Senior Marko M. welcomed guests to the 53rd annual JST Expo on February 6th with a speech reflecting on his experiences with Roycemore's Upper School signature experiential learning program. Read it below!

Hello everyone, and thank you for coming to Roycemore’s 53rd annual JST Expo. For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Marko, and I’m a senior this year. This is my 13th year at Roycemore and my fourth JST Expo, and I’m excited to share with you a bit about my JST projects, how they’ve shaped my journey, and why this program is so special.

Coming into high school, I had already known about JST from my now-computer engineer brother, who was a senior during my freshman year and was going to spend his three weeks designing and building a self-balancing, two-wheeled robot. As a 14-year-old, my ambitions were not nearly that high yet, so I decided to join a group project: Museum Mania, where we were set to tour the museums of Chicagoland and learn all about what goes into making an exhibit. Unfortunately, this was also during the height of COVID, and in the last week of Winter Break, I had managed to get the virus, barring me from joining the others while they visited all the major museums downtown. Determined to make the most of my JST, I toured each museum online that first week, which is even less fun than it sounds. However, this taught me a valuable lesson: I learned that setbacks are inevitable, and through my JST experiences, I discovered how to face and overcome challenges — a lesson that will undoubtedly help me throughout my career.

In my sophomore and junior years, I did projects about molecular biology and psychology, respectively, both of which were classes I was taking those years. I chose those projects because I wanted to explore those topics further; and, although I have now decided on Engineering as my college major, I'm extremely glad I did them, as I got to dive into subjects such as DNA analysis and psychological disorders in ways like no student outside of Roycemore can.

My favorite JST, however, came this year. Having really discovered my passion for engineering in the past year, I wanted to take advantage of the three weeks to work hands-on on a project, like my brother had with his robot four years prior. When Dr. Dudek and Ms. Henry presented their "Wearable Electronics" project, I practically leaped at the opportunity. We worked with Dr. John Rogers' Northwestern Lab to use their cutting-edge wearable devices in our research projects. Over the course of the project, we investigated the applications of Mechano-Acoustic Sensors and spent hours cycling to compare Heart Rate vs. Sweat Rate using 3D-printed bio-sweat patches. My legs hurt for about a week, being on the exercise bike, but it was completely worth it to be able to have this unique experience and really dive into a passion of mine. Not only that, but it strengthened my college application and helped me get into Northwestern myself.

I'm extremely grateful for all the JSTs I've had and the opportunity to take part in these amazing programs. As I look back on my time at Roycemore, I realize that these experiences weren’t just projects — they were opportunities to grow, to explore, and to challenge myself. They’ve prepared me not only for college but for life, and I’m so thankful to have been part of such a supportive community that fosters creativity and innovation. Thank you again for being here today, and I hope you enjoy the rest of the Expo!

Did you know Marko is also an Eisner Scholar at Roycemore? Learn more about Marko and the Eisner Scholarship.