The LEGO Papert Fellowships, endowed by the LEGO Foundation, are intended to honor the legacy and extend the work of Seymour Papert, one of the founding faculty members of the Media Lab and a pioneer in the development and study of new technologies to support playful, creative learning.

About the 2026 Fellows

Ayat Abodayeh (Lifelong Kindergarten)

Ayat Abodayeh is a Master's student at the Lifelong Kindergarten group. Her research focuses on creative learning and tech literacy with children and youth, particularly in communities that are navigating displacement and war. She is interested in collaborative approaches that actively recognize those communities as experts in their own contexts. She also works alongside young people to amplify their existing knowledge, creativity, and resourcefulness, to create informal, communal learning spaces through accessible technology. Her work explores how these spaces can support communities in recognizing and building on their strengths and agency. She is curious about how access to particular digital tools and other low-tech platforms can support young people in expressing their unheard narratives and actively participating in shaping their own futures and those of their communities.

Eitan Wolf (Opera of the Future)

Eitan Wolf is a first year master's student and research assistant in the Opera of the Future group at MIT Media Lab. As an immersive experience and interaction designer, he creates AI-powered tools and experiences that lower barriers to creative expression and explore how technology can boost curiosity and joy in the music-making and creative processes.

Prior to MIT, Eitan produced the Future of StoryTelling Explorers Club, curating behind-the-scenes experiences for creative leaders; developed AR learning experiences for the Smithsonian National Museum of American History's Pleibol! exhibition; and worked in the set decoration department for multiple TV shows at Apple TV+ and Amazon Studios.

Eitan holds a degree in Industrial & Labor Relations from Cornell University and is a recipient of the Aspen Ideas Festival Fellowship. 

Ila Kumar (Lifelong Kindergarten)

Ila is a research assistant and PhD candidate in the Lifelong Kindergarten group at the MIT Media Lab. A researcher and community-based designer, she creates healing socio-digital interventions with and for youth who have experienced developmental trauma, with a focus on improving care for young adults from foster care systems. Her work draws on trauma-informed and healing-centered practices, therapeutic frameworks, and collaborative design, centering young people’s creativity and agency. This approach guides her current research on designing digital spaces where youth can process complex emotions and build meaningful connections, both online and offline. Before joining the Media Lab, Ila spent three years designing technology to support well-being across nonprofit, academic, and healthcare settings, and earned her BA in Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania.