Senior Projects Help Class of 2025 Make an Impact in Pittsburgh
The senior project is the culmination of an Ellis student’s journey, where personal passions are transformed into learning experiences that can make a powerful impact both at Ellis and for people and organizations throughout the region.
After choosing a project, each student teams up with a local individual or organization to bring their idea to life. Through outreach and collaboration, they create projects that not only deepen their own knowledge but also make a tangible difference for their communities. The Class of 2025’s projects showcase the diverse passions and unique perspectives of its members.
Galya Belman
Educating Religious Youth: A student study on Dental Hygiene to educate the younger students of religious schools
Galya visited a Dental Hygiene class at University of Pittsburgh's Dental School about how to educate younger patients while working on their teeth, then visited a dental practice in Monroeville and worked with a mentor to do additional research. She developed a presentation for Hillel students to provide education about their mouths and teeth and how to take care of them.
Adia Boccella
Create, Connect, Heal: A Meditative & Artistic Experience for Black Wellness
The goal of Adia’s project was to provide Black women and girls with an outlet for stress relief and to raise awareness about the current healthcare climate in the United States, especially for Black mothers. She researched art therapy, volunteered with the Child Life program at Pittsburgh’s Children’s Hospital, and shadowed art therapists in the program. She developed and presented a series of workshops on the topic during Ellis’ Culture Jam event, and in the community.
Hannah Buck
The Earth Isn’t Burning Yet: Turning Climate Anxiety into Action
Hannah’s project focused on working to mitigate and raise awareness of climate anxiety within the greater Pittsburgh community. She created a climate toolkit featuring a set of 16 cards that each describe a broad environmental issue, and visited Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh to gain a census of what community members are either worried or hopeful about within the climate they witness.
Maya Caton-Aziz
You’re Gonna Flip: Ellis Cheerleading
Maya organized an Ellis cheerleading team with the goal of emphasizing support among sports teams and encouraging peers. She also worked to teach participants skills such as performing under pressure, quick thinking, and endurance, and gained coaching and management skills in the process.
Maya Earnest-Hawken
Gender and the Environment: Amplifying the Voices of Women Fighting Climate Change
Maya’s project was inspired by her 2024 travel to the Dominican Republic, which was made possible by the Love International Travel Grant. During that trip, she interviewed women involved in climate action to learn more about the field, and conducted additional research and interviews during the past year. She then developed a workshop for Ellis fifth graders, which included learning activities about climate change.
Maegha Goel
Don’t Lose the Rubber Chicken: Clearing Out the Costume Room
Maegha cleaned, organized, and developed a cataloging system for all items in Ellis’ costume room, including props and accessories. With an eye on sustainability, she donated no-longer-needed items to the University of Pittsburgh’s textile recycling bins, or to the Free Store. She also created a maintenance plan for the space and a mini course to train others on how to manage the space.
Ella Greenfield
Jewish In The ‘burgh: A Summit for Sharing Ideas and Bridging Perspectives
Ella built a summit to share ideas between Jewish Student Unions in Pittsburgh, and to discuss how to combat antisemitism in schools, college campus conflicts, and Jewish politics. The intended outcome was to give Jewish students and JSU leaders a place to share ideas, learn about programming, and discuss navigating difficult conversations in schools. It built a network of Jewish students across the city and gave them an outlet to connect about religious topics.
Tessa Gumberg
Rhythmic Restoration: Refurbishing the Ellis Auditorium Piano
With the help of her piano teacher, Tessa personally restored The Ellis School’s grand piano, including removing hammers and individual keys for replacement, removing the ivory coverings and sanding and repairing wooden keys, and replacing damaged coverings. She then held a concert with fellow senior Josie Nesbit to showcase both her work on the piano and overall musicianship.
Lizzie Hohm
Reducing Bird-to-Window Collisions at Ellis and Bloomfield
Lizzie located and documented instances of bird collisions into windows at Ellis and in her neighborhood. She worked with Ellis’ facilities team to measure the school’s windows and estimate the cost of installing FeatherFriendly dots and, with her advisor, identified a grant funding opportunity available from Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Ellis is facilitating this upgrade to the school’s windows.
Anna Jamison
Youth Group Revamp
Anna worked with her church leaders to revitalize not only the foundational programming of their youth group, but also the physical space in which the group meets. She cleaned, painted, and generally refurbished the space and worked with younger students to decorate it. She also developed a social media plan to keep people informed about events.
