Senior Nick Carter is the second to present his thesis this year, with less than a week of preparation to go. ( Emma Rogers beat him out for 1st – more info on her later) He observed cats’ interactions with each other at the local shelter, PetHelpers, with the help of Mrs. Benton and veterinarian Dr. Meredith Jones. Nick was able hang out in the Whiskers Palace for hours every day over the summer, which was “really exciting for a cat fanatic like me,” exclaims Nick. Who wouldn’t want to study cats all summer? He says that the most difficult part of his thesis was writing the Review of Literature – often a strenuous task for many students.

Impressively, he entered as a junior at AMHS halfway through the year, which means he missed all of the Theory of Knowledge class! He was able to overcome his lack of exposure to the thesis procedure and is now the one of the first student to finish, and even says that the “process has run smoothly.” He hopes to study Animal Science in college and ultimately be a veterinarian or field biologist, so his thesis is only “the beginning of a lifetime of animal study.”

Most seniors are very anxious to finish and present their theses. With college applications, AP classes, sports, and extracurriculars, these first few months of senior year can be very stressful. Like Nick, many students are also surprised at how much they have learned throughout the thesis process. Let this be an encouragement for everyone to finish their theses as soon as possible!