Senior Spotlight: Sofia
Looking back at your time in high school, what are some memories that you feel have shaped your experience here?
One of the main things that's really shaped my experience here — and my identity as well — has been the class trips that we've taken every year. Specifically, our trip to Maine this past fall really meant a lot to me. I felt like I became so much closer with my class and I got to see the most amazing sights. The camping was difficult to say the least, but it was really well worth it because it was such a beautiful place.
On our first night — this is a core memory for me now — we were walking back from the orientation at the kelp shed to our campsite with the rest of the students and teachers from all different schools around the country and someone yelled, “Oh, look up!” We all looked up at the sky and we could see the Milky Way. It was the most awe-inspiring, most life-changing moment I've had in my four years here.
what's been your favorite morning lesson that you've taken?
In my junior year, we took a projective geometry class, which was super interesting. We had a guest teacher come and teach it, so that was super fun to have a new teaching experience and to learn a new style from a new teacher. We have a lot of the same teachers teaching different classes, which is really nice, because you get to build rapport and a connection with those teachers, but it is also fun to have a new teacher every once in a while.
How has your time at cwhs impacted you as a person and what will you miss the most?
I think that my time at Chicago Waldorf High School has matured me as a person. It made me kinder, compassionate, and community-oriented. I find that my community here (my class) is very, very important to me after having spent so long with them. I feel like something I'll take with me is really that sense of community. And my hope is that wherever I go, I will bring that sense of community with me and build my own community, as well as share this love that I feel with the world.
I was already talking to some classmates about planning get-togethers or alumni events and just making sure to see each other when we're all in town. All of our families will be staying here in Chicago and we all live kind of nearby, so when we're all back together, it'll be really good.
Tell us a little bit about your senior project, the process, and your final presentation!
My senior project is about the origins of feminism. The project mainly focuses on the individuals who helped build the feminist movement — because there was a time when this organized movement didn't exist — and I wanted to learn more about the individuals who inspired that, built on it, and made the platform for feminists to stand on. I've always been really curious about that topic.
Once I narrowed down the topic, it was smooth sailing. In January, I felt like I had such a clear idea of what my project was going to be and what I wanted it to look like. The process has been good, but there were definitely parts of it that were difficult — especially finding the sources I needed. Since the topic was a little bit on the niche side, it took a little more time.
I'm ready for senior project week — I'm just working on my slides and my script right now and practicing every day and getting myself ready to be up there. Overall, it's been really rewarding to see it come to fruition over all of these months.
What are your plans after you graduate?
I'm really excited to announce that I'm going to the University of Michigan to study History and Political Science! It's such a dream to go there and I'm so excited to live in Ann Arbor and perhaps even volunteer at the Ann Arbor Waldorf School there — just to have that opportunity to continue staying connected with Waldorf education and to learn new things.