16 Class 12 students undertook an intensive Individual Study during the 2024-2025 school year. Through this program, which has been offered since 1977, seniors have had the chance to delve deeply into an area of interest under the guidance of one or two faculty members. After engaging in a rigorous application process when juniors, students complete their study during their senior year in addition to their academic classes. Students are required to present their work to an audience (parents, alums, professional community or fellow students) by the end of their senior year.
“Our students’ extraordinary scholarly endeavors are rooted in the foundations laid in [our teachers’] classrooms throughout their years at Chapin,” said Director of Academic Program Ilana Pergam ’86, who oversees the program, adding that we have the privilege of witnessing “excellence in scholarship and research.”
You’ll find this year’s impressive studies listed below.
Lucy Bland, Latin & Art
Ancient Roman Women: Illustrated, Art and Stories to Teach About Roman Women in Antiquity
Annabelle Borsanyi, English & Arts
Cabaret and Weimar Germany
Tess Gola, Latin
Echoes of Grief and Salvation: Text, Music, and Devotion in Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater
Katie Hsu, History
Reclaiming the Legacy of 19th-Century Missionary Women. From Helpers to Trailblazers: How Were Women the Backbone of Early Global Missions?
Catherine McLennan, English & Philosophy
Franz Kafka and Albert Camus: An Analysis of Absurdist Plot Devices
Lydia Martel, Science
Maxwell’s Equations: A Methodical Look at Their Impact on Modern Physics, An application of Maxwell’s equations in modeling transcranial magnetic stimulation
Leia Mitwalli, Music
The Big Apple: A Modern Song Cycle (Composing and writing an opera)
Kristina Morales, English
The Mockingjay Sings Only When the People Can Hear: The Handmaid’s Tale & Hunger Games trilogy and the manipulation of women’s emotional identity and social image in authoritarian regimes
Basia Panko, Economics
Chinese Manufacturers' Global Expansion: Geely Business Case Study
Audrey Reich, English & French
What Does It All Mean?: Existentialism, Absurdism, and Dystopias Explored through 1984, Lord of the Flies, L’Étranger, and Huis clos
Felicity Scherbaum, English
Analyzing the films of Sofia Coppola
Darya Sharafi, Psychology & Music
Rhythms of the Mind: How Music Influences Attention and Learning in the Brain
Miriam Syoum, Science
Comparative Analysis of Regional Honey and Pasteurization Levels in Antibacterial Efficacy for Surgical Site Infections
Madeline Trinidad, History & English
Media Literacy in Friday Night Lights: How Does Each Medium Construct Its Own Narrative?
Rawha Usmani, History
The influence of Islam on Islamic scientific scholars
Eloise White, Science
Exploring the aeronautics of planes and sails
