Forman School is an independent, coeducational, college preparatory school for boarding and day students with identified learning differences. Forman develops the whole student, based on each individual’s learning profile, so that all graduates become educated, confident self-advocates throughout life.
Alumni Spotlight
Ben Wildstein ’22 Returns to Intern with Cognition and Learning Team
August 7, 2025
Forman alumnus Ben Wildstein ’22 returned to campus this summer for a four-week internship with Chief Cognition and Learning Officer Jenai Fitzpatrick. As a neuroscience major at Connecticut College, Ben was eager to learn and grow in this role.
“It’s been a really great experience working with Jenai,” Ben shared. “One of the projects that I’m super interested in is executive function and AI, and [exploring] how it could be helpful [for students] to organize their writing and manage their schedules.”
Throughout his time on campus, Ben helped develop the Executive Function (EF) Dashboard, a tool designed to help students better understand and track their learning strategies, time management, and organizational skills. “With Ben’s passion and experience at Forman, he is sharing insight from his time here on different tools like the EF Dashboard, which we are hoping to bring to life in some way in the future,” Jenai said. “We’re exploring how the dashboard looks, how it feels, and how we want to present it for the different grades.”
Ben also attended the virtual Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning (CTTL) conference with Director of Cognition and Learning Kristin Simmers. He had the opportunity to present his experiences as a student who learns differently to educators. “It was really insightful to hear their questions and what they had to say,” he noted. “They asked about the way they teach, and I was very honest with them. I said, ‘Sometimes that wouldn’t work for me, but if you were to change it and make it more individualized for that student, it would help.’”
Chief Cognition and Learning Officer Jenai Fitzpatrick, Ben Wildstein ’22, and Director of Cognition and Learning Kristin Simmers
In addition to his work on the EF Dashboard, Ben attended internal meetings and shadowed classes, observing how different teachers support students using executive function strategies and individualized approaches.
“To have Ben’s perspective from all angles that he brings to the table has been really fantastic,” Jenai said. “He’s been a really great thought partner, and he’s been doing research on the tech sector side.”
Reflecting on his return to Forman, Ben said, “I think [this internship] is going to drastically change my perspective on how to handle certain things.” He also shared that this experience has influenced the work he wants to pursue after college.
Next semester, Ben will study abroad in London, where he plans to take several courses from clinical psychology to socioeconomic psychology.
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