Senior Emiliana Korin’s Capstone project explores the powerful intersection of service, civic engagement, and identity in an increasingly polarized world. What began as an inquiry into leadership evolved into a comprehensive examination of how meaningful service and political participation are deeply connected—and how both can foster a more cooperative and compassionate society. Through experiential learning, research, mentorship, and original contributions, Emiliana argues that leadership rooted in connection, intention, and presence has the potential to strengthen both communities and democratic engagement.

The experiential component of Emiliana’s Capstone is organized around three guiding themes: Serving My Community, Serving My Country, and Serving My Purpose. Through hundreds of hours of service—reflected in her receipt of the Congressional Award—Emiliana reflects on formative experiences including food bank distributions, disability-focused summer camps, and community-building initiatives. These moments revealed service not as charity, but as shared humanity, particularly shaping her understanding of belonging as an immigrant and reinforcing her commitment to showing up even when service feels difficult or unseen.

Alongside community work, Emiliana deepened her civic engagement through school leadership, advocacy, and self-directed study. She founded a school chapter of Amnesty International, served in leadership roles in Model United Nations, and pursued extensive coursework in human rights and U.S. government. Her participation in statewide and national programs including Girls State, RYLA, HOBY, and the ACLU’s National Advocacy Institute provided hands-on experience in policy discussion, lobbying, and public leadership. Notably, her work with the ACLU contributed to youth advocacy efforts that helped influence revisions to federal legislation, underscoring the tangible impact of youth voices in civic spaces.

Emiliana’s research focuses on service learning as distinct from traditional volunteering, examining who serves, how service is structured, and the outcomes for both individuals and communities. Drawing from existing scholarship and insights gained at the National Service-Learning Conference, she critiques “service-tourism” and privilege-based volunteering, emphasizing the importance of reflection, reciprocity, and intent. Her findings reinforce that service learning is most impactful when it builds agency, amplifies marginalized voices, and fosters long-term civic participation.

Emiliana’s Capstone culminates in several original contributions designed to help others find and use their voices, including peer tutoring in the Athens Academy Middle and Upper School Writing Center, sustained political advocacy, and Spotlight, a four-episode podcast series featuring conversations with mentors, educators, and youth leaders. Together, these efforts reflect Emiliana’s central thesis: leadership is not defined by position or recognition, but by connection, resilience, and the willingness to serve with purpose. Her project stands as both a personal evolution and a call to action for thoughtful, engaged citizenship.

Athens Academy’s Capstone Project is an opportunity for Upper School students to explore a passion via four criteria: research, mentorship, experiential learning, and an outward contribution. Each student submits a research paper detailing an aspect of the project, and they defend the project before a committee of faculty and administrators, similar to a Ph.D. oral defense. Students whose projects are approved by the committee receive the Capstone designation at commencement in May.

Athens Academy is an independent, co-educational school for students in K3 through 12th grade, located on a beautiful 152-acre campus in Northeast Georgia. Now in its 59th year, Athens Academy pursues its mission of “excellence with honor” through academics, athletics, fine arts, and service and leadership. Ranked the #1 private school in Athens, #7 private school in the state of Georgia (out of 400+ schools), and #1 private school in North Georgia (Niche.com).

For more information, please contact Kelley Cuneo, communications director, at [email protected] or 706-433-2410.