The Lilley Fellowship

The foremost Fellowship interdisciplinary project is awarded to students for work undertaken from January to August of a given year. Students devise and curate their own topic and project/initiative with the guidance of a faculty mentor. Scholars develop professionalism and mastery outside the classroom, culminating in a presentation to the Upper School community the following fall. The experience is included in the student's portfolio and reflected in the recommendations submitted by college counselors. Rising freshmen, sophomores, and juniors are encouraged to apply.

Applications for the Fellowship are due in late November for the following year. Download the application!

The Advanced Independent Study is a graded, honors-level course that allows students to deeply explore a topic firmly within a particular discipline for either a semester or entire year. Students work in conjunction with Upper School faculty members to devise their own curriculum, objectives, and projects culminating in a presentation/dissertation defense with the faculty mentor, academic department chair, academic dean, and head of Upper School. Mastery of foundational work in the discipline is a prerequisite. Rising sophomores and juniors are encouraged to apply.

Applications for the Advanced Independent Study are due in May for the following year. Download the application!

Why did you want to pursue this research?

I’ve always had a personal passion for wildlife and the natural world, so learning more about a topic related to climate change really appealed to me. In all my individual classes in environmental science, economics, politics, history, and ethics, there seemed to be something about how these factors interact to make change happen. The Lilley Fellowship represented a chance to create an independent research project in which I could learn more about these dynamics, so I chose a topic that is of growing importance in sustainable development: renewable energy. I wanted to know how we could accelerate our shift to renewables, while tying in topics in environmental science, economics, and politics. In the end, it was about figuring out ways to make a difference.

How did the Lilley fellowship make this possible?

The fellowship provided resources and connections that enabled me to delve more deeply into my interest than I otherwise could have. For example, I obtained funding to attend the American Clean Power conference last June. I also benefited from the ongoing guidance of my mentor, Dr. Lavallee, and advisors such as Mr. Kelly and Ms. Trimble, all of whom were vital to my progress throughout the process. In addition, the Lilley Fellowship Committee provided valuable feedback and kept me on track with regularly scheduled meetings.

Describe the impact this fellowship had on your EA experience and your overall development as a person.

The Lilley Fellowship helped activate a passion around the topic of renewable energy, and is without a doubt the most intensive and shaping experience I have had at EA. It taught me so much about keeping myself accountable, time management, and the climate action landscape, and it improved my research capabilities immeasurably. Even more importantly, the fellowship was a springboard for my engagement in climate change and sustainability more broadly. I’m excited to take it further with a new May Term course that I’m hoping will educate, engage, and activate others at EA around this important topic. This fellowship has been a tremendous catalyst in my life, expanding my understanding and helping galvanize a real direction for my college plans and career goals.

Why did you want to pursue this research?

I applied for the Lilley Fellowship as I was interested in being able to further pursue research I conducted for my AP World History term paper my sophomore year, and again in a GOA religion course regarding genocide later that summer. I found information that I learned about genocides, and the genocide in Rwanda specifically, to be very intriguing, and the Lilley Fellowship presented a unique oppurtunity where I could pursue this interest outside of EA’s curriculum by further advancing my knowledge and understanding of this topic to a deeper extent.

How did the Lilley fellowship make this possible?

The Lilley Fellowship offered me the privilege to engage in a unique and eye opening experience, where I was able to pursue a topic of interest and gain empowering and impactful knowledge on a subject.

During my project and with the privalage of this fellowship, I had the honor of interviewing several Rwandan genocide survivors and other witnesses, now living in the United States, Canada, and Rwanda. The men and women whom I interviewed ranged from individuals who were only children at the time of the genocide, to a Supreme Court Justice, a college profesor, a federal investigator, and an American humanitarian. These experiences granted by this fellowship were overall such an engaging experience that allowed me to obtain so much knowledge and information from first hand accounts on a topic of interest of mine.

Describe the impact this fellowship had on your EA experience and your overall development as a person.

From being given the unique opportunity to be able to interview Rwandan genoicde survivors and witnesses from varying fields, this project and the lessons I learned from these individual's unique personal experiences impacted me as a student, and overall as a person. Pursuing an interested topic of study through the Lilley Fellowship conveyed to me, as a student, the impactful power that arises from being given the privilege to interview various primary sources who have experienced an event first hand. As a person, so many eye opening messages were conveyed to me throughout my research that I know will continue to stay with me for the rest of my life, as they served as compelling lessons simply from a human aspect.

view the presentation

Mary Cipperman '21 researched the evolution and impact of modern voting rights in the United States. She examined racial disparities in voter participation by researching the preclearance requirement under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. Mary's faculty mentor was Mr. Alexander Jimenez from the English Department.

