Touchstone Energy Scholar of the Week: Mitchell senior eyes a future in engineering

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - Kobi Lutjens is a senior at Mitchell High School with a 3.82 GPA.

“Kobi is an incredible gentleman. He is a gunner. He believes in what he is doing. He is very focused. He is not afraid to take risks and to try new things. His mathematical skills are incredible, and he just keeps going,” said Erin Fowkes, a school counselor at Mitchell High.

Kobi owes his drive and determination to his mother.

“Growing up, my mom worked two jobs. She worked a lot to get what I have now, and on top of that, she has been back to school I think three or four times now, and now she has her master’s. She just graduated last December and got her nursing license when she passed the boards, and she is now a nurse practitioner, so she has fired all of my motivation that I have,” said Kobi.

During his junior year alone, he earned a total of 23 dual credits for college.

“Kobi’s got a lot of self-discipline. He can be a goof. Love the kid, he can talk a lot, love the kid. He’s very focused on his views of things,” said Fowkes.

Now in his senior year, Kobi will earn an additional 20 credits allowing him to graduate high school as a college sophomore.

“I now currently have three jobs that I work on top of doing all my school. I have a few extracurriculars that I do. I’m in jazz band. That motivation is just to keep pushing myself forward, never let up. I have a goal in my mind of my future, and I want to hit that goal,” said Kobi

He hopes to earn a degree in civil engineering from South Dakota State University.

“I hope he finds that job that he wants to do that he can be very successful at — the job that makes him feel like an accomplished engineer. I want him to just be able to fly on his dreams,” said Fowkes.

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