Sophia Kaulen
A Portrait of Polish Hill: A Community Mural
Working with Pittsburgh-based muralists, Sophia designed a public mural in her home neighborhood of Polish Hill. Her goal was to explore the intersection of art and social engagement, particularly the transformative power of art in cultivating community connections, and to represent the neighborhood’s slogan, “Witamy Do,” meaning “welcome” to visitors.
Zaitun Kirabo
Blanket-a-thon: Raising Awareness about the Effects of Climate on Housing Insecurities
Zaitun collected and donated handmade blankets and handwritten notes to a local shelter. She engaged the community within and outside of Ellis to help with the project, aiming to bridge the gap between the needs of shelters and increased demand by not only donating items, but pairing each gift with a message of hope and encouragement.
Paige Krimmel
Growing Gardens: Increasing awareness on plant life
Paige created prototypes of educational signage to teach people on Ellis’ campus about the biodiversity of its gardens. Collaborating with botanical experts and campus staff, she designed a signage and QR codes that feature information highlighting the unique, low-maintenance garden outside of Alumnae Hall—emphasizing native and non-native species, the garden’s history, and its role as a peaceful, chemical-free pollinator space.
Helen Lee
Yearbook Fundraising; “Gamified”
Helen sought to improve fundraising efforts for Ellis’ Yearbook by creating a more attractive and interactive setting for promoting the organization’s main fundraising effort: selling chocolate. Focusing on user-centered design, she drew plans and experimented with robotics components to develop a prototype, and conducted user testing during Ellis’ Fine Arts Festival.
Ellie Mahoney
Look Good, Feel Good: Promoting the Importance of Self-Esteem by Providing Manicures for Women at Retirement Homes
Ellie’s project focused on self-care and community connection by offering nail painting sessions at Vincentian at Schenley Gardens, a local retirement home. She used the experience to build meaningful intergenerational relationships, promote the importance of self-esteem, and teach Ellis students about self-care through hands-on workshops, demonstrating how small, personal acts can bring joy and empowerment to others.
Reese McGeary
Oars of Opportunity: Empowering Youth Through the Sport of Rowing
Reese focused on increasing access to rowing in the Pittsburgh community by volunteering as a coach for Learn to Row sessions at Three Rivers Rowing Association. She led an indoor rowing event at the USRowing Indoor National Championship and participated in outreach efforts like the Allegheny Health Network Wellness Expo, using her passion for rowing to foster community, promote wellness, and make the sport more inclusive and approachable for beginners.
Amirah Ellis
Why This Service?: Taking a Deeper Dive into Pittsburgh Nonprofits
Amirah made a documentary about local nonprofit Band Together Pittsburgh, an organization that works to create an accessible, safe place for those on the autism spectrum who want to pursue music.
Nico Mocker
TRANScend Hate and Create: a Trans Youth Arts Event
Nico organized Transcend Hate and Create, an arts-based event for trans youth designed to foster connection, community, and joy in a safe and supportive environment. Held at The Ellis School in March, the event included trans kids of all ages and from across the region who participated in crafts led by local artists. It also included a meeting and learning space for parents of trans youth.
Josie Nesbit
Voice with a Vision: Increasing Music Appreciation Through Performance
In preparation for a career in music, Josie’s project was two-fold. She taught music to Ellis fifth and sixth graders, and conducted them in a performance during Ellis’ Fine Arts Festival in April. She also held her own recital, in conjunction with fellow senior Tessa Gumberg, in the Ellis auditorium.
Julia O’Brien
Steps Towards Sustainability: Reusing Concrete to Build Stepping Stones for Tree Pittsburgh Volunteers
Julia created stepping stones from recycled concrete to improve access to a Tree Pittsburgh site near Negley Run Boulevard. Through her project, she sought to help volunteers navigate the site more easily by sourcing and installing stones made from sustainable material—namely, discarded cement from a now-decommissioned street and sidewalk near the site that she was able to repurpose.
Aubrey O’Toole
Generosity and Community: Caring for the People of Downtown Pittsburgh through a Service Event at The Red Door
Aubrey worked with The Red Door, a Catholic nonprofit serving Pittsburgh’s unhoused population, to organize a service event to help address the issue of food insecurity. She coordinated logistical planning, volunteer recruitment, and hands-on tasks like food service, cleaning, and organizing donation areas.
