Ashley Kim ‘23
One of the Episcopal Academy’s most unique offerings is the Lilley Fellowship, established by William Lilley ‘55 in 2018. A graduate from Yale University, Lilley drew inspiration for the fellowship from Yale’s former Scholars of the House Program, which allows students to devote a semester to an academic project of their choice. All EA Upper School students are eligible to apply for the opportunity to dive deeper into their academic interests and passions.
The current director of the Lilley Fellowship is Lorie Harding, Director of Libraries, who says she is inspired by each of the projects developed through the program and comments, “What I find particularly inspiring [about the Lilley Fellowship] is that students, who already are balancing a heavy set of obligations, still have the interest and wonder to want to explore something on their own.”
Harding explains Lilley’s vision, saying, “Mr. Lilley valued curiosity, creativity and scholars as agents of change. He had a vision that this not be just relegated just to university students and above but that high school students could be just as inquisitive and impactful in their work.”
After going through the application process, students selected for the program go on to develop independent studies that culminate in a capstone project. Throughout fellows’ tenures, the generosity of the Lilley fund covers research and travel costs.
Since 2018, students have researched a wide range of topics within a variety of different fields. Kat Harrar ‘21, a 2019 and 2020 fellow, said her research was on “food systems as well as agriculture and sustainability.”
Vince Vento ‘21 chose to study wrongful convictions and exonerations, through which he conducted three interviews with exonerees, David Bryant, Shaurn Thomas, and Johnny Berry. He recalls, “I thought that the Lilley Fellowship was the perfect opportunity to both accomplish this personal goal but also contribute in an impactful way to the Innocence Movement in my own capacity.”
Current fellow, Colin Kick ‘22, is researching how to accelerate the transition to renewable energies. Kick explains that his interdisciplinary project incorporates environmental science, economics, politics, and social change elements while looking for potential solutions. “I applied for this fellowship because the chance to choose my own project, blending my personal interests and pursuing it independently, was too good to pass up,” Colin says. “The fellowship allowed me to research topics that weren’t a part of the usual school curriculum, and gave me the resources and outlet to delve into these topics in new environments, like the clean power conference I attended this past June.”
Like Kick, Emmie O’Neill ‘22 has spent the past year researching: in her case, this has been investigating the history, impact, and reconciliation initiatives of the Rwandan Genocide.
O’Neill’s project was unique due to the recollection of survivors with first-hand experience. She says, “The men and women whom I interviewed ranged from individuals who were only children at the time of the genocide, to a Supreme Court Justice, a college professor, a federal investigator, and an American humanitarian. I had no prior connection to them, yet virtually every person I asked agreed to participate in the project. Their experiences were all completely different, yet each of the stories was so inspiring.”
Harrar was able to absorb the knowledge and experiences of farm-to-feed programs in California, which allowed her to improve EA’s farm, stating “Over the course of two years I was able to transform the EA farm into a successful system that provided some produce to EA’s own cafeteria program Sage.” She continues, “That summer [2019] I worked with Horizons to create a garden based curriculum for a second grade class, which involved planting and harvesting crops from the EA garden.”
Although the fellowship is largely student-driven, advisors and the panel serve as support and guides throughout the process. Damon Kuzemka, Upper School History Teacher and advisor to O’Neill, details his role, saying, “My role is to really be the point person for the student if they have questions about suggestions the panel had made, to give an extra set of eyes to their project as they are working on it, make suggestions and help them facilitate any sort of additional work or research that they are doing, and be supportive.”
At the end of their fellowship, fellows are expected to create a final project, which shares the results of their research with the EA community and beyond.
Harrar notes, “For the final project, I created an online manual which consisted of some EA gardening basics and facts about the on campus farm.”
O’Neill wrote essays on her research, revealing, “Through this series of essays, I explored the stages leading up to the genocide in Rwanda, the effectiveness of traditional, community based courts in the aftermath of the genocide, and Post-genocide restorative justice initiatives that promoted reconciliation. My video and written interviews, as well as my essays, are then presented on a digital platform – a website everrwanda.com. The website not only serves historical purposes–preserving the inspiring and true accounts of different men and women who survived the Genocide–but I believe that their messages are also universally relevant and important, and offer powerful insights for all.”
Not only do fellows compile and create content as a result of their projects, they feel that they experience tremendous personal growth. “This fellowship has given me a new appreciation for my own academic capacity, as I have never pursued a project of this scale before, nor have I ever put so much time and energy into a single enterprise,” says Kick.
Harrar adds, “As a whole I learned so much about myself from the fellowship. I learned that I could stand up in front of all my classmates and teachers and successfully deliver a presentation, which was a big personal milestone. In addition, I also learned how passionate I was about agriculture and where we get our food.”
Harrar’s participation in the Lilley Fellowship has shaped her college experience. Currently studying Agricultural Sciences with a concentration in business and policy at Cornell University, Harrar says, “I feel as if I have some hands-on experience and actual knowledge of what I am studying from my trip to California and overall work at the EA farm. I also have more confidence in my public speaking and writing abilities than I would have if I had not done the fellowship.”
The fellows urge EA students of all ages to apply. O’Neill says, “I would advise anyone with a specific interest they are wishing to pursue to apply and consider the Lilley Fellowship. So many eye opening messages were conveyed to me throughout my research that I know will continue to stay with me for the rest of life, as they served as compelling lessons just from a human aspect.”
Harrar agrees, commenting, “I think the lessons you learn and things you discover both personally and academically are incredibly valuable.”
Photo courtesy of Courtney Brinkerhoff-Rau