James Eichelberger is a Junior at U of M Dearborn pursuing degrees in Electrical Engineering and Engineering Mathematics. James is the recipient of both the Metropolitan and Henry Patton IV scholarships and has been named to the Dean’s List twice. James helped create a character party business, Best Day Ever Parties, with his family and currently teaches music to students of all ages and works at the Ninja’s Edge Training Center as a coach.James has been homeschooled his entire life until he began his college education. During high school, James took 2 semesters of robotics; the first in a homeschool co-op, the second with OCCRA at Walled Lake Western High School. During the first semester, James participated in programming, mechanical design, and the construction of two autonomous robots. During 2nd semester he was the programming lead, participated in mechanical design and construction/assembly, he also operated the robot in competition.Besides academics, James also participates in athletics. He has played soccer for over 10 years, and in 2018 he made the homeschool All-State team as the #1 goalkeeper in the state. He also competed in numerous gymnastics meets where he was ranked the 9th best gymnast in the state of Michigan. James eventually began training as a Ninja Warrior at the Ninja’s Edge where he is currently employed as a coach. He has competed in several local competitions and in 2019, placed 1st in the adult amateur men's category.Beyond athletics, James is also active in the arts. He is a talented musician with a passion for rock music. He can play 9 different instruments, 5 of them fluently. Throughout his life, James has performed in many theater productions, earning the lead his senior year. Within these productions, James also played the part of many backstage roles such as publicity manager—in which he designed the t-shirts, flyers, and programs—costumes assistant, set assistant, and stage and props manager. He currently assists in a middle school theater production as the vocal instructor (accents, volume, tone) and stage manager. He can also be contacted via his school email: jeichel@umich.edu.