Michigan Tech student Haley Peterson earned her associate degree, completed two internships with NASA and became a mixed martial arts world champion — all before graduating high school. Now, she's on to her next challenge: becoming a Husky engineer.
Haley Peterson's journey to Michigan Technological University included unusual international stops: back-to-back World Pankration Championships, where she earned over a dozen medals. Competing in an ancient sport that dates back to the original Olympic Games helped Peterson discover what she's capable of — and she brought the same fighting spirit to Michigan Tech.
Originally from Watersmeet in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Tech was a likely choice for the young robotics enthusiast, but her journey was anything but typical. Peterson and her younger sister Nicole got involved in pankration, an ancient form of mixed martial arts, after a local martial arts gym ran an ad in the newspaper. They started their training in nearby Land O' Lakes, Wisconsin, in elementary school.
"At first, it was just something for us to do after school," said Peterson. "We didn't think we'd stay in it this long but we did!"
Peterson and her sister joined a martial arts gym run by David Sixel, a ninth-degree pankration grand master who currently serves as the president of the USA Federation of Pankration Athlima. Sixel has managed a gym in his native northern Wisconsin since 1982.
It was Peterson's parents' idea for their daughters to become involved in pankration, which they hoped would teach self-discipline and team-building skills. Though it started simply enough, both sisters went on to compete in back-to-back world championships, and Peterson earned more than a dozen medals while she was in high school.
"My parents had no clue that we would become a part of something this big," she said. "They have helped my sister and I be able to be a part of this experience, and they are our biggest supporters."
Peterson is as much a committed student as she is an athlete. Before graduating high school, she completed two NASA-sponsored internships, competed on her high school's robotics team and earned her associate degree in computer programming.
Peterson's drive for personal and professional growth brought her to Michigan Tech, where she's now a first-year student double majoring in mechanical engineering and aerospace engineering. At the beginning of her next chapter, with a wealth of unique experiences under her black belt, she's ready for whatever comes next.
The Ancient Art of Pankration
Pankration, also known as pangration or pancration, is one of the oldest forms of mixed martial arts. Translated to "all powers," pankration combines boxing and wrestling with very few restrictions — no biting or gouging — and was one of the original sports included in the Ancient Olympic Games. Today, even with more rules and restrictions designed to protect athlete safety, the sport remains brutal.
"A lot of what we are taught can break bones, dislocate joints and knock someone unconscious," said Peterson. "It's an art form and a sport at the same time."
Peterson didn't set out to become an international champion in a sport that involves striking, grappling and wrestling with another unarmed athlete. "It kind of just grew as a part of my life," she said.
Today, she's proud of how far she's come. She earned her black belt and competed alongside Team USA in the Pangration Athlima World Championships in 2023 and 2024, competing across six divisions. In 2023, the championship was held in Athens, Greece. Peterson won two gold medals, one silver and three bronze. At the 2024 championships in Timisoara, Romania, she won five silver medals and one bronze, and shared a silver medal and trophy with her sister in the two-person form demonstration competition.
"For people who are new to the sport, it's difficult to realize just how much physical stamina you need," she said. "The matches are typically only three minutes long, but you'd be surprised how long that actually is. It can be pretty hard on the body."
At the 2024 world championships, Peterson suffered an intense head injury during one of her matches — a match she still won, of course. While she's fully recovered now, she took a step away from training and competition to heal, and also to complete her associate degree coursework. But she's not done with pankration.
"Now that I'm a Tech student, I don't really have the time to compete as an athlete, but I'm working toward becoming a US-sanctioned referee so that I can still be an active part of the sport," said Peterson. "Pankration is a huge part of my life and I can always go back to being an athlete again when I have the time."
While Peterson is proud of what she's accomplished, she remains humbled by the sport itself.
"Pankration is built on respect. Respect toward the sport, toward the coaches and toward your fellow athletes. Yes, they are your opponent but they aren't your enemy. Yes, people will get hurt. That is never my goal, to hurt another person, but it is an inevitable part of the sport."
Giving back is a huge part of Peterson's participation in the sport. She has volunteered as a pankration instructor and has also taught basic self-defense classes and led the physical defense portion of active shooter training. Her role as an educator has given her a new perspective on pankration, and she's grateful for the chance to keep learning from the sport.
"I like being both an athlete and an instructor," said Peterson. "Both roles teach you things in different ways."
A New Husky Adventure
Martial arts isn't Peterson's only passion. Alongside her training to become a pankration world champion, she was also preparing to become an engineering student.
After a presentation in her eighth-grade class, she joined her school's FIRST Robotics team, which led her to Watersmeet High School's engineering class. Peterson excelled in her coursework and on her robotics team, eventually becoming head programmer and head electrician.
Her engineering teacher recognized Peterson's dedication and recommended her for the STEM Enhancement in Earth Sciences (SEES) Intern Program at the University of Texas Center for Space Research. As part of the SEES program, Peterson worked on a team of fellow high school students to collaborate with NASA on the Mars Rover Resource Utilization Team.
"I worked with five other students and we pretty much planned a whole Mars mission, from how it's getting there, what instruments we'd need, and the main objective of the mission itself," she said. To complete the SEES program, Peterson traveled to Austin, Texas, for two weeks to work with her team.
Her work with NASA didn't stop there. Peterson also participated in NASA's Great Lunar Expedition for Everyone (GLEE) program, which provides hands-on projects for university and high school students that will support future space missions.
"I worked with two other high school students and we tested these tiny instruments that go on a LunaSat, a deployable satellite array, that will hopefully be launched in 2028," said Peterson. "Those instruments will capture images of the moon and measure temperature and magnetic energy."
As her passion for engineering and aerospace grew, more opportunities came her way. Peterson took full advantage. As part of Michigan's Early Middle College Program, she enrolled at Gogebic Community College as a high school junior. Through the program, she was able to earn her associate degree in computer programming before graduating.
For Peterson, studying at Gogebic made for a more seamless transition to Michigan Tech. "It was easier for me to take those classes at a smaller college first before stepping into a bigger place like Tech," she said.
Though she's in her first year at Tech, Peterson already has enough credits to qualify as a junior. Despite the head start, she's not in any rush; she's finding her home among the Husky pack.
"I'm really happy to have made friends here at Tech," said Peterson. "I've found people I can hang out with all the time."
Continuing in her passion for robotics, Peterson joined the University's Copper Country Robotics student organization, as well as the Husky Amateur Radio Club. "These organizations are great new experiences and connection points for me," she said. "I also joined the Aerospace Enterprise Team and am looking forward to starting that this semester."
While her path isn't fully defined, Peterson is ready for whatever comes next.
"I'm not sure what I'll end up doing, but I want to be somewhere in the mechanical and aerospace engineering field," said Peterson. "I'm really excited to dive into that coursework more here at Tech."
Michigan Technological University is an R1 public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, and is home to nearly 7,500 students from more than 60 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, Michigan's flagship technological university offers more than 185 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, computing, forestry, business, health professions, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, and the arts. The rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, offering year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure.
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