December 08, 2025
A space to make
New makerspace director looks forward to hands-on learning experiencesby Allyson Irish
PA welcomed Anna Van Voorhis to campus this fall as the Doran Innovation Center’s new director of educational initiatives. Van Voorhis earned an MFA in sculpture and ceramics from the University of Minnesota and previously was the woodworking and 3D design instructor at Buckingham Browne & Nichols Schol. Here, she talks about the value of the popular makerspace (commonly called The Nest) and what she and her colleagues—Sahara Villarreal Beltran and Bryanne McArdle—are planning for the future.
Imagine it, Then Make it
One of my favorite things is getting to work with students on a variety of projects. I see students come in every day with novel ideas. At BB&N I had a student who made a computerized Jacquard Loom—a type of tapestry loom. I also helped a student make an 18-foot rowboat that she rowed on the Charles River on graduation morning. I’m excited to see what the kids here at Andover will come up with.
Everyone, All Together
There’s so much interdisciplinary collaboration in the makerspace. We have kids from the art classes, computer science, and robotics classes. They’re all working on academic projects alongside one another and having dialogue. I’'s a rich environment, and a unique place on campus.
Try, and Try Again
This is a fun, safe, low-risk environment for students to grapple with failure and projects that don’t work out. If that happens, we just try another way. Resilience is an important life skill for our students to learn.
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