Each year, seniors currently taking ERWC are required to choose a topic that fascinates them  to research throughout the course of the school year and present their findings in a 15 minute long presentation. Because they are not limited to a certain scope of topics, students are free to delve into an issue they feel passionately about. As a result, the diverse pool of presentations range from dreams to psychology to politics.

Students, like Mayra Felix, 12, have utilized the opportunity granted by the assignment to probe into polarizing political topics like immigration.

“I chose my topic because I wanted to learn more about the immigration system and hear more stories from illegal immigrants who came here,” Felix said. “These personal stories gave me an insight as to why people come to this country and what they have to do to get here.”

Because she plans on majoring in epidemiology, the study of diseases, Vanessa Rosario, 12, chose a topic that she enjoys dearly and will benefit her once she begins studying it in college.

“What interested me was learning about how culture heavily affected the spread of epidemic diseases,” Rosario said. “I had no idea that the idea of culture could either encourage or prevent an outbreak.”

The year-long project consisted of tedious research that allowed students like Heidi Ramirez, 12, a better understanding and a more expansive knowledge about her topic of dreams, something she otherwise wouldn’t have learned about through completing a traditional assignment.

“My assignment has showed me that there is no definite answer to why we have dreams or the proper way to interpret them,” Ramirez said. “It varies from culture to culture and person to person.”

The project presentations are held in students’ ERWC classes throughout the end of April and beginning of May.