Students of all ages gathered at La Jolla Country Day School’s ceramics studio May 22 for an event supporting formerly homeless San Diegans who are adjusting to life in their new homes.
The event — to paint bowls, cups and plates to donate — was presented by a pair of high school students looking to give to the community.
The gathering was the second of its kind after Ariela Garma-Nieto — a senior this school year — and Talia Mackin, a junior, received a grant in 2025 to make, decorate and donate pottery for formerly homeless people.
La Jolla Country Day School students Talia Mackin (in the back at left) and Ariela Garma-Nieto (right) led a grant-funded project to provide decorated ceramic bowls, plates and cups to formerly homeless people settling into their new homes. (Noah Lyons)
As part of Homeless in San Diego, Country Day’s upper-school experiential education program, Talia volunteered for People Assisting the Homeless, or PATH San Diego. She noticed that newly housed people often lacked essential kitchen items.
Hoping to help add a personal touch to the otherwise bare houses, Talia reached out to Ariela about making bowls, cups and plates for them.
“Our main goal with this project was to give people pieces that look homemade — not homemade in a bad way, but homemade in a way that they will feel loved when they see this piece,” Talia said. “We’re hoping that people’s houses feel like homes. It’s not just a place where they go, it’s a place where they actually feel like they belong.”
Ariela also had been in the Homeless in San Diego program and was known for spending much of her time — even on lunch breaks and over the weekend — in the ceramics studio.
“This [the studio] was basically my home,” Ariela said. “I was just … here all the time [during] my free blocks, and I helped a bunch of kids during their class.”
Talia and Ariela’s project was made possible by a $5,000 grant through the Susan Nordenger Endowed Fund for Service & Leadership, honoring Nordenger — a 36-year La Jolla Country Day educator and mentor — by providing funding for students to explore community service.
The grant, established by alumnus Peter Huffman in 2023, was created to push students to learn about local, regional or global issues and turn their research into community projects.
Under the leadership of Ariela and Talia, Country Day students last year donated 28 decorated handmade plates, cups and bowls to PATH.
This year, the effort was funneled through Humble Design San Diego — a nonprofit that supports people who recently secured housing after being homeless — and the students expected to donate 40 pieces.
“I definitely feel like we were more prepared [this year],” Talia said. “We had more focus on the pieces we were able to make and we were able to make more pieces.”
Cups crafted in La Jolla Country Day School’s ceramics studio wait to be donated to formerly homeless San Diegans. (Noah Lyons)
Ariela emphasized the importance of students being active in community service.
“We’re not just having fun painting pieces,” she said. “We also want to teach kids to get involved.
“A lot of homeless people don’t even have anything to drink out of or eat out of. I just hope we can make a clear impact by giving someone a mug that’s going to last very long and … have a lot of meaning.”
Christina Zupanc, director of service learning at La Jolla Country Day, said she admires students such as Ariela and Talia who apply their learning outside the classroom.
“We have a lot of events with our clubs … but I would say our students are really engaged individually as well, creating their own initiatives and projects,” Zupanc said.
“That’s the best part of all of it — seeing how engaged they are and excited about these projects, and such amazing skills they are able to gain with this.” ♦