On Thursday, April 25, Emerson’s Independent Study and Mentorship (ISM) class hosted their final presentation night. This event is a culmination of the hard work and dedication of all the students in the ISM program, where they got the opportunity to showcase all that they’ve learned throughout their mentorship in their respective fields of study.

During the final presentation night, ISM students first participated in a gallery walk for attendees where they explained their research project and career of interest. Then during the second half of the event, students presented a 30-minute presentation to friends, teachers and family which covered topics such as their original work, final product, mentorship experiences, personal growth, and plans after high school for seniors. 

“The speech was definitely a challenging experience because presenting for 30 minutes with visuals while also shifting gears from introduction to research, to OW, to Final product is not a cake walk for anyone, let alone a shy high schooler like me,” ISM student Janhvi Sairam said. “But all the practice, feedback and encouragement from my friends and teacher made it a fulfilling experience.” 

However, for students like Sairam, final presentation night served as a symbol of how much they’ve grown throughout the year in the program. 

“This year in ISM has been transformative. The skills of networking and persistence that I have learned through this program are those that I will carry with me wherever I go,” Sairam said. “The lack of systematic research in my field, which is healthcare administration and creative arts therapy, made it difficult to study the creative arts therapies in medical contexts and to go in detail and create a product. But this process taught me how to shift gears in my research, explore different pathways and break up my research into smaller pieces before putting it all together to create my final product.”

From practicing speeches together to etiquette lunches and potlucks, many seniors in the program attribute a lot of fun memories to the classroom making the final presentation night incredibly bittersweet.

“I really enjoyed ISM because of the people,” ISM student Sri Manasi Katuri said. “Even outside of all the struggles, pressure and the deadlines, being able to do all of the tough stuff with this group of people is something I’ll cherish post-graduation.” 

However, the lessons that graduates of the program are taking away for their life beyond high school are cherished by senior members of ISM. 

“I’ve grown to put perfectionism aside and focus more on progress and growth,” Katuri said. “I did learn a lot about how to manage my time, how I work, and what can help me be productive. I’ve learned a lot more about myself in that regard which really helped me with other classes as well. I’ll also take away a lot of this for college.”

ISM allows students to reach new heights with their research and puts students at a higher professional standard. The dedication of ISM students shined at the final presentation night as they were able to highlight what hard work can help anyone achieve.

“The biggest thing I’ve taken away is how consistent effort can lead to accomplishments bigger than you can imagine for yourself,” Katuri said. “If you want to do something grand or daunting, there are so many ways for you to approach it and make it happen. Everyone has the ability to open so many doors and opportunities independently.“