Odyssey Scholars Program


 

 

Click on each scholar's photo or name to read their monthly blogs.

 

Avery, Senior

An interest in animal rights propelled Avery toward researching creative ways to educate people about dog fights, elderly dogs, and breed miscommunication. “I think animals deserve a voice just as we do, and we are the ones who need to help deliver that,” she said. In fourth grade, Avery raised money for a pitbull organization, which is when she realized that many people misunderstood the breed. That realization led her first to research dog breeds and then to consider why people wrongly believe certain dogs are innately aggressive and dangerous. Her Odyssey project will include both scholarly and experiential breed research, working at animal humane with the Calming Canine Program, and dog-walking. By creating short videos, products, speeches, and presentations, Avery hopes to spread awareness and help educate people about various breeds. Outside of Prep, Avery’s activities include choir, volunteering, and taking care of her indoor plants. Her varied interests run the gamut from archery to jewelry making, while her passions gravitate toward women’s rights, animal rights, and human rights. In the future, Avery can see herself working in an animal rescue center or in the fields of speech pathology, psychology, or law.

 


 

Savannah, Senior

Savannah’s multifaceted project taps into a few of her passions: poetry, modern languages, and literacy. She’s writing a bilingual book of poetry titled Casa del Soul, which will come into play as she designs and implements a series of writing workshops. The series, a connection to the under-funded reality of schools, will serve students whose first language is Spanish. “I am not blind to the fact that children are struggling across the state not only to read and write, but also to graduate high school and begin a college education and/or a successful career,” said Savannah, who is fluent in Spanish and English. “I would like to help children find their voices through writing and speaking both their native language and English.” Several of Savannah’s poems have been published in Prep’s literary magazine, La Chispa, and she’s been studying bilingual poets to discover their viewpoints on writing and its impact. A member of the National Honor Society and a varsity athlete in basketball and golf, Savannah also has taken sports medicine classes at Prep and points toward becoming an orthopedic surgeon and eventually opening physical therapy-type clinics that would help college athletes shorten their recovery times.

 


 

David, Senior

Noting that he’s considering enrolling in a design school after graduation, David is researching multi aspects of fashion, from design to history and culture. “I started getting interested in sneakers back in middle school and later I got into hip hop music and street wear which really turned on the button of my love for fashion,” David said. From there, his interests turned to the broader fashion industry, including different styles of design, designer’s and luxury brands and runways, as well as clothing construction processes. “As I was spending my time on research, my understanding and aesthetics of fashion became better as well,” said David, an international student from China. He enjoys sports, music, travel, making art and, of course, things related to fashion and design.


 

Ava, Senior

Combining her interests in women’s rights, nutrition, and fitness, Ava is studying exercise and gut health, and is diving into the ways they benefit women’s physical and mental health. “Through this project, I plan to be an advocate for women who might feel unsafe or uncomfortable going to a gym and I would like to create a plan for a business space--a women’s-only gym that caters to women and their needs,” Ava said. Her multifaceted project includes studying anatomy and physiology-based nutrition and workout plans for women that are sustainable and not restrictive. Ava, an avid weightlifter, said she finds exercise “incredibly important because I can ignore other problems and just focus on doing something for myself. Through trial and error, I’ve learned what exercises make me happy, benefit me, and make me feel strong. I’ve also found healthy and whole food options that help my body and my muscles. I want to promote this for other women.” Ava is an officer in the National Honor Society, a diehard Taylor Swift fan and an advocate for women’s rights. Eventually, Ava would like to work as an exercise physiologist and open a women-only gym. Her goal is to help women feel beautiful and strong in sustainable, healthy, and enjoyable ways.

 


 

CJ, Senior

CJ’s work at farmers’ markets over the past couple of years helped inspire the idea for her twofold research project, which entails building an earthship greenhouse and growing mushrooms. She plans to create an ecosystem using upcycled materials to support the mushroom growth. CJ is also incorporating art pieces throughout, such as mosaics and a mural. “I chose this project because I wanted to grow my plants in a space which is not only good for our Earth but also beautiful to the eye,” CJ said. CJ’s own experiences prompted interest in the ways plants can benefit people’s health. “This topic is important to me because I want to help others see the power of plant medicine,” she said. An artist who likes to crochet and play ukulele, CJ also thrifts and upcycles her clothes. “I love to express myself through fashion and experiment with different looks,” she said. Her career plans? “My only goal,” she said, “is to do something that makes me excited to get up in the morning.”

 

 


 

Mila, Senior

Mila is using Albuquerque’s crime trends and statistics as a starting point to research  methods to reduce crime in her native city, which will culminate in the development of her own policy document. “Ever since I was at least 9 years old, I have wanted to go into some sort of career that deals with crime or law,” Mila said. “I have always found the topic interesting because crime is a disruption to society, and I want to learn why these disruptions occur and what can be done to fix them.” Additionally, she’s interested in determining the how and the why behind certain crimes, an endeavor she sees as putting together an intricate puzzle. Mila serves on Prep’s new Council for Academic and Community Integrity, which deals with students who have committed academic or behavioral infractions. A member of Mock Trial and Model UN teams, Mila is also an avid photographer, and this is her sixth year taking photo classes at Prep. As for her future plans, she’s leaning toward a career as a criminal investigator, a criminal profiler, or a prosecutor.

