The Junior Summer Fellowship program enables selected juniors pursue an independent, immersive project in the summer between 11th and 12th grade. Fellows extend and enhance their knowledge beyond the boundaries of the traditional classroom in destinations around the world. Successful projects will have a well-defined focus and purpose that may be academic, artistic, athletic, cultural, or creative.

A committee of current upper school faculty will award a maximum of seven $4000 fellowships to current 11th grade students. An outstanding fellowship proposal will describe a unique and immersive experience that will broaden and deepen the student’s understanding of themself and the world. While this usually involves travel, that is not a requirement.

DOWNLOAD APPLICATION PACKET

NOTE: The application packet is only accessible to those with a Harvard-Westlake email account.
QU
ESTIONS: Contact Jim Patterson, Director of the Kutler Center.

2025 Junior Summer Fellows:

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Zachary Abrahamson

From Edo to Expo: The Evolution of Japanese Art Diplomacy through Ukiyo-e Woodblocks

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Maximilian Coleman

Documenting Food Insecurity: Voices from Los Angeles' Streets and KneadLA's Response

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Caroline Cosgrove

Vampires and Golems: The Cultural Roots of the Monsters of Eastern Europe

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Calder Glass

Whispers of the Canopy: Sonic Ecology in the Pacific Northwest Temperate Rainforest

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Ryan Hung

The Modern Scramble for Africa: How Superpowers gain Influence Through Strategic Investments

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Siona Kirschner

What We Can Learn From Australia: How Different Countries Handle Wildfire Prevention and Mitigation

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Lyra Majumdar

What We Can Learn From Australia: How Different Countries Handle Wildfire Prevention and Mitigation

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Nikhil Sarvaiya

Documenting Food Insecurity: Voices from Los Angeles' Streets and KneadLA's Response

2024 Junior Summer Fellows:

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Samuel Cleland

Jazz in The Big Easy: Conducting Not So Easy Discussions about Race and Jazz in its Birthplace of New Orleans

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Sasha Antonia Gadalov

Assimilation in Alaska: Old Believers and the Evolution of Their Identity

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Ashley Ham

Uncovering the Ancient Korean History of Pottery

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Saisha Kumar

The Continued Reform Efforts Following the Criminal Tribes Act on the Gujjar Community in Mumbai, India

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Shiara Navarro

The Mayan Train: The Environmental Impacts of Expanding Cultural Tourism in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula

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Anaya Olivas

30 Years Post Apartheid: Life as a "Coloured" Girl in South Africa

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Arielle Trakhtenberg

Two Years Gone: Lives of Ukrainian Refugees in Krakow