Agnes, a mystery-seeking Pioneer, loves the thrill of solving crimes in the classroom. Recognizing the value of the little things when it comes to true detective work, she discusses those she notices that make EXPLO so great.

Last summer at EXPLO, I took a movie-making course and we created a mystery comedy film. I think from there, my interested in forensic science kind of took off. I love the idea of reading or being a part of a story where you get to solve it yourself. It makes you feel so proud and creative if you can look at clues and connect all the dots on your own. There’s obviously a lot of things you have to learn in the classroom to get there though. In my Forensics class, we learned about fingerprinting and how there are three universal types — the swirl, the wave, and the loop. I also have learned about decoding, and how to interrogate someone through leading questions.

To be a good detective, you have to be able to have a creative imagination so that you can see around the straightforward answer. No crime is really easy to solve with all the cover-ups and red herrings and things. So you definitely have to be someone who can think outside the box by looking at all the little details.

EXPLO is a lot about looking at the little details. It’s like all the in-between moments because the littlest details make it so great. Like I love my classes obviously, but all the small details on the quad, with your group, sharing ideas at lunch, that’s what makes it so great. For example, as someone really into detective work, I notice the that all students around here wear “BFFFBs” [Best Friends Forever Bracelets]. All of us have so many. And I can use my deductive-reasoning skills to see that it means we all are friends here.

I don’t really know what I want to be when I grow up, but at EXPLO, you learn that you have a million choices of what that will end up being. Yeah, I guess it’s a mystery for now.