 

 


 

Ashley, Senior

Ashley’s creative approach to her project entails writing a book and creating a channel that will increase understanding about people who are neurodiverse. The term “neurodiverse” refers to a perspective that brain differences are normal, rather than deficits. Neurodiverse people experience and interact with the world in unique ways. That can have challenges, but also can lead to remarkable ideas from a different lens. Ashley said, “I feel as though there’s a lot of misunderstanding among non-neurodiverse people who try to understand neurodiverse minds.” Ashley said her book, which will combine fiction and nonfiction, will focus on issues that neurodiverse people face and the negative consequences it can lead to. “I’ll incorporate a range of traits that neurodiverse people have now that I have done more research,” she said. “I’ll include neurodiverse characters that are autistic, have ADHD, etc.” Ashley said the work is especially important to her because the repression of neurodiverse people to be their true selves can develop into harmful coping mechanisms that can put their lives at risk. Ashley cemented her interest in video production when she edited and animated a video for a charity that helps foster kids in need. She has been drawing since elementary school, and her mind is always full of ideas of what to draw or what stories to create. At Prep, Ashley is a member of the Outdoor Leadership Program, NHS, and is currently in classes that focus on creative writing and story-building. She counts psychology, art, animation, writing, and music among her interests and passions.

 

 


 

Izzy, Junior

During her time as an Odyssey Scholar, Izzy will be researching the connection between the mind and body during exercise, focusing on the impact of injuries on athletes across the globe. This investigation is personal for her. With her love for running first blossoming in elementary school, she began running competitively at Sandia Prep. “In eighth grade; however, I got my first injury that prevented me from competing and practicing. Ever since, my body has endured multiple injuries, even a fracture,” which has affected her experiences as an athlete. Through this research “I feel as if I will be able to help spread the importance of how to exercise properly with injury prevention drills as well,” Izzy said, making sure to also mention the value of nutrition. From running cross country and track to being a member of La Chispa to volunteering at the Balloon Fiesta Museum, Izzy enjoys staying active in her community. Izzy plans to go into the medical field, and can see herself as a traveling nurse, physical therapist, or an educator: “I may not know exactly what I want to do in life, but I do know that I want to make a difference.”

 


 

Emma, Junior

From playing with legos as a kid to building furniture with her dad as she has gotten older, Emma has always had an eye for design. “I realized that I could see something in the structures they could not. My mind’s eye can see the line that runs through the structure. This lit a fire that has become a passion for architecture,” Emma said. As a native New Mexican and Latina, Emma’s Odyssey project explores the ways that culture is expressed in New Mexican architecture through photography: “My family has been in New Mexico for more than 500 years making me a living example of blended cultures. I’m also something that is almost nonexistent in architecture, Latina/Native American. I want to develop a voice that represents my history and our State.” Inspired by Mr. Ausherman’s photography class and her summer abroad in Spain this year, Emma will be researching the connections between buildings and culture, focusing on the work of Latina architects: “There are over 140,137 architects in the United States. 23.3% are women, 9.9% Hispanic or Latino. There are so few Latina architects that I can’t even find tracking data for the category,” Emma said. Emma will begin her path to becoming an architect and plans to design her own building during her time as an Odyssey Scholar. When she’s not thinking about architecture, Emma is a competitive soccer player for Sandia Prep, loves to cook, and of course, take photographs.

 


 

Abby, Junior

Abby has always loved learning about how films are made. “I would find behind-the-scenes videos on Youtube and watch them for hours,” Abby said. Having first cultivated her interest in a career in film in Mr. Schoepke’s digital film class, Abby will spend her time as an Odyssey Scholar researching the many facets that compose the productions she loves, including American Horror Story. Inspired by directors Olivia Wilde and Greta Gerwig, Abby hopes to shed light on the experiences of directors and actors, including women in film, as an interview with Olivia Wilde made an impression on her after watching Don’t Worry Darling. Over the summer, Abby has been interning at a warehouse that rents out film equipment, getting a headstart in learning the business. She even visited Netflix Albuquerque Studios! Abby’s dad jokes with her that being a director is the perfect job for her because “you get paid to tell people what to do,” she quoted him, and Abby is confidently moving forward to pursue her dream of directing. In her free time, Abby is a competitive volleyball player and a member of the Sandia Prep volleyball team.


 

Miri, Junior

Combining her love for painting, art criticism, and art history, Miri will spend her time in the Odyssey Scholars Program investigating how artists use their art to inspire social change, focusing on the issue of the hypersexualization of the female figure in fine art. “I have always been drawn to art that has a particular meaning, specifically one that serves as a message for society as a whole,” she said. Miri spent her summer in an early college program at The School of The Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), meeting other artists from all around the world. As she spent time in the Art Institute, she noticed “looking through all of the older art, I don't think I ever saw a figure of a woman that was painted by a woman, and that celebrated how beautiful, powerful, and resilient women are.” Inspired by Gio Swaby, Miri hopes to paint women that she knows personally “in a way that celebrates who we are, apart from the traditional nude figurative paintings of women, that heavily objectify and sexualize the female body.” Besides being a creator, Miri loves art history, and is also a writer. She believes that words have the power to take us places, and make us understand things images can’t always do. Her Odyssey Scholars project is multi-faceted, and she can see herself in the future becoming a painter or a street artist, curator, writer, art teacher, or a fashion designer.