Kelton Serra, a senior at KHS, might look like a regular teenage boy, but dig a little deeper and you’ll see he is one of Kokomo’s most accomplished students. One of his most notable accomplishments is his Guinness World Record for creating the world’s smallest documented robotic arm.
Serra set the record in 2024, and describes the experience as lengthy and difficult. He had to submit over 50 different pieces of evidence to prove that he designed and built the world’s smallest robotic arm. The evidence included many photos of measurements, the arm itself and write-ups. He even had to go as far as to have had to provide video evidence of an engineer verifying measurements with two witnesses present. Despite the fact that it took six months to win this award, it is one of Serra’s most impressive achievements.
Beyond setting the Guinness World Record, Serra has dreams of being either a mechanical or electrical engineer, and just recently got into Purdue University which is known for its engineering program.
“My grandfather was an electrical engineer at Delco, back when it was still called that. He has always been incredibly supportive and because of him, I was able to find what I love doing at a very young age,” Serra said. “I feel extremely fortunate to have had his support early on.”
Through his experiences at KHS and in the Kokomo Area Career Center, Serra has been able to work toward his ultimate goal.
“KHS has certainly helped to solidify my love for engineering with great class opportunities, particularly through the career center,” he said. “The robotics team offered here is incredible: Real-life engineering environment with so many great engineers to learn from.”
As he moves on from KHS, Serra’s long term goals are simple.
“Live a life of purpose and meaningfulness and positively impact who I can, when I can,” he said.
Serra leaves KHS with just one piece of advice.
“Stay focused on what’s important to you. There are a lot of distractions available to us, but it’s our choice whether or not we let them waste our time.”