Her project had two parts. First, Mary studied modern legislation that affects access to voting. Specifically, Mary analyzed the Shelby County v. Holder (2013) case, and the courts' decision to remove preemptive federal oversight of voting-related policy changes. Using Department of Justice data and two case studies, she examined the implications of the case on voting participation, especially for minority and low-income citizens.

Employing this research, Mary created the second part: a non-partisan organization for youth activism and voting rights. Mary developed and founded the National Organization for Youth Activists, NOYA. This group generated articles, ran conferences, and assisted citizens in registering to vote.

At the end of the summer, Mary ran a three-day youth activism conference, with ten partner organizations, seventy student registrations, and twelve hours of programming. NOYA was so successful that a Philadelphia-based nonprofit, the Pamela and Ajay Raju Foundation, incorporated Mary's organization into their institution.

Mary hopes to work with the foundation to collaborate with Philadelphia lawmakers, increase voter participation, and host civic action initiatives. Below is a link to NOYA and the video of Mary's presentation.

The Lilley Fellowship has been my most formative academic experience at EA. It exemplifies EA’s many strengths by providing me, as a high school student, with a unique forum for active inquiry, rigorous academics, and personal development. I received ample support from faculty members across departments, and I felt both challenged and nurtured throughout the process.

Personally, I developed a passion for political science and electoral politics, which I hope to pursue professionally through a career in law or public service. Through my presentations, I learned communication, research, and time management skills that I believe will be crucial to my future successes. Personally, I used the platform to advocate for a cause—voting rights and youth participation in democracy—that I believe has relevance to my society. I also worked with about ten activism organizations over the summer to develop NOYA programming, so I learned about nonprofit formation, entrepreneurship, and grassroots activism.

This opportunity advanced my academic skills, professional aspirations, and personal advocacy. The Lilley Fellowship is truly an unparalleled program to develop high-level research even in high school, and I’m so grateful for the opportunity.

Vince Vento '21 examined wrongful convictions and the human struggle to be exonerated. His research spanned over nine months by researching case studies, existing academic literature, and studying the exoneration process. Vince's mentor was from the History Department, Dr. Kalil Oldham.

Vince wanted his capstone project to focus more on the individual stories who went through the exoneration process. After developing a strong foundational understanding, Vince used his initiative to conduct interviews with three individuals who went through this process: David Bryant, Shaurn Thomas, and Johnny Berry. Vince learned about each of their harrowing experiences in detail. He spoke with their respective lawyers to understand the process to be exonerated in the current criminal justice system.

Vince's goal was to create a manuscript for a book that would convey the three men's experiences and bring further awareness to the public about the struggle to be exonerated. Vince completed his fellowship by creating this draft, and he hopes to move forward with the next steps to publish his work. You can find a copy of Vince's written work below and the video link to his presentation.

Vince's Presentation

Vince's Written Work

1. Why did you want to pursue this research?

I wanted to pursue this research after watching the Netflix documentary When They See Us, which details the story of the Central Park Five, because I was interested in how a wrongful conviction impacted human behavior. Additionally, I was interested in learning more about how these grave miscarriages of injustices come about.

I thought that the Lilley Fellowship was the perfect opportunity to both accomplish this personal goal but also contribute in an impactful way to the Innocence Movement in my own capacity.

2. How did the Lilley fellowship make this possible?

The Lilley Fellowship made my goal possible in two ways. The first was, of course, financially. Although my Fellowship did not entail traveling across the country - or even out of the greater Philadelphia area - the financial support of the Lilley Fellowship eased any concerns that I may have had about acquiring resources to aid me in my study.

The second way that the Lilley Fellowship made my goals possible was by allowing me to set my own timeline. I've found in the course of my long-term research project that being able to set my own deadlines and hold myself accountable - rather than have a school curriculum hold me accountable - made the study feel less like a duty and more like a hobby. That's the way I think a project should feel; one shouldn't feel burdened by a strict schedule. Instead, researching and developing one's understanding of a passion is something both beneficial but also fun.

