Comenius Scholar Highlight: Anika Mehta '27

The Comenius Independent Study Program offers Merle-Smith Campus sophomores, juniors, and seniors the opportunity to pursue their interests through self-directed research and creative work, showcasing critical thinking, curiosity, and a passion for learning within the Moravian Academy community.

In her Comenius Project, The Key to Our Memories, Anika Mehta '27 explored why memories occur, how some memories are remembered more clearly than others, and where memories are stored in the brain.

Guided by the hypothesis that adults remember more of their memories than children, Anika conducted a case study using a series of questions to investigate how memories are formed and retained. She used the responses, along with extensive background research on the brain and memory, to explore why some memories are remembered more clearly than others.

Through her research, Anika learned that the significance of a memory plays a greater role in long-term retention than a person's age. She explored how important memories are more likely to be remembered in detail as episodic memories, while less significant memories may fade over time or remain as semantic memories.

Using the information she gathered through both her case study and research, Anika created a 10-episode podcast titled The Brain Feed, which examines the science of memory and shares her findings with a broader audience.

Through this project, Anika gained valuable experience conducting research, completing the IRB process, and creating a podcast. Her work reflects a passion for understanding the brain and demonstrates how independent inquiry can transform curiosity into meaningful learning.

"Being a part of Comenius this year was truly an enriching and valuable experience in my high school career. The experience and lessons I learned from this project are ones I will never take for granted. When a person is passionate about something, learning about it isn't considered time-consuming work, but is instead interesting and thought-provoking."
- Anika Mehta '27