Upper School Students Experience a Summer of Leadership, Research, and Global Learning

Isabelle O. ’27 spent two weeks this summer volunteering in the Methow Valley with the Methow Okanogan Beaver Project (MOBP), where she conducted her Cascades internship. Isabelle visited various sites across the valley, and she spent most of her time clearing trails and hiking through the wetlands to survey beaver activity and habitat.

“I think that as Bush students, we have many chances to benefit from the Methow community, and it is meaningful to give back,” Isabelle said. “Volunteering and interning there is awesome because I have the chance to meet and get to know the people who live in the community. I think every Bush student can and should form a close connection to the Methow Valley; my experiences in the Methow have become some of my favorite memories at Bush!”

Vivian C. ’28, Jason C. ’28, and Karitas J. ’27 were counselors at the Debate Camp, a challenging and fun Bush summer program held on the Bush campus. As counselors, they taught rising Sixth through Ninth-Grade students about parliamentary debate, helped the students develop their public speaking skills, and conducted debate rounds.

“I learned a lot from guiding the Middle School students and was delighted by the insight and advocacy they demonstrated for current events,” said Jason. “I learned that being a leader meant nurturing these passions and answering questions that would spark further interest. I highly recommend the Debate Camp counselor position to other Bush students interested in a summer leadership opportunity.” 

Yaretzi V. A. ’28 spent this summer as a student advisor, helping current Rainier Scholars during class. “My role was to help the kids with their homework, provide extra support, and to be a role model for them,” shared Yaretzi. “The Rainier Scholars summer enrichment program was really helpful for me to learn advanced mathematical material and feel prepared so that I knew what to expect in Middle School at Bush.”

Nicole C. ‘27 conducted environmental and biology research with Kwiaht, a nonprofit conservation biology laboratory in the San Juan Islands. “It was the most amazing experience,” shared Nicole. “We did a wide range of stuff, from bug identification to salmon seining to DNA analysis to looking at sphagnum ecosystems under a microscope.”

Elise S. ‘27 also worked as a researcher this summer. “I had the honor of working as a fellow for the Caldwell University Biotechnology Research Fellowship program, where I got to learn from Dr. Maria Agapito, who is the president of the New Jersey Academy of Sciences. With a few other students, I conducted wet lab research on C. elegans and created a poster on the neurotoxic effects they experienced when exposed to bisphenol A, a common chemical found in plastics. At the end, we presented our findings to parents, professors, Caldwell faculty, and NJAS representatives.”

Teoman Champagne ’25 and Upper School students Zach T. ’27 and Zara V. ’29 spent time this summer on the campaign trail for Judge Sean O’Donnell. To support the campaign, they studied its issues and learned how the state Supreme Court system works. 

“During Judge O’Donnell’s recent State Supreme Court campaign, I contributed by helping run one of his campaign events,” Zara said. “I became interested in the campaign after shadowing Rep. My-Linh Thai in Olympia and being invited to join her youth council, where I helped with events. Volunteering for Judge O’Donnell’s campaign was an opportunity to see another side of political and policy work.”

Mahlet A. '28 spent her summer working as an online strategy intern at Gates Ventures, where she collaborated on a four-person team focused on strengthening climate narratives across digital media.

“Working at the intersection of communications strategy, research, and public engagement, I supported initiatives that elevated evidence-based climate solutions and increased the visibility of climate innovation. I conducted in-depth research on algorithmic amplification, digital information ecosystems, and climate media consumption to identify opportunities for more effective online engagement and audience growth.”

Mahlet shared that her team also developed a strategic pitch deck for senior executives and key stakeholders, which translated research insights into actionable recommendations for communications strategy and organizational impact. “This experience deepened my understanding of how digital media, technology, and public opinion influence climate discourse while reinforcing my interest in using research and strategic communications to address complex global challenges,” Mahlet added. 

Several Bush students also participated in academic learning opportunities.

Lauren S. ‘27 participated in a two-week summer course at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, where she learned about ecofeminism and afrofuturism. “It was so wonderful to be in a community where everyone cares about learning about that kind of stuff  as much as I do and sees as much value in it.”

Nikhil S. ‘27 was also a student on the East Coast. “I completed a University of Pennsylvania Wharton Global Youth Course on Data Science, and the main topics were regression, coding, and Neural Network AIs. For our final project, I worked on a team to develop an AI that detected tuberculosis. It was designed to aid doctors in low-resource countries who need to go through many samples quickly. We each won a small prize for being one of the best teams.”
 

Ellie K. ’29 took her interest in Chinese (Mandarin) to Taiwan, where she participated in a National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI‑Y) scholarship. NSLI‑Y, a fully funded State Department program for U.S. high school students, promotes the study of critical languages including Arabic, Chinese, Korean, and Russian. 

Ellie was one of more than 280 students selected for the summer 2026 NSLI-Y exchange from thousands of high school applicants across the United States. While in Taiwan, she lived with a host family, immersed herself in the local culture, and studied the native language while representing America as a citizen ambassador. 

“I  would describe my experience as one of the most transformative experiences of my life,” Ellie shared. “I gained so many great skills, and it taught me a lot about independence. I think spending time immersed in another country is something that everyone should experience at one point in their lives.”