Lane Tech student designs affordable prosthetic arm, wins 2025 National STEM Champion

CHICAGO — At Lane Tech High School on the city’s north side, the future is now. Students are working toward their futures and one young man working for the betterment of all.

Divine Favour Osuji is the 2025 National STEM Champion. STEM is short for science, technology, engineering and math.

Divine designed a prosthetic arm that has specific gripping power. He started working on it in his sophomore year and finished up in his junior year.

His motivation is simple. Born in Lagos, Nigeria, he emigrated here with his grandparents and parents.

These family members shaped his approach to academics and life.

He saw firsthand his grandparents struggle with bad knees and learned just how expensive the kind of help they and others needed can be.

He also was keenly aware of the incredible difficulties of life in Nigeria.

“I’ve heard of my own family and other stories in Nigeria about how people have lost their limbs because of a traumatic experience especially if you are working in machinery jobs,” he said. “And then I heard about how expensive prosthetics.”

And while some prosthetics can cost up to $50,000, divine’s comes in at around $100.

He says he’s had many teachers help him along the way including Peter Pissios, who teaches chemistry and marine biology.

 “(Divine is) absolutely exceptional and beyond his years … at a level that is past his peers,” Pissios said.

Divine has had many collegiate scholarship offers and while he’s learning toward the University of Michigan, he’s still hasn’t made up his brilliant mind. But rest assured, wherever he goes it’s only the next step to what will be an amazing journey for him and the people he is surely to help along the way.

“At the end of the day I want these designs to help as many people as possible,” he said.