Senior charts course towards excellence
Sage Schaffer
Madison Highland Prep senior Sage Schaffer is setting her sights on a bright future, with numerous prestigious college acceptances and a Navy ROTC scholarship.
The school said, “This impressive achievement is a testament to Sage’s hard work, dedication and passion for academic excellence. The Navy ROTC scholarship program will allow her to attend university at no cost while pursuing a commission as a Navy officer, providing her with a unique opportunity to serve her country while furthering her education.”
Schaffer plans to pursue a degree in aerospace engineering, aligning perfectly with her dreams of becoming an astronaut.
The student’s outstanding academic record has earned her acceptance into several elite institutions, including the United States Naval Academy, Cornell University, Rice University, Georgia Tech and the University of Michigan. Beyond her college acceptances, Schaffer was also accepted into the National Security Language Initiative for Youth program to study Russian, further demonstrating her commitment to linguistic expertise and global understanding.
Brophy seniors Carter Henderson-Cole, Ayden Madi and Ryan Yparraguirre take to the runway at the school’s annual fashion show (photo courtesy of Brophy College Preparatory).
Seniors celebrate in style at fashion show
Soon-to-be graduates of Brophy College Preparatory took to the runway for the school’s 41st annual Brophy Fashion Show, an event that allows seniors to show off their individual styles while raising money for the Brophy Financial Aid Fund.
The event featured 267 seniors, some dressed in outfits provided by 26 retailers and others decked out in Brophy athletic gear or carrying pennants representing a sport or club.
The fashion show has a storied history at Brophy.
“I have two brothers that graduated from Brophy and they said great things about the fashion show,” said student Joaquin Mendoza. “I’ve been stressed out with college stuff, but being able to have fun and show off fits to everybody with my friends was a great way to end senior year.”
The theme of the show, “Perfected in Love,” was taken from the class of 2025’s motto. Co-chairs for this year’s event were Brophy moms Anne Brislin and Erica Cozby.
The event also included a raffle and exclusive Brophy merch for sale.
Over its history, the fashion show has raised millions of dollars to support financial aid. Roughly one in three Brophy students receive need-based tuition assistance, according to the school.
Artwork by Xavier sophomore Soledad Tumialan was recently recognized for its creative environmental message about fossil fuels (photo by Xavier Xpress).
Sophomore recognized for environmental art
Xavier College Preparatory sophomore Soledad Tumialan has been named a 2025 Cool Science Honoree for her climate-themed artwork, which will appear on the sides of city buses in select U.S. cities.
As part of an extra credit project in her computer science coding class, Tumialan entered the contest, which is an innovative art and climate education initiative supported by the National Science Foundation. Her poster, which imagines a world no longer reliant on fossil fuels, captured the judges’ attention for its creativity and environmental message.
Cool Science is a collaborative effort among universities and research institutions in Massachusetts, Kansas and Missouri. Its mission is to improve climate literacy through public engagement, particularly by displaying student artwork on local transit systems.
Winning entries are selected from hundreds of submissions and are viewed by tens of thousands of bus riders across the country.
