Engineer Wins AI Prize Worth More Than His MIT Degree

Kevin Power was working long shifts at an oil refinery when he discovered an online MIT course that would change everything. He had no background in supply chain management and no plans to go back to school full-time.

The manufacturing engineer stumbled upon MIT's MicroMasters Program in Supply Chain Management while searching for learning opportunities he could fit around his demanding work schedule. Unlike most online courses, the lessons applied directly to his job from day one.

"Everything I learned, I could apply it directly to my work and see the value in doing it," Power says. After finishing the first course in supply chain analytics, he completed all five courses in the program while continuing to work full time.

That online credential opened a door he didn't know existed: MIT's Blended Master's Program, which combines the online courses with one semester on campus. For Power, who describes himself as an introverted learner who prefers textbooks, the campus experience pushed him in new ways.

He dove into simulation modeling for port shipping and AI-driven projects on supply chain resilience. Then he discovered hackathons and his competitive streak took over.

His first competition, an MIT AI hackathon, resulted in a win with a sports-betting agent project. Next came the OpenAI Red Teaming Challenge on Kaggle, which he joined halfway through the 15-day window.

Why This Inspires

Power won that OpenAI competition, earning prize money that exceeded his entire MIT degree cost. "It gave me a lot of confidence that the things I'm working on right now are cutting-edge, even in the eyes of OpenAI," he says.

His research project with fellow student Yassine Lahlou-Kamal won at MIT's 2025 Global SCALE Network Supply Chain Student Research Expo. The skills he gained opened doors across the industry, and he's now pursuing another master's degree in Technology and Policy while planning to launch a startup based on his research.

Power's classmates from the supply chain program all found jobs within six months of graduation. But for him, the transformation runs deeper than employment stats.

Ten months ago, he was an engineer working night shifts with a dream of learning something new. Today, he's competing at the highest levels of AI research, winning global competitions, and preparing to launch his own company.

"The SCM program really is amazing," Power reflects on his wild ride from online learner to AI competition winner. "I'd recommend it to anyone."