During a padded combat match, Chase ’26 faced an opponent who had years more experience than he did. The other fighter was faster, stronger, and well-respected in the community. Chase knew that trying to overpower him would be a mistake. Instead, he fought cautiously, keeping his distance and studying his opponent’s movements. As the match unfolded, he noticed something small but important: his opponent repeatedly left a gap beneath his arm along his ribcage. Waiting patiently for the right moment, Chase delivered a single precise strike to that opening. The fight was over. The more experienced competitor had underestimated him, and Chase had turned patience and observation into victory.

At Leysin American School in Switzerland, Chase has built a reputation for approaching challenges the same way he approaches padded combat: with careful attention, technical thinking, and quiet determination.

Before arriving in Leysin, Chase’s path had already taken him across several countries. Born in Corpus Christi, Texas, he moved to Houston as an infant, then to Bakersfield, California when he was five. At age nine, his family relocated to Kazakhstan, where he attended a small school with about 120 students total. His eighth grade class had only five students. Coming to LAS at fourteen felt like stepping into a much larger world.

“I went from a pretty small, closed-off school in the compound we lived in,” he said, “to what is, for me, a very large school with a lot more people.” At LAS he stepped into leadership as a dorm representative, eager to become more involved in the community and build connections across campus.

Chase’s interests reflect the influence of his parents. His father’s background in civil engineering and project management sparked his fascination with mechanics, physics, and mathematics. At the same time, his mother’s work in English and the humanities nurtured his love of literature and history. The result is a young man equally comfortable discussing engineering problems and philosophical questions about the universe.

One of the first places his technical interests took shape at LAS was in the Green Machines program. When Chase joined as a grade 9 student, the club initially attracted many students, but most dropped out within weeks. Chase stayed. Working closely with faculty mentor Mat McLeod, he learned practical engineering skills like wiring electrical components, installing motors, and soldering circuits while helping convert bicycles into electric bikes for campus staff.

“At first I didn’t really have that knowledge,” he says. “It was really interesting to learn it at such a young age.”

The process taught him more than just mechanics. The methodical way Mr. McLeod approached problem-solving left a lasting impression that still shapes how Chase tackles both engineering projects and his academic work.

His technical mindset extends to the school’s padded combat group, where students construct and fight with foam weapons. While others tried to make lighter, faster weapons, Chase built one designed for durability. The weapon he made in grade 9 is still in use today.

“It’s the oldest weapon we have,” he says with pride. “But it’s still the most durable one.”

Padded combat is more than a hobby for Chase. He studies it as a sport rooted in history and technique, alongside historical European martial arts. For him, the appeal lies in the strategy.

“A lot of people treat it in a more nerdy pop culture context,” he explains. “But I try to treat it more like a martial art. You’re practicing something to get better at it.”

That same mindset appears in other activities, including snowboarding.

One memorable experience came during a recent night skiing trip to Les Diablerets. Unlike earlier trips, Chase had never seen the runs before. The unfamiliar terrain forced him to rely on instinct rather than hesitation.

“Not knowing exactly what’s ahead of me kind of forces me to be more confident,” he says.

That night, he asked a friend to film him carving down the slope. Watching the video afterward, he realized he had pushed himself further than usual: moving faster, taking more risks, and falling far less often. For Chase, the moment was a quiet but meaningful confirmation of his progress.

Chase’s interests stretch far beyond sports and engineering. Astronomy has fascinated him since childhood, in large part because it brings together all the sciences he enjoys.

“Astronomy, cosmology, and astrophysics are really the study of how everything works,” he says.

The field also appeals to him for philosophical reasons. In a world divided by politics and borders, he sees space exploration as one of the few endeavors that consistently brings countries together. He would like to contribute to that effort as an engineer working for organizations such as the European Space Agency or NASA, helping transform scientific theories into machines capable of reaching space.

Underlying many of Chase’s achievements is a mindset he has developed over time. As a child, he struggled with severe allergies and a weak immune system, which sometimes limited his ability to participate in sports. Later, watching friends progress faster physically forced him to confront an uncomfortable realization: identical effort does not always produce identical results.

Over time, he has reframed his frustration.

“I remind myself that I’m pretty good at a number of things,” he says. “It’s about finding enjoyment in what I’m doing rather than just trying to be better than other people.”

It’s a philosophy that values progress over perfection and curiosity over competition.

Chase approaches each challenge with the same quiet strategy he used in that padded combat tournament: observe carefully, stay patient, and wait for the right moment to act.