Where technology and the arts intersect, you’ll find Lance Chantiles-Wertz. Lance, a 2015 Laurel Springs School alum, is co-founder of Indistinguishable From Magic and a 2019 Yale University graduate.

Follow Lance’s artistic and scholastic journey through the years that lead to the creation of his innovative company.

Lance’s Upper School experience

A fan of Marvel and Star Wars, Lance grew up in the Big Apple where he attended the School of American Ballet, performed on Broadway, and acted in film and television.

Having joined Laurel Springs in 9th grade, the online program gave him the flexibility to pursue academics and act professionally.

He remarks, “I could learn without sacrificing my passions.”

Laurel Springs offers flexibility through self-paced, mastery-based programming, allowing students to excel in all aspects of life. Additionally, our school offers unique ways for students to connect in an online environment and in person.

Lance recalls attending our annual Year-end Celebration that includes prom and graduation.

He even went on a trip to Costa Rica with seven other Laurel Springs students; the Costa Rica Environmental Trip united these students from all across the globe. He still remains in touch with some of his peers.

“Every time you meet someone at Laurel Springs, you have this unique, shared experience,” he reminisces.

But, those long-lasting friendships aren’t the only thing Lance carries with him to this day. He values the self-discipline that Laurel Springs School taught him.

He says, “The teachers at Laurel Springs gave you the structure to pursue information. At the same time, it gave you the discipline to learn. You’re learning something new every day, and Laurel Springs sets up that foundation for you that the classic high school experience doesn’t always create.”

Lance Chantiles-Wertz takes on Yale

The Laurel Springs experience left Lance well-prepared for Yale.

He exclaims, “I was already familiar with emailing teachers, viewing lesson plans, navigating the syllabus, and creating structure and a schedule.”

“Laurel Springs does, in a surprising way, set you up for the college academic environment. It makes you feel very confident and prepared on how you’ll be approaching your topic of study,” he continues.

He gives a special shout-out to his college counselor at the time, Alyssa Landreth, now Laurel Springs College & Alumni Relations Manager, who encouraged Lance to apply to schools such as Yale University.

He felt like “a kid in a candy store” on his Yale tour. Little did he know, only a year later he would be sitting in a classroom at the university.

“One of the biggest lessons that Yale taught is learning how to learn,” he reflects. “The space that I’m working on now has changed completely since I was in college. I’ve had to adapt to that.”

He continues, “The professors, faculty, and staff at Yale had trust in the students. You have to know the rules and what came before, but there was always encouragement that things can be different and improved.”

Lance graduated in 2019 with a double major in Mechanical Engineering and Film & Media Studies.

Co-founding Indistinguishable from Magic

Lance and his friend from Yale, Isaac Shelanski, co-founded Indistinguishable from Magic (IF Magic), a hardware-software platform that makes it easier and faster to make smart connected hardware without worrying about programming or engineering.

IF Magic has been used at a permanent experiential exhibit in the Museum of Ice Cream in Chicago, an NYCxDesign award-winning architectural installation at the Flatiron Plaza in New York City, and a class at Yale where he guest-lectured—a real full-circle moment for Lance.

A part of the one percent of companies selected for the Techstars Anywhere Accelerator cohort, their creation transfers data into the real world digitally and vice versa, dissolving the barrier from thought to creation.

One of their first projects entailed a new museum navigation controller for the Smithsonian museum. He explains, “One of the first steps of this project was looking for new ways of navigating through a museum. Having a dance background, it was thinking about the choreography of people as they move through a space.”

He has hopes for high success and, in five to 10 years, that IF Magic is having a positive impact on society.

Mentoring Laurel Springs’ Future Cities team

Laurel Springs’ Academy Middle School Future City team attended the Future Cities Southern California regional competition on January 21, 2023. The team of 15 students, 10 of whom came from all across the world to Burbank, CA, designed and built an adaptable city model that combats the effects of climate change.

Lance was one of the mentors who worked with the students throughout the process, helping their visions come to life with his engineering expertise.

He’s proud of how they collaborated, mentioning, “They were this source of amazing ideas. I was constantly amazed that they were doing this all virtually. They designed this structure that had to be disassembled and put together the day of, and their final project was cohesive.”

The Laurel Springs team made second place out of 19 teams. Despite not being physically present for the moment, Lance is amazed by the students’ final project and presentation.

A message for future entrepreneurs

Lance puts emphasis on living in the moment, but he leaves aspiring entrepreneurs and students with a few words of advice.

“The daily lesson that Laurel Springs taught me is not to be afraid to seek information. Students may think starting a start-up is daunting in many ways, but Laurel Springs really prepares you for an entrepreneurial journey.”

You can keep up with Lance’s start-up IF Magic on Instagram and IFMagic.io. Or, if you’re a Laurel Springs alumni, on LSS Alumni Connect, a platform for Laurel Springs alumni to network and connect.

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