Senior projects, one of the most-looked-forward-to aspects of the upperclassmen experience, allow students to pursue individualized—and super fun—interests during the final two to four weeks of the school year. And in the years since its conception in 2013, the number of participants in senior projects skyrocketed from a meager nineteen to an astounding ninety-two last year. This year, the seniors have not failed to come up with yet another set of diverse, captivating projects.

Jessie Sulger and Iz Hernandez will be working with Jessie Heider, our beloved athletic trainer, to learn the basics of athletic training. Jessie said, “I first came up with this project idea because I have always enjoyed hanging out with Jessie during my abundance of injuries. Also, Iz and I both have an interest in helping others, and we look forward to working with her more and seeing what her day-to-day life is like.”

Anwar Mohamed is going to learn about the history of hip hop, DJ-ing, and breakdancing to educate people about the history and culture of entertainment and generally the origins of the popular music we dance to today. “This project seemed perfect to me since I have always loved to dance. I’m excited because I would not have an opportunity to just sit down and really learn about the history of hip hop without senior projects,” Anwar added.

For D. Akisanya and Morgan Kmety’s project, they are hoping to inspire a love for vegan food in others for its positive impact on animals, health, and the environment. So far, on their instagram, @mealswmorgan_dessertswd, they have posted a recipe for a vegan grilled “cheese,” pancakes, and pesto rotini! Morgan noted, “Initially I did not know what I wanted to do, only that I wanted it to be fun. I have always promoted healthy lifestyles and have gone vegan in the past and really enjoyed it, which made me think of this project since I wanted to normalize vegan food in the Latin community.”

And last, but definitely not least, Stephanie Racker, Sophie Furlow, and Isa Lostaglio will be bringing in puppies during finals to reduce stress. While they are still working out the logistics, Isa said, “My partners and I are all dog lovers, and we thought it would be interesting to look into the effects dogs can have on someone’s mental health and how helpful service dogs can be in reducing stress.”

These are just a handful of projects to look forward to seeing on the last day of school: Tuesday, June 3rd. And all non-seniors can most definitely look forward to this unique Latin tradition.