When Mia Heller graduated from Kettle Run High School in late May, she had already earned her Uniform Certificate of General Studies from Laurel Ridge, been featured in Smithsonian Magazine and had her novel water filtration system patented!
The Nokesville resident attended Mountain Vista Governor’s School (MVGS) on Laurel Ridge’s Fauquier Campus her sophomore through senior years of high school.
“I knew that I wanted to be challenged academically, and that I would have opportunities to do things like conduct a research project, and I’d be with a cohort of peers who were also motivated to do such things,” said Heller.
MVGS students have weekly flex days which are used for school-wide activities, service projects and club meetings. Heller was part of a science fair group which met on those days.
Heller worked on her research project for part of 2024 and most of 2025.
“My project was a water filtration system that was designed to remove microplastics from water,” said Heller.
Her system uses an oil-based ferrofluid that becomes magnetized only under the presence of a magnetic field. The ferrofluid is then pulled out, taking the microplastics with it.
“I knew I wanted to do a project related to water quality, particularly in relation to microplastics and other contaminants,” said Heller. “I’m very passionate about that as a problem.”
She took her project to regional, state and international science fairs, receiving the grand award at the Virginia Piedmont Regional Science Fair. Additionally, she was presented with a special award from the American Water Works Association.
Heller then went to the 2025 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair in Columbus, Ohio, in 2025, where the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Society presented her with a $500 award.
“I honestly did not expect anything at all going into it,” said Heller, who had been weighing whether to attend Georgetown University or the University of Virginia, ultimately opting for U.Va. “I have a provisional patent on the project currently. I’m really excited to continue working on projects like this as I head to college. I’m definitely excited to work with faculty members and entrepreneurial organizations.”
Heller’s project was so impressive, it was featured in Smithsonian Magazine this spring.
“That was incredibly exciting for me,” said Heller, who has long been a fan of the Smithsonian Institution’s museums.
Her story has also been published by People and by EatingWell. And, she’s even gotten some calls from entrepreneurs..
“Right now, it’s basically me figuring out what my next steps for it are,” said Heller, who participated in the Acts of Kindness Club at MVGS, and with the debate team and Model UN at Kettle Run.
She intends to study public policy and environmental science at U.Va.
“I want to work in the environmental policy space,” said Heller. “I’m not sure what that looks like yet, but I definitely want to work in expanding access to clean water and making sure there’s transparency surrounding what is in your water, and that people have solutions and are equipped to deal with whatever environment they’re living in.”
At MVGS, Heller earned both high school and Laurel Ridge credits for her classes.
“I really liked all my teachers,” she said. “They’re all very passionate about what they teach and what they do. My chemistry class definitely stood out to me because it really helped with my project.”
Heller was also a fan of her statistics and government classes.
“I’ve always been interested in the policy side of how decisions get made,” she said.