Midway Reflection
I have really enjoyed SSP so far as it has allowed me to explore a different facet of my interests. My goal by the end of SSP is to grow as a person to my greatest potential and take advantage of what this free time has to offer. Outside of just my activities, I have really enjoyed the lifestyle I am able to pursue with a lot of extra time. This includes things such as going on long walks, playing piano and cello, spending time with friends and family, and cooking for myself. I felt that throughout the first week, I had a hard time adjusting to the idea of juggling many different things at once. During the school year, I had to juggle a lot of different things but they were all connected through school; this is the first time in my life when I have different things to keep in mind that are all so different. Volunteering at Perkins School for the Blind has definitely been a highlight for me and I have learned so much about the school, the blind community, and how I can help to the best of my ability. Everyone there has been so supportive and I am extremely grateful for the opportunity. Another high point has been my Beyond Our Echo Chamber Seminar. I really enjoyed our first few exchanges with the school in Louisiana. They were all super nice students and I thought getting to know them on a personal level was really important for our growth as a group. A lot of the music that we liked was similar and though we spent our time in many different ways, I also found a lot of their hobbies and interests to be super interesting. A huge thing that I noted was the strong and important religious presence in their community, specifically Christianity. I can only imagine that this dominance will heavily influence their political beliefs and that their ideology might be partially rooted in that. After having worked to get into a four-year college, hearing about their perspective on higher education was fascinating. Only about 75% of their school normally goes to college and the other 25% has a massive focus on vocational education and skills. I actually appreciated that about their school. I think that oftentimes, students who decide to not attend a 4 year college can be forgotten or left behind in society, so I thought this was a really important perspective. I have already grown so much from this seminar so I am excited to see how I will grow further from this experience.
Is there anything that looks like an insurmountable problem at this point? Overall, I think everything has been super manageable and I have enjoyed nearly everything. I am slightly worried about the workload of my documentary but we have been chipping away at it. We haven’t wasted time getting into the interviews and the editing so I think this will largely work to our benefit when it comes to crunch time. I think I genuinely thought about my SSP which I think is working to my advantage, I haven’t had any super quick turnarounds from one thing to another nor have I had to wake up super early on most days so I think I have a nice balance between relaxing, spending time with friends, and also getting to all of my activities.
I think I would have maybe done more activities for a shorter amount of time; I also think that part of that is just that the documentary takes a substantial amount of time which I don’t really know how I feel about yet. I also like that I scheduled a lot of things during my SSP with friends, but I did it with the same friends, so I wish I were getting to see a wider range of people that I see in school. I just have two seminars, Beyond Our Echo Chambers and Breads & Spreads. I think Beyond Our Echo Chambers really caught my attention a couple of years ago when a friend of mine took it and really raved about how beneficial it was to him. He was going to school in DC so that was a super important course to him, but for me, I think I’m doing it more because of how political polarization has really affected the way I see political parties, people, and American culture. I wish more students could take the seminar, because I think we, as a left leaning (though we are non-partisan) and academically rigorous school, like to focus on winning arguments rather than solving problems. Safe to say, I’m getting a lot out of BOEC. The other seminar I am taking is Breads & Spreads and I just think it’s a lot of fun. A lot of my friends took it last year, and they highly recommended it, so I signed up. Working through challenges while baking with friends has been a good experience and I’ve really enjoyed it! I only made one minor change, and that was switching into Breads & Spreads and out of Spreading & Breading (the activity I created after I didn’t get into B&S). Dr. Cyr and Ms. E were kind enough to accommodate my friend and me and make space for us in the official seminar. My greatest pleasure so far has been recording and planning my podcast in Spanish, called Chicas con Chisme, with Dr. Sanchez Gomez and our two other co-hosts Abby Brown and Denali Weaver. Getting to talk to one of my favorite teachers on a weekly basis has been a great way to not only stay in touch but also to continue practicing Spanish, a language that she taught me to really appreciate and love. We have had so much fun together with the four co-hosts but also with our guests. These contemporary topics have brought us so much joy and laughter and will soon be available to the public on social media. I am endlessly grateful for SSP and I have had a great start! I look forward to the second half.
