College/School Attending This Fall:  University of Southern California

Major/Area of Interest: Cognitive Science and Computer Science

Years at Shipley: 4

Help 4 Homeless (Co-President), Acorn Coding Club (Co-President), Science Olympiad, Shipley Math Team, SPARC, Shipley Sprouts

Even though she joined Shipley only three years ago, Dr. Brandão has made a lasting impact on the STEAM department through her dedication to innovation. She continually finds ways to organize the makerspace, ensuring it’s both functional and inspiring. In addition, she is deeply committed to teaching students how to be effective problem-solvers by exposing them to the principles of strategic design thinking and human-centered approaches. Her efforts to invite underrepresented identities into the field encourage everyone to explore their potential in STEAM. Her positivity and dedication to continuous improvement truly inspire me. Additionally, Dr. B’s belief in me—she believes I’m a ROCKSTAR in STEM—has been a powerful force in helping me see my own potential to make a meaningful impact on the world.

I enjoyed the Tech Innovation Independent Study in my senior year. Passionate about making Shipley a more sustainable community, I collaborated with Izzy Burgess, who shares the same interest. Together, we created a recycling tree to encourage students to recycle cans and plastic bottles in a more engaging and interactive way. To further promote recycling, we launched a paper-making project that gave students the opportunity to repurpose used paper, giving it a second life. This experience equipped me with an entrepreneurial mindset. It taught me how to identify issues in my community that are meaningful to me and develop creative solutions.

Shipley has helped me find my voice and encouraged me to be my authentic self. I’m grateful to Dr. Pidot for valuing my unique contributions in the classroom and to Dr. C for fostering an environment where everyone has quiet time to work on problems independently. When Ms. Gearhart told me that the logic of my writing captured the elegance of my thoughts, it motivated me to continue polishing my writing skills. The

college application process would have felt impossible without the unwavering support from Ms. Sterling. At Shipley, I’m surrounded by a group of passionate educators who genuinely care about my growth and well-being.

Courage for the Deed; Grace for the Doing entails taking risks and advocating for our beliefs, while guiding our actions with humility, empathy, and integrity.

Shipley has prepared me to meaningfully engage and actively contribute to my future communities.

One message I will carry with me is a lobster analogy about risk-taking that Doc, my pre-calculus and macroeconomics teacher, once shared. A lobster is protected by its rigid shell, but that same shell eventually becomes confining. The discomfort signals the need for growth, which pushes the lobster to shed its shell and grow bigger. Similarly, Doc assigned PLUS homework problems in my pre-calculus class to challenge us. These harder problems encouraged us to deepen our understanding in a safe, low-stakes space. At Shipley, I've learned to embrace discomfort as a sign of growth. While stepping into the unknown can feel vulnerable, I believe these experiences are shaping me into a better version of myself—one who will engage the world with fresh perspectives.

Shipley is small enough to foster meaningful relationships, yet it’s also large enough for me to find opportunities to embrace my many facets and challenge my intellect.