JUNIOR FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM
Congratulations to our 2025 Junior Fellows!
Marta Pauksta, Lucca Rockett, Kate Batdorf and Brady Alford
Started in 2017, the Marin Catholic Junior Fellowship Program is an opportunity offered to all students in the spring of their Junior year. The program challenges students to propose, design, and implement a self-directed learning experience to complete over the summer. Applications are submitted in April and then reviewed by the Junior Fellowship panel. The panel chooses 3-4 students to complete their projects. Once chosen, these fellows are not only tasked with completing their research and projects, but they are required to attend a number of workshops, work directly with the Director of the Junior Fellowship program, and log 50+hours of work. In September, Junior Fellows present their projects to the Junior Fellowship panel, family, friends, and MC faculty. Upon successful completion of their projects, Fellows are awarded a $400 stipend and recognition at the Fall Honors Assembly, Senior Honors Assembly, and Graduation. To learn more about the 2025 individual projects, see below.
Marta Pauksta - Economic Reforms in Post-Soviet Eastern Europe
After frequent trips to her family's homeland Latvia, Marta became interested in investigating how economic reforms shaped nine countries after the collapse of the soviet union. By processing raw data using Python in Jupyter Notebook IDE she was able to draw out some significant relationships between GDP, economic freedom, and political instability. She made multiple visuals of her data and utilized her results to write up a formal research paper in the field.
Lucca Rockett - Learning the Piano with her Grandmother
Influenced by her great-grandfather and under the guidance of her grandmother Lucca took on an instrument that has influenced multiple generations of her family: the piano. She spent her summer learning to read sheet music, learning how to play the basics of the piano, and she worked countless hours on her timing while also listening to the stories, memories, and influence of her great-grandfather. In the end she played a duet for the first time with her grandmother.
Lucca Rockett - Learning the Piano with her Grandmother
Influenced by her great-grandfather and under the guidance of her grandmother Lucca took on an instrument that has influenced multiple generations of her family: the piano. She spent her summer learning to read sheet music, learning how to play the basics of the piano, and she worked countless hours on her timing while also listening to the stories, memories, and influence of her great-grandfather. In the end she played a duet for the first time with her grandmother.
Kate Batdorf - Quiet Pressure, More Than A Game
After a soccer injury, Kate chose to investigate what she had long felt and described as "quiet pressure". She conducted more than 20 interviews with students, alumni, counselors, and faculty at Marin Catholic, including NFL quarterback and alumnus Jared Goff to explore the pressure, anxiety, and stress that student-athletes face. After more than 150 hours of editing, she created a 10 minute documentary titled, "Quiet Pressure."
After a soccer injury, Kate chose to investigate what she had long felt and described as "quiet pressure". She conducted more than 20 interviews with students, alumni, counselors, and faculty at Marin Catholic, including NFL quarterback and alumnus Jared Goff to explore the pressure, anxiety, and stress that student-athletes face. After more than 150 hours of editing, she created a 10 minute documentary titled, "Quiet Pressure."
Brady Alford - The Journey of Building A Wooden Desk
After his initial aspirations of building a boat, Brady narrowed his focus on what it takes to build a desk. Along the way he learned the skills necessary to operate 11 different woodworking and machining tools alongside drawing up plans by hand and by using computer aided design (CAD). In the end he produced a walnut desk, which was stained, sealed, and complete with soft closing drawers and floating cabinets.
After his initial aspirations of building a boat, Brady narrowed his focus on what it takes to build a desk. Along the way he learned the skills necessary to operate 11 different woodworking and machining tools alongside drawing up plans by hand and by using computer aided design (CAD). In the end he produced a walnut desk, which was stained, sealed, and complete with soft closing drawers and floating cabinets.
In Recognition of our Past Junior Fellows
2024: Kathryn George, Lillian Englert and Robert Hadsell
2023: Benjamin Bosch, Connor Cochrane, Angellene Medrano, Hannah Roell
2022: Catalina Clark, Sarah Naser, Will Shehan, and Walker Waite
2021: Jacob Chador, Caitlyn Holmstrom, Preston Lee, and Katie Page
2020: Inez Gallant, Jahnavi Muppirala, and Madison Waite2023: Benjamin Bosch, Connor Cochrane, Angellene Medrano, Hannah Roell
2022: Catalina Clark, Sarah Naser, Will Shehan, and Walker Waite
2021: Jacob Chador, Caitlyn Holmstrom, Preston Lee, and Katie Page
2019: Quinn Duggan, Madison Kessler, Julia Maushardt, Julia Walker
2018: Marisa Davidson, Sophia Doerschlag, Grace Garcia, Sara Kennedy, Joey Press, Maria Tassone
2017: Alexa Barnes, Josh Beckman, Tess Polizzotti, Sara Lange
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