About ISM
Frisco ISD's Independent Study and Mentorship program is a program for which students must apply, interview, and be recommended during their junior and/or senior year. Gifted and high-achieving students focus their study on a topic or career of their choice. They develop a research portfolio that has a collection of resources, including interviews and observations with people who work in their chosen field or topic of study.
What that looks like
- Apply, interview, and get selected as a junior or senior — it isn't an automatic elective.
- Choose a topic, then spend the fall researching it in depth: secondary sources, interviews, and observations with people who actually work in the field.
- In the spring, work with a mentor at their place of business for real-world experience, and build an original, advanced product related to the topic.
- Practice time management, communication, and presentation skills along the way, building up to a formal presentation of the product and mentorship in May.
The goal is to leave ISM knowing a lot more about a chosen profession — and whether it's actually the path worth taking into college and beyond.
My focus area
I'm studying machine learning within ISM, exploring different applications to find where I can make the most impact.