Mariah Parente
Rye’s Re-Purpose: second-hand clothing pop up dedicated to supporting women within the Pittsburgh community
Mariah created Rye’s Re-purpose, a second-hand clothing pop-up aimed at supporting underserved women in the Pittsburgh area through affordable fashion and community engagement. In addition to curating and branding her thrift events, she incorporated a sanitary product drive, and used social media to spread awareness and build excitement.
Maddie Potoka
Meeting Our Neighbors: Teaching About Biodiversity in Urban and Suburban Communities
Maddie designed and taught a lesson about local biodiversity at Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve in partnership with the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania. She researched how biodiversity can thrive in places with larger populations, developed a lesson plan, and taught a class for community members.
Maryam Sadullaeva
Producing and Directing a Documentary Series
Working through WQED Film Academy, Maryam created a documentary series to give young people a platform to share their experiences. She plans to continue working on the project independently after graduation, with the goal of fostering understanding and representation by sharing voices that are often not included in mainstream media.
Maryam Sadullaeva
Producing and Directing a Documentary Series
Working through WQED Film Academy, Maryam created a documentary series to give young people a platform to share their experiences. She plans to continue working on the project independently after graduation, with the goal of fostering understanding and representation by sharing voices that are often not included in mainstream media.
Zoi Sledge
Zoi Sledge
It Begins with Her: Empowering Youth Through Fashion, Self-Expression, and Business Creation
Zoi mentored Ellis seventh and eighth graders to discover the meaning of self-expression through clothing design and entrepreneurship. Drawing from her own clothing brand, Intentional, she taught marketing and design concepts and, with the younger students, held a showcase at the Fine Arts Festival in April to display the designs the students created.
Taelor Spencer
Preventing the Preventable: Essential Tips for Athletes to Prevent Injuries and Optimize Recovery
Taelor’s creating resources about sports medicine for Ellis student-athletes, including an educational animation and a pamphlet about injury prevention, performance improvement, and self-care. Her goal was to motivate student-athletes to take better care of themselves and encourage a stronger sense of self-awareness in the Ellis sports community.
Mackenzie Springer
Art for My Community: Creating A Greensburg Mural
Mackenzie created a public art piece for her local community of Greensburg. The project reflected her long-standing passion for art and aligned with the AP2D art class she was taking at Ellis, and supported her desire to positively impact the area where she spends most of her time.
Abby Strazisar
Project Crescendo: Amplifying Trans Voices
Abby planned and hosted Project Crescendo, a music and coffee night held at The Ellis School in March with all proceeds benefiting the Pittsburgh chapter of PFLAG, in support of the LGBTQ+ community. They sourced coffee and pastries from local baristas and bakers, and the event included musical performances by Ellis students and visiting musicians.
Sophia Tondra
Humanizing the Nurses and Doctors in the field of Psychology
Sophia interviewed emergency department nurses who regularly respond to psychological crises to explore how psychological principles are used in high-stress medical settings. She then developed educational content for high school students.
Gabriella Tucker
Expanding Diversity Within Sport: Bringing Horseback Riding to the Black Community
Gabby sought to increase awareness and expand diversity within the equestrian community through her project. She invited The Ellis School’s Black Student Union (BSU) to Horse N’ Soul Riding Academy for a clinic she designed that would introduce them to the sport of horseback riding. She organized a list of riding academies in the Pittsburgh area to help the participants continue their access to riding.
Maryella Wanless
Simplifying Student Support: Building a Website for the Ellis Peer Tutoring Club
Maryella used a program called Figma to mock up a website she designed that would automate the tutor-student matching process for the Peer Tutoring Club at Ellis, improving upon the current method of manually matching tutors after students fill out a Google form. The Peer Tutoring Club is a student-led and managed organization that matches student tutors with peers in need of help with assignments.
Saraí Williams
Synergy: Integrating Positive Psychology and Self-Determination Theory into Activities for Seniors
Saraí designed and led a series of activities at a senior living community aimed at reducing feelings of loneliness and isolation among elderly residents. Guided by principles from Positive Psychology and Self-Determination Theory, her goal was to create a warm, inclusive environment that fostered connection, autonomy, and a sense of value for each participant through shared activities like gratitude circles, trivia, and bingo.
Annouk Yoo-Polzin
Weaving Connections: An Interactive Data Visualization Project with Contemporary Craft
Annouk designed an interactive questionnaire for Contemporary Craft’s Community Day to help the organization gather meaningful feedback from attendees in a joyful and engaging way. She used design tools and methods—including prototyping and laser cutting—to create a hands-on experience that visually displayed data while encouraging participants to reflect on their experiences.
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