Lukacs Aker-Breslin is a member of the Edison Preparatory High School class of 2023. He is the captain of the swim team, but he says it’s his experience with academic team and debate club that ignited his passion for academics. One of his favorite memories is from the first debate tournament he attended when he was in 7th grade.

“I was extremely impressed with what all I was able to learn through participation in the debate club and academic team. They led to great opportunities to connect with people and allowed me to put tidbits of facts to good use.

“Debate is one of the most influential organizations in my life. It taught me how to articulate my thoughts and to understand arguments, including how to break them down into various components. It allowed me to understand the importance of knowing both sides of every argument. It is a powerful tool. I use the skills I learned in debate in so many areas of my life. Academic Bowl also presented a chance to learn outside of my general areas of knowledge. It helped me to improve my speed at understanding and performing math problems or chemistry calculations. Debate and academic team both helped me to get better and faster and hone the skills I already had.” 

Lukacs has taken 12 advanced placement courses since his freshman year. His two favorite classes are AP Research and AP Physics C which were taught by his two favorite teachers, Mr. David Tomlins and Mr. Neil Guard, respectively: “Mr. Tomlins has taught me in five classes. Mr. Guard, who has since passed away, gave me insights into knowledge that I’d never understood before. I learned the basics of calculus from him. One of my favorite quotes from Mr. Guard that will always stay with me is about the concept of general relativity: ‘time is just space moving toward you at the speed of light.' His teaching allowed me to understand so much of what I’d previously known tidbits about, but had been unable to connect to one another. He helped me piece everything together and learn how to think outside the box to apply and connect everything I’ve learned.”

Lukacs is valedictorian of his class, graduating as an AP scholar with distinction. He is an Oklahoma Academic All-State Scholar, a National Merit Scholarship Program finalist, and is a U.S. Presidential Scholar candidate. He’s been accepted into numerous college programs, including California Polytechnic Institute, Rochester Institute of Technology, and Purdue Engineering.

The Edison Preparatory graduation will take place Wednesday, May 17 at 8 p.m. at Expo Pavilion, 4145 East 21st St.