3. Describe the impact this fellowship had on your EA experience and your overall development as a person.

Without a doubt, this Fellowship has really changed the way I view my own EA experience. Before, I dedicated nearly all of my time to schoolwork and missed out on multitudinous opportunities. Now, I have something tangible that I can look back on - years, even decades, from now - that will serve as a testament to my experience studying at EA.

Additionally, this Fellowship has developed me to be a different person than the one that started in January of 2020. In particular, my interviews with David, Shaurn, and Johnny have opened my eyes to injustices that I would have never known otherwise. The criminal justice system is an inherently flawed mechanism that continues to fail Americans every year.

Thanks to this Fellowship, I am now acutely aware of these issues and will continue to use the knowledge I have gained in this Fellowship to educate others that are ignorant of these issues.

Katharine Harrar '21 was a pioneer for the Lilley Fellowship and the EA Community. Her work, research, and final product focused on creating a Farm to Feed program at Episcopal. Her project had three parts: Renovating the current EA Farm system, building an educational curriculum, and teaching students. Katharine was a fellow for two years, a first for the Lilley Fellowship.

She visited farms at Stanford University, UC Davis, and the Edible School Yard to learn about their respective programs. Katharine attempted to integrate their principles and ideas into her vision for the EA Farm. She worked the Horizons Program to teach young children about farming and nutrition.

As a second-year fellow, Katharine wanted to grow the farming curriculum at EA by including the business of agriculture and how farmers' produce gets to the consumer. She interned with the Swarthmore Farmers' Market to develop their marketing materials and run their social media platforms. Katharine also worked with the Bryn Mawr Farmers' Market.

These experiences helped Katharine develop the Episcopal Academy Farm Manual. This capstone project will be accessible for teachers, students, and the community to learn more about gardening, farming, and nutrition at both the Micro (Local) and Macro (Communal) Levels. This manual contains pictures, lessons, and videos to help the reader understand the farm to table process. Below are links to Katharine's presentation and manual.

Katharine's Presentation

1. Why did you want to pursue this research?

After learning about the cardiovascular system during Dr. Kelley Bethoney's Body Systems JTerm Course, Jessica focused her summer research on the causes and treatment of bacteria-induced atherosclerosis.

"Over 60% of the atherosclerosis patients had unknown causes to their disease," explained Jessica. "Recent studies have indicated the presence of bacteria near heart valves and atherosclerotic plaque. Based on these studies, researchers believe that oral bacteria, when they enter into the bloodstream, may contribute to atherosclerotic plaque formation."

Jessica further explained, "I started out my experiment by simulating oral bacteria in arteries by growing S. mutans on a media that resembles the cardiovascular system. Then I applied two different kinds of antimicrobial toothpaste to the bacteria. I thought if the toothpaste had a positive effect on inhibiting gingivitis, then they would have a similar effect on oral bacteria in arteries." She also tested the natural compound, allicin, which is found in garlic, and found it could be a potential method towards reducing the risk of bacteria-induced atherosclerosis.

During her in-depth study, Jessica attended a world cardiology conference in Boston and interned at a dental office to explore the connections between atherosclerotic plaque and the oral cavity. She also volunteered at the Ronald McDonald House in Philadelphia where she learned more about the treatment and life impact of heart disease and other heart-related conditions on patients, their families, and caregivers.

Dr. Kelley Bethoney advised Jessica on her project.

"I discovered that even as a high school student, by sharing my passion for research, I not only made a tangible impact on members of my community, but also inspired many younger students to pursue their academic interests outside of the classroom. It is truly an incredible opportunity that allows you to explore your passions to enrich your education," said Jessica as she encouraged other students to consider applying for the Lilley Fellowship.

RJ's project was prompted by his JTerm trip in 2017 to the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Montana. The goal of his Lilley Fellowship project was to design a model house and develop blueprints for cost-effective housing for the Blackfeet community.

During the summer, RJ traveled back to the reservation to conduct further research with local architects and a stone mason. He also met with members of the reservation to discuss their specific needs.

RJ tapped experts at The Bill Lane Center for the American West at Stanford University to work on blueprints and a scale model of his design. He also spent part of the summer interning with local architect, and EA parent, Warren Claytor.

"I learned that nothing is impossible if you set your mind to it," said RJ. "I would have never thought that I would have completed a nine-month graduate-level dissertation as a junior in high school. Being among the first was a very cool experience, and I hope there are many students in the future."

Upper School science teacher Perri Zanki, Hon. served as RJ's mentor.