WISE Showcase Highlights Student Projects

During their time in Eastchester’s schools, students are constantly developing the skills they will need to rely on once they leave the district and pursue their own goals.

The last six weeks leading up to next Friday’s commencement have given EHS seniors a sneak preview on what their lives after school might look like, as 200 soon-to-be graduates participated in the annual Wide-Ranging Interest-based Senior Experience (WISE) Program, a culminating high school event that affords graduating seniors the opportunity to gain experience in a field of their choice, be it through unpaid internships or independent passion projects.

Throughout their involvement with the WISE program, students explored a myriad of different fields, shadowing first responders and healthcare professionals, working with younger students in elementary school classrooms, gaining professional experience in the music industry and putting to use the skills they’ve learned in the classroom over the last four years. Sean Gomez, who plans to join the Coast Guard after graduation, spent the last six weeks with the White Plains Fire Department, noting that he was intrigued by the idea of serving the community.

“There’s definitely overlap with the Coast Guard and firefighting in some way, so that’s why I wanted to do this,” said Gomez. “I got to see the main three sides of what being a firefighter is like: there was the corporate side with the chief in his office, the public safety side, and the general fire-prevention part—even though I wasn’t allowed to go out on calls.”

Ibrokhim Bakirov opted to tackle an independent study project based on the lessons he learned in EHS robotics courses, building a mechanized ball-launcher that tested not only his aptitude for engineering but also demonstrated just how patience and resolve is needed in related fields. 

“That’s something I learned the hard way,” laughed Bakirov. “When I did this at first, there was a short circuit that messed up some of the wires and broke some of the components. So one of the main things I learned is you have to be very careful in the beginning of a project because things that go wrong early on can affect you later on.”

Bakirov noted that the freedom of the independent project also helped to reinforce the importance of setting achievable goals, something that will benefit students no matter what field they ultimately decide to pursue. 

“Every single day there were daily goals, a checklist of things that had to get done,” he said. “It definitely helped knowing what tasks had to be completed.”

Gomez added that even though not everyone’s WISE experience may have been in a field they will ultimately go into, the chance to interact with those who have provided valuable insight into the many options available to our soon-to-be graduates. 
“One thing that struck me is how much everyone I spoke to in the fire department loved what they do,” he said. “You had people from all different walks of life, including people who came to work for the fire department after initially being in different fields.

“There were guys from Wall Street, there was one guy who was a chemical engineer before changing professions . . . one thing I learned for sure was that there wasn’t one person who regretted their choice.”