Senior Symposium

On Monday May 20, we had our Senior Symposium. On the Class of 2019 junior retreat, we began discussing topics that we were intrigued by. These small scraps of ideas later transformed into defined topics that we would research throughout our senior year. Throughout this process, there was much revision, reworking, and refining. While doing this work felt tedious, the final product was undeniable. Every project felt complete and polished. An air of confidence and professionality surrounded us as we anxiously awaited presentation time.

We were called at 9:00 am to prepare our stations. I personally found my position to be perfect. I was close to Andrew Aman, who had a very similar topic to mine. Both Andrew and I analyzed fear, but he had a focus on fear in art and philosophy and I had a focus on fear in art and culture. I was surprised at how much our projects overlapped, and eventually, we found ourselves naturally transitioning between our pitch. As time passed, the “pitch” transformed into a conversation. Andrew and I spent an average of 10 to 20 minutes per presentee.

However, as the day went on, our fatigue from schoolwork began to settle in. Students did leave their stations, but they engaged in other symposium projects. They interacted with their peers. It was this sort of paradoxical focus that reminded me about the point of symposium: to converse about our passions, trade ideas, and grow our understandings. Many of my friends that are against the horror genre came to my stand, and I was shocked when they genuinely wanted to hear my pitch. The whole day reminded me that Galloway has not lost its love of learning.

It was clear that our grade truly put forth our best work. To see Dr. Lauren Holt’s vision manifest with such vitality was truly inspiring. It was an image I could see only after I finished the puzzle. Now that it’s over, I realize that the senior symposium is a project where you get what you put in. Without active effort or diligence, your enjoyment (and final product) will suffer. It’s important to realize that symposium is a great way to interact with a passion you usually don’t have the ability to interact with. While I miss the old system of “senior project,” I still believe the senior symposium is a proper and worthy Galloway tradition.

By Chris Nieves