Spotlight on WISE Students

WISE Student Coordinators shared their experiences at the April 3 Coordinators Forum. Their diverse experiences all show a learning journey leading to self-confidence, pride and excitement for the future.

“I sew things”

Brianna Warner
Photo Credit: Taylor Ha

Brianna Warner, a senior at Woodlands High School, summarizes her WISE project, “Cosplay: Stitched into Reality,” in three words: “I sew things.”  A cross between the words “costume” and “play,” cosplay involves “sewing the outfit” of an anime character. Brianna is creating an anime costume. With the guidance of her WISE mentor Elizabeth Huber, she is sewing the clothes for her character as well as making decisions about props and makeup. Although Brianna will explore the social sciences at Ithaca College, she says that participating in the WISE program gave her the chance to pursue an interest she would not have been able to in a regular classroom.

“Get out, and do your own thing”

David Wyatt

When asked how completing a WISE project  compares to learning in a traditional classroom, David Wyatt of Monument Mountain Regional High School explains that WISE allows you to “get out, and do your own thing.” For David, this means exploring the field of video-editing. David, mentored by Paul Kakley, is currently creating a video documentary about WISE for his project, “A Documentary about the WISE Program.”  While working on his documentary, David is learning about more than just video-editing: he has also been able to practice and improve his research and interview skills, skills that are often overlooked in the classroom but have tremendous real-world value. David’s future plans involve being a Television Production major at Vincennes University in Indiana.

“I’m happy”

Nyack High School teachers Thomas Burns and Steven Nardi with Katherine Umana

A WISE student at Nyack High School, Katherine Umana is interning at Liberty Elementary School for her “Childhood Education” WISE project. Her mentor in the WISE Program is Jackie Di Nuzzo. During her time at Liberty, Katherine observes a 1^st grade classroom and is even able to occasionally teach the students, an opportunity that allows her to improve her leadership and classroom management skills. Once torn between majors, Katherine says that working hands-on in a classroom helped her narrow down her career choices: she plans to be an elementary school teacher. When speaking about her future, Katherine remarks, “I’m happy and excited about what’s to come.” Katherine plans to attend Rockland Community College for two years and then transfer to Saint Thomas Aquinas College to major in childhood education.

“Pushed me to go out into the future”

Courtney Miele-Moran

The WISE Program at Nyack High School has given Courtney Miele-Moran the chance to pursue her passion for occupational therapy. Her WISE project is titled “WISE- Occupational Therapy.” For two days a week, Courtney helps children with mental, developmental and physical conditions improve life and work skills such as their motor function and handwriting. Her mentor, Michael Burruano, has supported her throughout the project. As a high school senior preparing for Dominican College in the Fall, where she will major in OT, Courtney expresses the value of her WISE experience:  “WISE really made me be determined about occupational therapy and pushed me to go out into the future.”