For my capstone, I partnered with fellow senior Kade Cao to create a website, called College Compass, to help juniors and seniors with the college application and decision process. The website contains information about FAFSA and deadlines, resources like Xello, college myths, workshops, networking, advice and experiences from alumni, and much more. I also created a youtube channel for the post-secondary office that can be used by future CALs as another platform to share information with the SLA community.
While going through the college process myself, I realized how stressful and confusing it was. Though SLA provides numerous resources for students, it can be hard for everyone to be seen and for one person to handle all of the college needs of seniors and juniors. My goal for this project was to create a product that could be edited as things changed over time, but mainly provided additional support and information for students. I also wanted it to open students’ minds about what to consider and what other options are available to them. My portion of the capstone was to interview SLA alumni about their college application experience and how they’ve adjusted. In order to host productive and useful interviews I needed to do a lot of research about questions to ask, the differences in kinds of schools, and also research other post-secondary options. I ran into some trouble while trying to get in touch with alumni because many of them didn’t use their personal emails. However, I overcame this by finding alternative ways of getting in touch with them. One thing that I wish I did differently was include information about trade schools. I wasn’t able to get in touch with any alum who chose that path, but I included information about other options like schools abroad and gap years.
Through this project I gained a lot of helpful information for the transition to college that I’m about to make and also advice that I wish I had heard before going through the college process. I also gained a lot more confidence in my own voice and talking to people that I either don’t know or don’t know very well.

College Compass Website Link: https://vssyen.wixsite.com/college-compass

My annotated bibliography:

Hi. I developed an iOS app that helps people capture life’s smallest, fleeting moments. I believe though social media may have a positive impact like creating curated content or learning something new, it has negatively impacted most Gen Zs and even me. Addiction, comparison, FOMO, our opinions constantly changing, being un-present, the need to fit in, external validation, …

I hope that my app limits people off of social media and help them start to value the small moments of their lives. A calm walk in the park after an intense gym session, an awkward but interesting conversation with a stranger, noticing a beautiful view you’d usually pass by, playing one part of a song you couldn’t with your guitar before, or a genuine 1-1 conversation with a close friend talking about their futures.

Maybe it really wasn’t about the big things. It wasn’t about the parties, following social media trends, or pretending like you had everything figured out.

My app’s main core feature is capturing a moment. When you capture a moment, you can type specifically what the moment was, journal upon it, add your emotions (how you felt), the people you were with, the location, and photos and videos. Alongside, you can view your moments in a timeline or calendar, and organize it into albums. Simple and boring, but that’s the point.

So for those who love to journal, be introspective about themselves, grow as a person, or struggle with getting off of social media, feel free to use my app.

My name is Jaiel Lapp Yoder and my Capstone Project explores why voter turnout is so much lower among younger people and what can be done about it. I wrote a paper exploring this problem and created a website that will help new voters. Confusing registration rules, lack of civic education, and financial stress are all contributing factors to the discrepancies in voter turnout between age groups. Many new voters can find the task of registering much harder than they had expected. My free website breaks down this process. It also troubleshoots common problems that people have and provides access to resources to help new voters, or even to students not yet old enough but who still want to get involved in their community. Finally, it lists dates and upcoming events such as registration deadlines and election dates. I want to make sure I leave a positive impact on SLA, and how I did that is encouraging people to get involved and cast their ballots.

Here is the link to my research paper!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wFqol-UP26kqUNorvzzLZvdkCUFRnuZfZqzYYVrjC4g/edit?tab=t.0

Here is the link to my website!

https://votetodayphilly.wixstudio.com/mysite

My name is Yun Zhang, and my capstone is The Art Show: Beauty & the Brain.

The Art Show is an annual event at Science Leadership Academy that celebrates the creativity innate in every person. It is the culmination of every dream, experience, and knowledge I have acquired throughout my years at SLA. This year’s art show was made possible by the hard work of my incredible art teacher, Ms. Angeles; my friend and partner, Jay Vilchis; and the countless amazing volunteers, including students, staff, and other community members. Together, we put on the 2026 Art Show, Beauty and the Brain!

Our shared goal for the Art Show is to show an elevated exhibition of student artwork; Beauty & the Brain invites the greater SLA community into the magic unleashed in the mind when we create and experience art.

Through the process of this project, I’ve learned so much about what it means to plan events, what it means to be a gallery, and the ways of facilitating engagement with art.

✦ Annotated Bibliography: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rzy2DBtX2daXJ_LmkoKIkbyzR_t8rV_poUkLXL07ao0/edit?tab=t.0

My name is Fern Duffy, and I decided to write and perform a song as my capstone project, titled “5Fold”. This piece was created as an accompaniment to my friend Olivia Fitts’ animated show, “SLA Fivefold”. I grew up learning to play the violin, but as I’ve grown older, I have learned to play the acoustic guitar with help from my mentor and music teacher, Mark Castellano. He took me through the process of writing a song from start to finish, beginning with just an idea for the art I wanted to create and ending with a beautiful finished product. Throughout this journey, I worked with Lucia Meade, Alexander Kruszewski, and the SLA Rock Band to sing and perform at our own school auditorium and a local performance venue. Throughout this process, I learned what it takes to create my own chord progressions, take core values and turn them into meaningful lyrics, and even make a little solo. This capstone taught me more about myself than simply how to write a song. I took inspiration from the song “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac and “Four Strong Winds” by Neil Young to create this song, with a focus on repeated phrases and impactful lyrics. Throughout my process, I’ve learned that I love finding melodies and harmonies that are unique and invoke emotion. It has been so rewarding to learn this art form, and I am forever grateful to everyone who supported me in this journey.

Here is a link to check out my song with an opening animated by Olivia Fitts!

https://youtu.be/Sp_sTOCdero