From Capstones to Commencement
As the school year comes to a close, we wanted to share one final newsletter to celebrate the milestones of the past two weeks.
On May 20, our seniors proudly presented their Biomanufacturing capstone projects to staff and younger cohorts.
Then, on the evening of June 4, we gathered at Carlmont’s Performing Arts Center for an intimate graduation ceremony honoring our graduating class.
Our hearts are full of pride—and deep gratitude—for the students, families, and volunteers who make this extraordinary community so vibrant.
In this issue:
- Guest speaker, Sandhya Kharbanda
- Lunchtime Social: Happy Hour at the Cereal Bar
- Biomanufacturing Capstone Projects
- BTI Graduation Ceremony and Link to Slideshow
- BTI Alumni Scholarship Recipient
- BTI Graduation Speakers
- Colleges Where Graduates Have Been Accepted
- BTI Students at Carlmont's Graduation
- Contact Information
Thank you, Sandhya Kharbanda!
Sandhya Kharbanda, Professor of Clinical Pediatrics and Medical Director at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital, spoke to BTI sophomores about the clinical applications of CRISPR. Her talk offered a fascinating real-world perspective on how this powerful gene-editing technology is currently being used in a clinical setting.
Happy Hour at the Cereal Bar
We raised our spoons and clinked our cereal bowls to toast the end of the school year!
Biomanufacturing Capstone Projects
This semester, seniors in the Biomanufacturing class worked individually or in pairs to develop innovative products for their capstone projects. They applied advanced lab skills to conduct research, evaluate product efficacy, and carry out quality control analysis. On May 20, they presented their projects to the tenth and eleventh-grade students and staff—and impressed us all! Congratulations to our graduates, and a special shout-out to Ms. Burndon and Dr. Kapp for their expert guidance and support throughout the journey.
Graduation Ceremony for the BTI Class of 2025
A small community of learners deserves an intimate graduation ceremony to match. On June 4, we gathered in Carlmont’s Performing Arts Center to celebrate the Class of 2025. The evening featured touching speeches, a scholarship presentation, and a video montage capturing our students’ growth over the past four years. Each senior was honored on stage with a certificate of completion, and we capped off the evening with a cupcake reception. It was a beautiful and memorable night.
BTI Alumni Scholarship Recipient
Congratulations to Matthew for being the recipient of the $1500 BTI Alumni Scholarship Award! We are so proud of you, Matthew!
This scholarship celebrates a student who has the unique ability to see the potential at the intersection of science and the humanities. Matthew has proven to be a shining example of the power of interdisciplinary thinking.
Thank you, Ms. Abdilla for creating this video of memories for graduation!
Universities Where Our Students Were Accepted This Year
University of California
- UC Berkeley – 3 attending
- UC Davis – 1 attending
- UC Irvine – 2 attending
- UC Los Angeles – 1 attending
- UC Merced – 1 attending
- UC Riverside
- UC San Diego – 2 attending
- UC San Francisco
- UC Santa Barbara – 3 attending
- UC Santa Cruz – 7 attending
California State Universities
- Cal Poly Humboldt – 1 attending
- Cal Poly Pomona
- Cal Poly San Luis Obispo – 3 attending
- Chico
- East Bay
- Fresno
- Fullerton
- Humboldt
- Long Beach
- Monterey Bay
- Sacramento
- San Bernadino
- San Diego – 2 attending
- San Jose
- San Francisco
- San Marcos
- Sonoma
Private and Out-of-State Schools
- American University
- Arizona State University
- Binghamton University
- Boise State University
- Boston University
- Brandeis University
- Caldwell University
- Case Western Reserve University
- Chapman University – 1 attending
- Clark University
- Colgate University
- College of Charleston
- Colorado School of Mines – 1 attending
- Colorado State University
- Dominican University of California
- Drexel University
- Fordham University
- Gonzaga University
- Hawaii Pacific University
- Hope College – 1 attending
- Iowa State University
- Loyola Marymount University
- Manhattan School of Music
- McGill University
- Michigan State University
- Montana State University
- North Carolina State University
- Northeastern University – 3 attending
- Northern Arizona University
- Occidental College – 1 attending
- Ohio State University
- Oregon State University
- Pennsylvania State University
- Pepperdine University
- Puget Sound University
- Purdue University
- Reed College
- Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
- Rutgers University, New Brunswick
- Saint Mary’s University
- Santa Clara University – 1 attending
- Seattle University – 1 attending
- Skidmore College
- Smith College – 1 attending
- St. Olaf College
- Steven’s Institute of Technology – 1 attending
- Suffolk University
- Syracuse University
- The New School – 1 attending
- Tufts University – 1 attending
- University of Arizona
- University of British Columbia – 2 attending
- University of Colorado, Boulder – 1 attending
- University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
- University of Colorado, Denver
- University of Minnesota
- University of Connecticut
- University of Hawaii Manoa
- University of Maryland + FIRE program
- University of Massachusetts, Amherst
- University of Massachusetts, Boston
- University of Miami
- University of Minnesota
- University of Minnesota Twin Cities
- University of Nevada, Reno
- University of New Mexico
- University of North Carolina, Wilmington
- University of Oregon
- University of Pittsburgh
- University of Rochester
- University of San Diego
- University of Southern California
- University of the Pacific
- University of Utah
- University of Washington – 2 attending
- University of Washington, Seattle – 1 attending
- University of Waterloo
- Villanova University
- Washington University, St. Louis – 1 attending
- Wellesley College – 1 attending
- Whitman College
- Willamette University
Contacts
Directors of BTI: Ms. Abdilla at jabdilla@seq.org and Ms. Gold at sgold@seq.org
Mentor Coordinator: Mr. Fabic Cortez at ocortez@seq.org
Class of 2025 Rep: Shirley Chan – shirleyrd1@gmail.com
Class of 2026 Reps: Angera Kuo, and Ranjan Ray – angekuo@gmail.com, ranjan_ray@yahoo.com
Class of 2027 Rep: Nanette Boerner – nanetteboerner@gmail.com
Class of 2028 Rep: Welcome, Amy Mehdizadeh!
BTI/CAF Liaison for the 2024-2025 School Year: Ulla Foehr – ugfoehr@yahoo.com
BTI/CAF Liaison for the 2025-2026 School Year: Welcome, Kaushik Das!