Kaiden
Years attended SWS: 12
School Presently Attending: Tufts University
Hobbies: Woodworking, Anything Science related, building
Extracurricular sports/clubs: Club Ice Hockey!!
What are you up to?
Right now I am a sophomore pursuing a bachelor's degree at Tufts University with a double major in electrical engineering and biomedical engineering. I play ice hockey on the Tufts club team (lots of fun!) and I have been a lab assistant in the Tufts NanoLab, where I worked on floating microbial fuel cells (just a fancy way of saying floating batteries that run on bacteria). On the less fun side of things I am deep in the search for housing, jobs, and internships, which takes up the majority of my spare time, leaving just enough room to come and visit my family in Dover, NH every few weekends!
What are your plans for the future?
As soon as I'm finished with my masters degree and hopefully well before that, I hope to make my way into the field of wearable prosthetics and biomedical devices. I have always loved to build and tinker and I think that building and tinkering with the human body is one of the most fascinating and beautiful ways to apply scientific knowledge.
What do you miss about SWS?
The thing I miss most about SWS is the people I think, although it is hard to choose. Over the years I got to form so many amazing relationships with both my teachers and peers, many of which have been maintained to this day. SWS gave a unique opportunity for me to do that because of the supportive, close-knit community that the school is built around. If we really want to get into it, the thing I miss the second most about SWS was naptime (back when it was still Tidewater), and being able to go play outside in the woods for recess. I feel like the ability to take naps during the day diminishes drastically as one progresses through their education.
How did your experiences at SWS prepare you for high school and beyond?
Some of my experiences at SWS have not only prepared me for highschool but also for situations that I have encountered throughout many different situations in life. From things as simple as giving Mr. Drennan a proper handshake every morning, to the more nuanced ability to have constructive and professional conversations with teachers and other adults. The social skills that I was able to develop at SWS have been invaluable to me both in the academic and professional world.
Anything else you would like to share?
A few of the people who I consider my most formative mentors have been faculty of SWS. Without the help and support of Mr. Drennan as I struggled to learn to read and write with dyslexia, I don't know if I ever would have developed the confidence necessary to push my own intellectual boundaries and strive toward goals that I otherwise would have written off as unattainable. The knowledge that there are people out there willing to go above and beyond for me gave me the nudge forward that I needed. Beyond teaching me to read, having someone believe in me the way Mr. Drennan did taught me the value and power of persistence and compassion. This understanding has inspired me to approach challenges with determination and to always do my best to extend the same belief in others that was shown to me when I needed it most.
