In the early summer of 2006, Glenn Wright went to midtown Manhattan, taking a cab to ensure he was on time. In a Bank of America conference room high above Central Park South, Wright spoke, quietly but eloquently, to an audience of banking executives about how his life had changed in the previous six months.

“We were all wide eyed, “ remembers Kris Breton, Wright’s robotics coach and mentor who accompanied him that day. “I already had an appreciation for all the kids, but there was a special light on Glenn.”

On September 12, Wright was stabbed to death at the Lower East Side Baruch Houses, where he was helping his grandmother wash her apartment windows. Police believe his death was a case of mistaken identity and have arraigned two suspects on manslaughter and gang assault charges. (See accompanying chart on gun violence in New York) Next month, the East Harlem Tutorial Program, where Wright mentored young students, will announce a college scholarship in his name.

Wright was one of the standout members of the East Central Park High School robotics team that competed in the 2006 FIRST Robotics World Championships. Two months after returning from the world competition, Wright spoke to the executives about how much he learned by building a robot, by traveling to Atlanta to compete against the world’s best teams, and by spending time with Breton.

“That was his first time speaking publicly,” remembers Wright’s sister, Blondie Rodriguez. “I was surprised he spoke; he was a back of the room kind of guy.”

The robotics competition, which changes every year, has involved maneuvering robots in stacking games, races and obstacle courses. The 2006 competition required robots to play dodge ball. The robot the East Central Park team crafted stood about three feet tall, moved on wheels and featured a pitching mechanism for throwing balls.

The team fought its way to the second round of the regionals before forming an alliance with Morris High School in the Bronx. They won the finals to advance to the world championships in Atlanta, surpassing even the team’s expectations. “Winning was outside of my scope of what was possible,” Breton said. In Atlanta, the team found “a dose of reality,” he added, losing in the second round. Still, the teammates were amazed at what they’d achieved.

“For weeks Glenn carried around the medal,” Breton said. “It was such a source of pride that he was part of something that was successful.”

“Getting into FIRST was an outlet for his creative and technical skills,” said Wright’s brother, Peter Wright Jr. “The confidence he gained translated into all parts of his life.”

Although Wright wanted to continue to study science and engineering, “his grades weren’t that good, maybe B-,” said Breton. Still, Wright enrolled at Borough of Manhattan Community College, took prerequisite courses and planned to study graphic design. For the past three years, he volunteered at the East Harlem Tutorial Program where he tutored students after school.

When he wasn’t working with youth in East Harlem or caring for his 13-year-old brother Isa, who has Down syndrome, Wright immersed himself in a number of hobbies. “He was always interested in photography,” said Peter Wright Jr., “but it became more than a hobby.”

“His look was a skateboard and a camera,” added Rodriguez.

According to his friends, Wright was a fervent skateboarder who spent long hours learning new tricks and teaching them to his buddies. “He was an inspiration for us in skateboarding,” said Wright’s friend Alberto Inamagua. “He was the last one to learn, but he was the first one to do new tricks. That was one of the strong things about him — he wasn’t scared to try new things.”

To honor Wright’s memory, his family hopes that the scholarship with the East Harlem Tutorial Program will assist a student who blossomed the way Wright did. “Glenn was in a stage of becoming a man,” Peter Wright Jr. said. “He was really coming into his own.” After the program announces the scholarship at a fundraiser in November, a board will choose a recipient, to be named in April. “What we’re looking for in a scholarship recipient is someone who’s really found their voice, the way Glenn did,” Rodriguez said.

Planning the scholarship has helped Wright’s family deal with its tremendous loss. Of nine siblings, “he was every sibling’s favorite brother,” Rodriguez said.

“He was nothing but good,” Wright’s father, Peter Wright said. He hopes that the scholarship will become a lasting tribute to his son. “He wasn’t famous enough,” Peter Wright said. “A lot of people forget.”