figuring out what excites you—and how to go all in once you find it.