Our approach to education is a blend of intellect and imagination, empowering students to create, to question and to lead.
We call our signature programs Sui Generis because they are the difference makers at WRA, the opportunities that set our students apart, inspire deeper learning and spark the kind of curiosity that lasts a lifetime. Each is designed to help students connect their interests with action, transforming passion into impact.
Cancer Immunology
Through our partnership with the Cleveland Clinic, Reserve students gain access to authentic, college-level research experiences that few high schools can offer. In our three-year Cancer Immunology program, students work directly with real cancer cells, mastering advanced laboratory techniques and designing independent research projects.
By their third year, students earn their white lab coat at a special ceremony — embroidered with their name and presented as a keepsake that marks both accomplishment and aspiration. It’s a milestone that recognizes their commitment to science and signals the next step in their academic journey.
This multi-year pursuit of discovery takes Reserve students all the way to the Annual Conference of the American Association of Immunologists, where they are the only high school students in attendance. These experiences nurture scientific curiosity, discipline and the courage to ask big questions — and give students the rare privilege of answering “What are you working on at school?” with: “I’m trying to find the cure for cancer.”
A fitting summary might be that our vast science offerings are Sui Generis by default. Opportunities like Cancer Immunology are complemented by programs such as BioBuilders Club, which allows Advanced Synthetic Biology students to continue their research after school, leading to published research. In recent years, the club has traveled to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to present at the BioBuilder Final Assembly, tour mentor labs at the Broad Institute and Brigham & Women’s Hospital, and connect directly with researchers at MIT.
Compass
Compass sits at the intersection of creativity and problem-solving. Spanning civic and global engagement, science and technology, arts, culture and entrepreneurship, this year-long independent study encourages students to identify challenges and design thoughtful, real-world solutions. Along the way, they develop practical skills in collaboration, budgeting, project design and leadership.
The journey includes Compass Speaks, a TED Talk–style, mid-year presentation where students share progress and insights, and culminates in the Compass Expo, an exhibition of findings and fielded results. Past projects have included a computer vision tool to fairly judge tennis matches, an eco-conscious athleisure brand, an interactive story map amplifying international student voices, and a graphic novel designed to destigmatize depression. Each one reflects the individuality and ingenuity that define a Reserve education.
Sample Projects
Beyond Reserve — Travel & Service
Our Beyond Reserve programs invite students to take their learning out into the world through internships, travel, research and service. Students might work at a local polymers lab, study economics with University of Akron faculty, or earn college credit through Kenyon College. Others journey to the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota for service learning and cultural exchange with the Oglala Lakota people.
Global experiences expand even further: students explore China through a three-week cultural immersion capped by an interdisciplinary capstone project; strengthen their Spanish while living with host families in Guatemala through our Jump the World program; and participate in ELISA, an endowed summer program created by the Long Family that rotates through language and culture experiences (Latin students in Italy, French students in France, Spanish students in Costa Rica and Mandarin students in Taiwan).
Environmental science students have trekked through the Galápagos Islands and studied sustainability in Iceland, gaining perspective on the planet’s most vital ecosystems.
Closer to home, Pioneer Prep and Pioneer Pathways — initiatives of Parents@WRA — connect students with alumni and parents for mentorship, career exploration and skill-building. These opportunities are instrumental in helping our students imagine and prepare for what comes next.
.png)
TRAVEL SPOTLIGHT: Baylor College of Medicine Summer Research
In collaboration with Dr. Paul Klotman ’68, President of Baylor College of Medicine, Reserve students can explore what a career in medical research truly looks like. This selective summer program places students inside a professional research environment, where they work alongside experts, contribute to ongoing projects, and witness firsthand the challenges and triumphs of discovery. For students with aspirations in medicine or science, it’s a formative experience that bridges ambition and reality.
Sui Generis at WRA
Together, these experiences form Sui Generis: opportunities that are uniquely, unmistakably Reserve. Distinctive in name and in nature, Sui Generis reflects the qualities that make WRA extraordinary: curiosity, courage, compassion and a lifelong drive to do something remarkable.