From Pottery Wheel to New Home
With support from the Susan Nordenger Endowed Fund, students turned an idea into a community-powered project that helps others feel at home.
The ceramics studio was buzzing as students of all ages, parents, and teachers gathered for the second Project Home glazing event. Tables overflowed with handmade bowls, mugs, and plates awaiting their final touch as Upper School students Ariela Garma-Nieto ’26 and Talia Mackin ’27 watched months of planning, collaboration, and creativity come to life.
What began as a conversation between two students had grown into a project that brought together families and faculty to create handmade dishware for those rebuilding their lives after homelessness.
The inspiration for Project Home began with Talia’s experience on an Upper School Experiential Education trip with PATH. While helping assemble welcome baskets for those moving into housing, she noticed many were still missing basic household items.
“I realized that even after families are housed, many are still starting over with very little,” Talia said. “We wanted to create something that could make a new home feel more welcoming.”
Back on campus, she shared the idea with Ariela, an accomplished ceramic artist whose passion for the craft often kept her at the wheel long after classes ended. Together, they imagined a way to transform clay into something both practical and deeply personal.
“We both had similar ideas,” Ariela said. “We just started brainstorming.”
Their idea became Project Home, the 2024 recipient of the Susan Nordenger Endowed Fund for Service & Leadership. Established by alumnus Peter Huffman ’97 in honor of longtime educator Susan Nordenger, the fund empowers students to pursue service projects that engage the broader community and create meaningful impact beyond campus. In many ways, Project Home reflects the spirit of the fund itself: a community coming together across generations to make a difference.
Turning the idea into reality required months of planning and preparation. Ariela and Talia organized the event, selected materials, and spent months shaping clay on the pottery wheel into bowls, mugs, and plates that the community would later glaze.
At times, the project felt ambitious. Producing dozens of handmade pieces before they even knew whether their proposal would be selected required both commitment and optimism. But the effort paid off.
Last year’s collection of finished pottery was donated to PATH San Diego. This year’s dishes will be delivered to Humble Design San Diego, an organization that helps transform empty houses into welcoming homes for individuals and families transitioning out of homelessness.
The students also researched food-safe glazes that would be forgiving enough for students of all ages while ensuring the finished pieces would be beautiful, durable, and functional.
“The glazes we picked have a little more leeway,” Talia said. “You can maybe miss a coat, and it will still turn out very pretty.”
That same attention to detail shaped every aspect of the project. Last year, each finished piece even featured a custom Project Home stamp on the bottom, giving the collection a polished, professional touch.
“We wanted to include the whole community, especially the little kids who love to paint,” Ariela said. “But we also wanted to offer people really good-looking pieces.”
As students, parents, and faculty added glaze to each dish, they became part of a process that began months earlier with a lump of clay.
For Ariela and Talia, each bowl, mug, and plate represents more than a functional object. It represents creativity, compassion, and the belief that a community working together can help turn a house into a home.
Read more in the La Jolla Light article.
Read more in the La Jolla Light article.
