New Trier offers its students an opportunity unheard of in most schools—the chance to go on Senior Project.

The program which piloted in 1992 with just 20 students drew in approximately 135 students this year. Senior Project, according to the New Trier website, was created with the goal “to allow students to design and pursue a project of interest during their final quarter at New Trier.”

Students are encouraged to expand upon preexisting hobbies, or to dive into possible career paths.

Some task themselves with sewing a complete wardrobe, others choose to work downtown at an investment firm. No project is off limits.

My job outside of school is to nurse animals back to health, and to make sure that they stay healthy.

Yet, this passion to help our furry companions feels incomplete stopping there. I want to spend the time granted by New Trier serving a good cause, and what better cause than saving lives?

As a veterinary assistant at Green Bay Animal Hospital since 2012, I have shot x-rays, worked in the kennel, assisted doctors and technicians.

While I am very thankful for the opportunity to be as helpful as a high school student can expect to be in a job, I have always felt that I could be doing more.

What experience I have with stray and abandoned animals comes from the few times I’ve visited shelters to adopt, and although Dr. Miller, owner of the practice, has always welcomed stray animals, most of the animals I interact with are those that are accompanied by their loving owners.

I’ve chosen to spend this allotted time working with Orphans of the Storm. Orphans of the Storm will allow me to help those animals most in need of care, love, and attention—even though most of the love they will receive I hope will come from their adoptive families.

Any animals that are adopted in part because of me will have New Trier’s Senior Project program to thank, among the many hardworking staff and supporters of the shelter.

A majority of my time will be spent at the Orphans of the Storm Animal Shelter in Riverwoods (Deerfield), but also at the shelter’s Pet Showcase at Northbrook Court, and at the Ruth Helen Wolf Animal Clinic & Hospital in Libertyville.

Operations at the shelter itself will include caring for the animals, giving tours of the premises, making sure the shelter is well stocked and clean, and introducing new animals into the shelter, while preparing old animals for their new homes.

Work at the clinic will include routine admittance health checks, vaccine administration, and care for any sick/injured animals in the shelter.

At the pet showcase, I will be responsible for transporting animals to and from the shelter and bringing people into the “store” to meet and greet our animals.

All of this instead of everyday classes.

There’s still a fair amount of paperwork involved—don’t get me wrong. Prospective seniors considering Senior Project should recognize that Senior Project isn’t an outlet for slacking off. There are numerous meetings, interviews, and appointments that need to be attended, and of course the Senior Project Exhibition—a culmination of all efforts put into the project. Lastly, the final project must be reviewed by a committee, that will either pass or fail you.

High school is a major time commitment that rewards mastery of social skills, implores academic excellence, and encourages involvement in extracurricular activities, but New Trier reserves four weeks for students to follow their passions. Take advantage of the opportunity.