As a freshman involved in Bryn Mawr’s entrepreneurship activity, Sai Valluri ’19 knew that she wanted to create a product that wouldn’t just make money, but would also have a positive impact on others. In partnership with Lindsay Wang ’19, Valluri developed a reusable bamboo menstrual pad for women and girls in developing countries. “For girls in poorer countries, [menstruation] tends to be a taboo subject, so our goal was to develop something that was discrete and made them feel more confident,” Valluri says.
 
Throughout the activity, which took place in the afternoons during second semester, Valluri and Wang conducted research, developed a prototype, formulated a business plan and showcased their product at entrepreneurship competitions. The experience, Valluri says, gave her a lot of confidence. “I feel as if I could really do something like this in the future. It’s something totally different than I’ve ever done, and I think having girls involved in business and entrepreneurship is really important.”
 
As Bryn Mawr continues to implement its strategic plan, “The Bryn Mawr Way: A Contemporary Vision for What Girls Need to Thrive,” cultivating more experiences like Valluri’s are an important focus. To that end, starting in the spring of 2018 with the Class of 2021, Bryn Mawr is introducing Personalized Pathways. This program, which will build on the existing curriculum, represents a major step forward for Bryn Mawr’s new strategic plan, which calls for more personalized and experiential learning opportunities. “When you are passionate about something, learning is fun, time flies, and you dive in,” says Headmistress Maureen Walsh. “We are excited to give students the opportunity to experience this, and to be more involved in charting their own path through our Upper School.”
 
Students will be able to apply to participate in the spring of their ninth grade year, and will choose from one of three signature areas: Arts, Global Studies or STEM/Entrepreneurship. Justin Curtis, Bryn Mawr’s director of technology and one of the leaders of the STEM/Entrepreneurship path, believes that the program will better help Bryn Mawr prepare students to have an impact on the world around them. “Now is the perfect time for it because the interest is just bubbling up from the kids – they’re asking for it and they want it,” says Curtis. “I think really at the end of the day, they want to have a hand in social change – that social entrepreneurship piece is what gets our kids excited.”
Above: One of Bryn Mawr's global exchange opportunities to Christ's Hospital school in England. Students who elect to follow the Global Studies pathway may participate in experiential learning opportunities like this.
“We’re pushing the envelope on things like this because we’re reacting to our students’ wants and needs. That’s the hallmark of a good education."

- Director of Technology Justin Curtis
Curtis has helped to lead Bryn Mawr’s entrepreneurship activity for the last few years. In the activity, students develop ideas for an entrepreneurship competition that mimics the popular show “Shark Tank.” Curtis has consistently been impressed by what the girls come up with. “They’re starting to develop ideas around products and services and either coming up with a business plan or looking to further develop them,” he says. “But we’re hitting a wall, so to speak, where we’re not able to give them the full background that they need.”

The Personalized Pathways program, which is unique in the Baltimore area, is the answer to meeting those needs. “We’re pushing the envelope on things like this because we’re reacting to our students’ wants and needs,” Curtis says. “That’s the hallmark of a good education.”
 
In each of the three pathways, students will choose from courses to create a schedule tailored to their interests. They will also take part in experiential learning activities like summer internships and community service trips, as well as complete a capstone project during their senior year.
 
While the three pathways share a structure, the ways in which students will get to the destination – a designation on their transcript – vary according to the program. In the Arts pathway, for example, students will accumulate “credits” through experiential learning opportunities including leading an arts club or organization, participating in an arts conference, completing community service with a local arts organization or taking part in a school performance. For the capstone project, a student might curate an exhibition, direct or write a play, or research and present an art-related subject. Likewise, in the Global Studies pathway, a student would earn credit for activities like hosting an international student, participating in a global exchange or school-sponsored trip, or participating in a workshop with a global focus. Capstone project possibilities would include developing an innovative solution for a pressing issue of local or global significance or creating a presentation that helps a community understand a global problem and their role in affecting change.

Throughout a student’s Upper School career, progress through her pathway will be documented in her portfolio, an important aspect of the program. STEM Director Eric Elton, the other leader of the STEM/Entrepreneurship pathway, is excited for students to be able to track their growth through these portfolios. “This will give students a lot of time to self-reflect,” Elton says. “It will help students to have an understanding of how they got to where they are, and the improvements they have made.”

Jason George, Bryn Mawr’s Upper School academic dean, is charged with coordinating the scheduling aspects of the Personalized Pathways program. George is quick to point out that the program is a natural outgrowth of what Bryn Mawr already offers. “We don’t want to lose our very strong liberal arts curriculum and our strong philosophical belief that students should take a variety of courses and have a wide course range,” George says. “But within that context, we still want to give students a greater degree of choice, and a greater degree of control over charting their path.”
Above: An Upper School student watches the laser cutter work in the Innovation Lab. Students who follow the STEM/Entrepreneurship Pathway will work with new technologies like this.

Below: Clarke Williams '16 performs a solo during the 2016 Upper School Dance Company performance. Students following the Arts pathway would earn experiential learning credit for performances like this.
George says that the program has the added benefit of allowing students to be recognized for many of the things they are already doing outside of the classroom. “It’s helping us to think about the curriculum more broadly, in terms of not just seeing students through the lens of the five or six classes that they’re taking, but also giving them credit for experiential learning.”

An apt comparison for the new program is a college liberal-arts experience in which students concentrate on a specific topic but still gain a broad background. “We want to allow students to find their passions, but research shows that over-specialization at too young of an age is not a good thing,” George says. “Colleges and universities still want really well-rounded students, so this will allow students to focus on what their passions and interests without sacrificing the larger liberal arts core of our program.”

And, he emphasizes, “No matter whether a student enrolls in a path or not, she is still getting a strong college-preparatory education. Our core program has worked since 1885, and that’s not going to change.”

Elaine Swyryn, Bryn Mawr’s dean of faculty, sees the program as offering the added benefit of strengthening relationships between teachers and students and creating new mentoring opportunities for faculty to share their interests with students. This, Swyryn says, is passion-based learning at its best. “There’s nothing better than working with a student who is passionate about something that you’re really passionate about, and helping them discover all of the wonderful things that you’ve discovered over the years.”

From a student perspective, Valluri says that her experience working with the technology faculty at Bryn Mawr had a huge impact on how much she enjoyed the entrepreneurship activity. She also hopes to continue work on her product in the future. “My ideal scenario is for it to become a non-profit organization and that we can help increase the confidence of the girls in these poorer countries, and that this company will raise funds to help them gain education.”

Valluri is excited for other students to have greater access to experiences like the one she has had in the entrepreneurship activity. “Having it as part of your coursework would make it easier and more efficient for students to say, ‘OK, I’m going to check this out and start paving my way to my future,’” she says. “If you have a path that you’re on, it helps you be more confident about how things are going to end up.”
Above, left to right: The 2016 cross-divisional art show, an example of the kind of exhibition in which students in the visual arts branch of the Arts pathway will participate; an Upper School chemistry class; the 2016 fall Upper School musical, "Into the Woods."

Below: Two Bryn Mawr girls on exchange pose with their South African counterparts in front of Table Mountain.
Located in Baltimore, Maryland, The Bryn Mawr School is a private all-girls pre-kindergarten, elementary, middle and high school with a coed preschool for ages 2 months through 5 years. Bryn Mawr provides students with exceptional educational opportunities on a beautiful 26-acre campus within the city limits. Inquisitive girls, excellent teaching, strong student-teacher relationships and a clear mission sustain our vibrant school community where girls always come first.