The Pingry Independent Senior Project

Class of 2025
From Bench to Bedside: Brain Tumor Research at CHOP

During my ISP at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, I had the amazing opportunity to immerse myself in the day-to-day routine of the D3b research lab. I have always known I wanted to be a doctor, but observing the fascinating science that takes place in tandem with the hospital environment has led me to consider a dual career in research and medicine. The lab I worked at is located right next to the main hospital, and frequent trips are made to collect samples from surgery or clinic visits, bringing them directly to the lab for processing.

Class of 2025
Internship @ AlphaROC

For the past month, I’ve been interning at AlphaROC, a data science startup based in Newark, New Jersey, specializing in AI-driven analytics. Their main offering, Occam, leverages ML and statistical modeling to transform incredibly large, often messy datasets into personalized, actionable insights, allowing clients to make informed decisions based on consumer, demographic-specific sentiment.

The bulk of my time at AlphaROC has been spent working on a backtesting project. The goal: to uncover a relationship (signal) between public sentiment and the price of certain assets, such as the S&P 500, Bitcoin, or Gold.

Class of 2025
Piecing Together Pingry  

As I wrapped up my fifth year at Pingry, I reflected and recognized that the arts had the greatest impact on my time as a Pingry student. I’ve explored the world of ceramics and challenged myself to gain new skills. Therefore, I knew I wanted to highlight the arts, and more specifically, ceramics in my Independent Senior Project. This inspired my ISP partner and I to create a mosaic of the Pingry clock tower out of pottery pieces. Our approach combined techniques that we learned from every art class we took, including art fundamentals, clayworking, and sculpture. 

Class of 2025
Recycled Fountain 

As I was wrapping up my senior year, I did not really know what I wanted to do for my senior project. At first I wanted to do an internship, but later I decided to work in the clay room and use my knowledge of and clay-working abilities to create something for the community to enjoy. My friend Tyler and I decided to create a functional water fountain out of recycled clay as our senior project. This process had its highlights but also had some issues as well. 

Class of 2025
Trying Times

I was not sure what to expect going into my internship. For one, I expected more interactions with people. Instead, my internship consisted of me sitting at a desk ans staring at a large, old monitor for ten hours each day, and trying to figure out how to make use of the decade-old technology in the office. I would type certifications all day, only stopping to ask my higher-ups to take a look at my work and give me revisions. My communication with clients was very limited given my lack of Spanish literacy. Despite the mundaneness that these conditions brought to my ISP, I am still very grateful for the learning experience.

Class of 2025
From Behind the Bench

For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to be a lawyer. My mother was a prosecutor, and my father is a personal injury attorney, so I grew up listening to them speak about criminal and civil law. For my Independent Senior Project, I wanted to do something in the field of law, but in an area that I knew very little about. Luckily, I had the opportunity to shadow Judge Heidi Weintraub, a family court judge in Union County, NJ.

Class of 2025
From Shanghai to Chancay

My ISP centered on the rising global changes involving global trade, as well as the geopolitical interactions surrounding China, Peru, and the US, through the medium of the Chancay Port. The port, whose construction finished in November of 2024, has become a central talking point when considering South American and Pacific Trade, as the port has a great enough infrastructure to allow for a direct path from Shanghai to western South America, which will circumvent stops along the Panama Canal and other US controlled ports.

Class of 2025
From Kitchen to Clinic: Revolutionizing Hospital Nutrition with RoboEatz

For as long as I can remember, I envisioned myself wearing a white coat and a stethoscope around my neck. I grew up wanting to become a doctor. From scribbling doctor on Kindergarten introduction sheets to dreaming of becoming a neurosurgeon post-Grey’s Anatomy binge, the medical field seemed like my destiny. That being said, the vision shifted after taking Pingry’s AP Biology class. It wasn’t just the rigor of the course that changed my mind—which I found to be nothing short of extremely difficult– it was the realization that my desire to become a doctor wasn’t rooted in an appreciation for science, but a need to make a meaningful impact on others. 

Class of 2025
Road to the Show: Exploring the Role of Business in the Minor League Baseball Industry

When thinking about both sports and business, the first thing that comes to mind for me is baseball. There is so much that goes into a successful major league team in any sport, but I find baseball much more interesting than any other sport. Prior to playoffs, there are 162 games played only within six months and the amount of management and organization that goes into the success of each game is fascinating to me, which is why I wanted to combine both baseball and business into my ISP.

Class of 2025
StudyMAX: Virtual Study Buddy

Some of my favorite memories of my time at Pingry involve studying. As strange as it may seem, I have made some of my best friends through trauma-studying for chemistry and math exams. However, one of the more tedious parts of the studying process was the creation of study materials: namely, study guides and mock quizzes. For my ISP, I wanted to create an AI-powered solution to streamline the creation of study guides and mock quizzes. The solution is not meant to replace the study process but rather enhance it. 

Class of 2025
Here Come the New Kids!

I started Pingry in sixth grade without knowing anyone. Most students already had their groups, routines, and a sense of ease that I didn’t feel. I came from a different background, and I noticed it immediately. I kept to myself, focused on school, and tried to take up as little space as possible. For a long time, I moved through the building quietly, unsure if I truly belonged.

Class of 2025
Malcolm’s Adventure Into Bankruptcy Court!

When choosing an ISP, I wanted to do something that I would most likely never have the chance to do ever again. Life gets in the way, and before you know it you are an adult with too many responsibilities to be able to go out on a limb and try new things. Though my ISP isn’t exactly the most exciting at first glance, it is the most nuanced and niche field that I found. And I am so glad that I did it. 

Class of 2025
The Ropes & Gray Internship

Over the past few years, I have become increasingly interested in pursuing a career in law. I spent the summer before senior year interning at the New Jersey District Court for a judge and found the experience to be both rewarding and informative. So, when the chance to intern at a law firm in New York came up, I immediately wanted to do it so I could gain more insight to and experience in the legal field. 

Class of 2025
Vet Vision: Behind the Scenes of Animal Care 

As an incoming college freshman majoring in Animal Science with the goal of becoming a veterinarian, I spent the past few months gathering as much insight as I could about the profession. One night, I was scrolling through YouTube and stumbled upon a TED Talk titled “What It Really Takes to Be a Veterinarian.” Within the first three minutes, the speaker shared a startling statistic: “Of the veterinarians that have died since 2010, 10 percent have died by suicide. Of those, 75 percent were small animal vets that treat cats and dogs. Three of those veterinarians who took their own lives were my friends, all in their first five years of practice.” As someone who has personally struggled with mental health, hearing that statistic disturbed me. It made me second-guess the career I had always believed was the perfect fit for me.

Class of 2025
From Shanghai to Chancay

In this ISP I learned a ton about the port of Chancay and how it impacts trade in the South American region as well as globally. The port is owned by the Chinese company Cosco and it is a sign of increased Chinese presence in the region. I learned about how the increased presence of China is worrisome for some like the US. The US is concerned that this foothold in South America could pose a threat to the US and its allies. On the flip side this port is benefiting Peruvians as it increases opportunities and money in the region. The port only opened in November of 2024 so it will be interesting to see how the port develops and grows over the coming years.