It’s a bird! It’s a plane! Is it a robotic bird soaring over campus? This May, Class I students are working on bringing their dreams to fruition through the Senior Project, a month-long capstone experience, free from the confines of traditional academic programming.
Beginning in November, seniors brainstormed projects involving academic pursuits, arts, community engagement, or professional shadowing. To satisfy their graduation requirement, students chose among a full 30-hours-per-week project, two fifteen-hours-per-week half-projects, a half-project and three classes, and a typical class schedule. Mentored by faculty advisors, seniors applied for project approval from the Project Committee, made up of thirteen faculty members intentionally selected to represent a cross-section of departments. The project fair will take place on June 4 in the Athletic and Convocation Center.
Over the course of their time at Milton, many seniors developed new interests that they chose to explore in their senior project. Sarina Miller ’26, who is studying Alzheimer's in a research lab at Mass General Hospital, described the birth of her passion for biology and immunology during high school, where she exhausted Milton’s science offerings. She praised her teachers as “absolutely amazing” and her classes, such as organic chemistry, as “having such an [engaging] environment and great people.” Encouraged by her classes, her “own curiosity caused [her] to read a lot” of scientific papers. She viewed her senior project lab work as a continuation of her research at Milton. She described her current lab coworkers as “some of the smartest people [she’s] ever met,” adding that “they’re really helping [her] ask new questions in areas [she] wouldn’t necessarily think to ask questions.” Her current coworkers have also encouraged her passion for science, as Miller says that she is now “doing more than 40 hours a week in the lab… because I love doing it so much.”
After writing a history paper on segregation within the LGBTQ community for History Teacher Nicolette Gable’s class, Rhys Adams ’26 took Gable’s Gender Studies elective. Inspired by the class, Adams decided to research the history of Provincetown as a refuge for internal and external migrants for his project, and to volunteer at the Provincetown Theater. He was inspired by the LGBTQ themes discussed in Gable’s class that are “intimately woven into the history of Provincetown.”
Milton's extracurriculars and classes inspired seniors Ricky Wang ’26, along with Collins Yu ’26 and Sasha Westerfield ’26, to design an ornithopter (robotic bird). Wang explained how he “didn’t think [he] would be involved in robotics” when first coming to Milton. However, after joining the robotics team, he developed an “interest in engineering,” which, along with the “really cool ornithopter” in the Dune movie, “propelled [him] to choose [his] project.” Yu explained how, because “everyone makes their own type of ornithopter, [the team] has to make many design choices.” He continued to underline how these choices “challenge [the team] because it means that [they] have to venture into designs that nobody, perhaps, has ever done.”
To gain work experience, many seniors shadowed professionals as part of their senior projects. Charlotte Weinstein ’26 chose two half-projects: working in a candy shop and teaching an AI literacy course. “I like food… and so I reached out to a few candy shops” requesting a position. Weinstein’s duties ranged from crafting caramels and chocolates to managing the business side of the shop to cataloging vintage candy boxes. She appreciated the experience on multiple levels, saying, “I get to see what life is like as a business owner… [the shop owner] is very open, and I can ask literally any question.” She was also satisfied with the “work experience that [she] can put on [her] resume.”
Following a different project plan, Isabella Alba ’26 chose to keep her three favorite classes while also doing a half-project internship at an investment management firm, Brown Advisory. Her strong interest in her classes influenced her choice. “I’m double majoring next year in some type of applied math,” she said, “and so it made sense to keep my AI and Math classes.” As for advanced physics, she is the only student still in the class, so she and her teacher are “going through MIT’s physics curriculum,” an experience she did not want to miss.
Many students source their senior projects through Milton’s vast network. Former English teacher Josh Quiñones helped Adams secure a position in the Provincetown Theater. Alba connected with a previous Milton Trustee to arrange her internship. Academic Dean Heather Sugrue hopes to make senior project choices more equitable by creating an “alumni network of people who are willing to have Milton students spend their senior projects shadowing in their office and build a pay-it-forward system… Right now, if you don’t have familial connections, it can be harder to find someone to shadow.”
With their previous schedules overloaded with classes and extracurriculars, some seniors enjoy their reduced 30-hour work week after the academic intensity of junior spring and senior fall. “Is it bad that we have all this free time after working hard for four years? Maybe not. Getting into college is very unmotivating,” said Weinstein. Alba described one morning’s schedule: “I woke up, went for a run, did my hair and makeup, and came [to Milton at 11:00 a.m.]. It's pretty relaxing.”