Final Reflection
Olivia Richter ‘26
Dear Future Seniors,
Going into SSP, I expected that having more freedom and flexibility would feel relaxing after years of balancing classes, homework, sports, and extracurriculars. In many ways it was, but it was also a much bigger adjustment than I anticipated. During the school year, nearly every part of my schedule was structured for me, and even though I was balancing many responsibilities, they were all connected through school. SSP was the first time in my life where I had to independently manage a wide range of unrelated commitments while also figuring out what I truly valued spending my time on. At first, that felt overwhelming. However, over the course of the eight weeks, I learned how important it is to create routines, hold myself accountable, and intentionally make time for the things that matter to me. Looking back, I think this is one of the most valuable skills I will take with me into college and adulthood.
One of the things I appreciated most about SSP was how much space it gave me to explore different facets of my interests and personality. Outside of my formal activities, I found a lot of joy in the slower moments of daily life that I often overlook during the school year. I spent more time cooking for myself, going on long walks, playing piano and cello, and simply being present with friends and family. Reading Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens also connected to this slower pace of life. The novel’s themes of independence and learning to trust yourself resonated with me as I prepare to leave for college next year. The book made me reflect on how growth often comes from uncertainty and entering unfamiliar environments. SSP itself felt similar in many ways: it forced me to become more independent and intentional with my time while learning to embrace uncertainty rather than fear it.
A major highlight of my SSP was my involvement in the Beyond Our Echo Chambers Seminar. Over several weeks, we participated in exchanges with students from Sam Houston High School and engaged in conversations surrounding politics, religion, education, identity, and culture. I learned so much from these discussions, not necessarily because my opinions changed, but because I became better at listening to perspectives I do not usually encounter. I realized how often social media and political rhetoric exaggerate division and dehumanize people with opposing views. In reality, many of the students we spoke with were thoughtful, respectful, and far more nuanced than I had expected. While some conversations were frustrating and emotionally difficult, especially surrounding topics like abortion and gun control, I learned that understanding someone does not require agreeing with them. I think this seminar fundamentally changed the way I approach disagreement, and I genuinely believe more students should have experiences like it.
Another meaningful part of SSP was volunteering at Perkins School for the Blind. I spent time both in the Garden Club and the Annual Giving Office, helping with the greenhouse, the plant sale, and donor events such as Taste of Perkins. I also worked directly with students, which helped me better understand the importance of patience, accessibility, and adapting communication styles to support different learners. Everyone at Perkins was incredibly welcoming, and the experience reminded me how much meaningful work happens quietly behind the scenes to support a community.
Creatively, SSP gave me opportunities to challenge myself in entirely new ways. One of the most time-consuming parts of my SSP was creating a documentary about the senior class with three of my friends. We interviewed over half of the grade, created senior sign-outs, and spent countless hours editing footage together using Adobe Premiere Pro, which was a completely new skill for me. The editing process was frustrating and difficult at times, especially learning how to organize such a large amount of footage into something cohesive, but it was also one of the most rewarding experiences of SSP. Watching the documentary with the senior class last week felt incredibly special because it captured not only memories, but also the personalities and emotions that defined our time at BB&N.I also loved continuing to develop my Spanish skills through my podcast, *Chicas con Chisme*, alongside Dr. Sanchez Gomez and my co-hosts. That experience combined so many things I care about: language, humor, storytelling, and connection. It became one of the highlights of my week and reminded me how much I value conversation and creativity. Similarly, activities like Breads & Spreads, yoga, and going to the gym became important parts of my routine because they allowed me to slow down and focus on both my physical and mental well-being. I realized during SSP how important it is for me to maintain habits that support my health and creativity, especially during periods of transition or uncertainty.
If I could change one thing about my SSP, I think I would have made more intentional plans to spend time with a wider variety of people. Although I loved working closely with my friends, I realized how easy it is to stay within familiar groups when school structure disappears. I also think I underestimated how much time projects like the documentary would require, though I ultimately think the experience was worth it.
My biggest piece of advice for future seniors is to intentionally build balance into your SSP. Do things that challenge you, but also make space for activities that genuinely bring you joy and allow you to rest. Spend time with your friends, because once regular school ends, you realize how much of your friendships existed within the structure of classes, sports, and shared schedules. Most importantly, expect SSP to feel strange at first. Having freedom can actually feel uncomfortable when you are so used to structure, and that adjustment is completely normal.Looking back, SSP gave me a chance to reflect on who I have become over my years at Buckingham Browne & Nichols School. I think I leave BB&N with a much stronger understanding of what I value: creativity, storytelling, connection, curiosity, and community. Moving forward, I hope to continue pursuing photography, documentary work, writing, language, and community engagement in college and beyond. More than anything, SSP reminded me that growth often happens in the moments when you slow down enough to really pay attention to yourself, your relationships, and the world around you.