Student Voices, Systemic Questions: Inside This Year’s Aspects Symposium

At the Aspects Symposium, held Sunday, March 29, at LREI, Prep for Prep students presented research and challenged assumptions. Across topics ranging from public education to artificial intelligence to coastal access in Jamaica, they asked a common set of questions: Who holds power? Who benefits? And who is left out?

The result was a series of deeply personal, intellectually rigorous presentations connecting lived experience with broader systems.

Power in Public Education
Aiden M. (XLIII/Trinity) opened the day with a focus on mayoral control of New York City schools, grounding his research in the real-world impact of governance structures. His presentation emphasized how many lives are shaped by decisions made at the top.

“Mayoral control is actually one of the most important issues in our city when it comes to affecting the lives of millions of students, of millions of families, of education policy in the city, and the way that our schools are governed,” he said.

His analysis questioned whether massive public investment translates into meaningful outcomes or whether governance structures obscure accountability. In doing so, he asked whether the current system truly serves students or limits community voice.

The Meaning of Rights
Jose P. (P9 XXXVI/The Hill School) took a philosophical turn, asking, What is a right?

“It would be really insightful for us to talk about rights, not essentially in a philosophical sense but with more rigor,” he said, “and by rigor, I mean more mathematical arguments, using tools of mathematical logic to come to essential conclusions about what rights are and what rights can be.”

His presentation examined whether widely accepted systems of rights are logically consistent, using philosophy and mathematical reasoning to test their foundations. By exploring how different moral frameworks define—and often contradict—one another, he challenged the assumption that rights are universal or stable. Ultimately, he asked whether political and legal systems can stand if their core principles do not hold up under scrutiny.

Health, History, and the Body
Alexa C. (XLIII/Nightingale) investigated why Filipino communities face disproportionately high rates of cardiovascular disease.

“Cardiovascular disease is not caused by one single factor,” she said. “It is not just bad genes or too much food or not enough exercise or stress or age. Instead, cardiovascular disease, or CVD, is the result of a complex interaction between biology, genetics, diet, lifestyle, history, and access to health care.”

She highlighted how genetic predispositions and historical experiences intersect with modern lifestyles to shape health outcomes. By reframing disease as both biological and structural, she called for more inclusive research and awareness.

Media and Racial Violence
Laila K. (XLVI/Fieldston) and Welheimina C. (XLIV/Spence) examined how repeated media exposure to violence against Black bodies can desensitize audiences and normalize Black suffering. They explored how these portrayals reinforce implicit bias and shape unequal public responses to injustice over time, particularly before and after the Black Lives Matter movement.

Their work equipped audiences with tools to engage critically with media and respond with greater awareness and empathy.

“While this work concept is deeply psychological and at times heavy, it's equally important to preserve, to center the perseverance, resilience, and enduring beauty of the Black community…,” said Welheimina. “The black community has continued to create, build, and thrive in ways that are just not powerful, but also transformative. This is the history not only of struggle, but also of innovation, strength, and collective care.”

AI and Accountability
Eva N.-T. (XLIII/Brearley) focused on artificial intelligence and the systems that sustain it. Her presentation explored how generative AI reflects and reinforces neoliberal systems, concentrating wealth and power while relying on exploitative labor and environmental costs. Using OpenAI as a case study, she challenged the idea of AI as inevitable progress, instead framing it as a product of economic priorities. She ultimately asked whether the promise of innovation justifies the human and ecological consequences—and how it might be resisted.

“The way to combat neoliberalism that feeds off of the lack of regulations is more regulation… across all sectors at all stages of the process,” she argued.

The Realities of Immigrant Detention
Andrea D. (XLIV/Fieldston) examined the U.S. immigrant detention system, highlighting the gap between its intended purpose and its realities.

Her presentation explored the financial systems behind detention, revealing how private corporations and government contracts profit from incarceration. She showed how economic incentives can drive policies that expand or prolong detention, often at the expense of human dignity, and highlighted the human cost of a system where profit and policy are deeply intertwined.

“I began this presentation by asking who profits from ICE detention,” said Andrea. “My answer is that companies like Corsica and Geo Group make money off of human lives. But …[y]ou don't have to let them, especially when empathy and accountability and action are more powerful than any type of profit…. A society's true worth isn't counted in dollars, it's counted by how it cares for its people.”

Health Literacy and Resistance
Michael O. (XLIV/Trinity) presented research on health literacy and microbial resistance, emphasizing how information is understood and shared in shaping health outcomes. He highlighted how misinformation and limited understanding contribute to global health risks, especially in the wake of COVID-19. By empowering individuals to better understand health information, he framed knowledge as a critical tool for prevention and decision-making.

“Don't believe every source you read or hear,” said Michael. “Sometimes you need to evaluate it, making sure that the information lines up correctly with other sources. Essentially, be the CEO of your own health.”

Access and Tourism in Jamaica
Jordan G. (XLII/Trinity) examined how tourism affects access to beaches—spaces tied to culture, livelihood, and identity.

His presentation explored how Jamaica’s tourism industry generates immense wealth while limiting local access to land and economic opportunity. Tracing these dynamics back to colonial systems, he showed how foreign investment and privatization continue to shape inequality. He challenged audiences to reconsider what tourism supports and who it leaves behind.

Through both data and personal experience, he showed how global industries can reshape local realities and shared the role individuals can play.

“Go out into the local community, support vendors,” he said. “You see vendors on the beach, buy stuff from them…. Talk with them because they are a true part of the Jamaican experience.”

Learning to Ask Bigger Questions
While each project focused on a different issue, together they reflected a shared commitment to understanding systems, questioning them, and imagining alternatives. From classrooms to coastlines, from algorithms to detention centers, these students demonstrated that research is about finding answers—and asking better questions.