While students at commencement are acclaimed for their efforts over their four years at Loomis Chaffee, those who engage in Senior Projects are also honored a week prior for their work across spring term.
Senior Projects are self-designed, independent projects that occur during the final two weeks of the academic year, and surround a senior’s interest in certain areas of studies or arts during their time at Loomis Chaffee. So, what are some of the projects from the Class of 2025, and how do they reflect on the Loomis ideals of best self and common good, as well as the student’s personal interests?
Amy He ’25, is creating ceramic pieces mimicking those of Chinese origin. Amy’s ceramic pots incorporate imperfections into her design. Amy elaborates how she hugs her friends “around the pot, which creates these bumps and ridges.” She wanted the piece to be imperfect and incorporate her own culture with the blue on white color scheme, resulting in the creation of art that is uniquely hers.
Michaela Howe ’25 is working on an art book that details various areas of Loomis, with drawings originally inspired by Michaela’s great-grandmother’s “botanical sketches for field guides.” These drawings are also on black paper “because it’s a lot easier to add highlights,” which helps in adding another layer of depth to the images, making them seem realistic.
Eric Zhou ’25, Eli Krassnoff ’25, and William Chun ’25 focused on cancer research. Lymphomas, their primary focus, affects one’s lymphatic system. Dr. Fahmeed Sheehan, Science Faculty, commented on how peptides could aid in fighting lymphomas off. Eric, Eli, and William used Dexamethasone, a drug that fights cancer, to cover self-assembly peptides with a gel that forms from these peptides. This coverage allows the peptides to protect the Dexamethasone to fight off Lymphomas in one’s body.
Although the group was aware that “[they] can’t necessarily cure cancer in two weeks”, they hoped that their converged ideas would inspire someone that might “want to pick up on [our project] and continue working on it.” They emphasize their goal of creating a legacy someone could pick up on or see as an inspiration.
Each project, from Amy and Michaela’s family and tradition-inspired projects, to Eric, Eli, and William’s exciting research, has taken something each senior enjoys about Loomis and expands upon it before their departure.
