Blog 26: Senior Project Reflection

1. Positive Statement

What are you most proud of in your 2-Hour Presentation and/or your senior project? Why?

For my 2-Hour, I'm most proud of the fact that I was able to get through an hour of talking to a very large audience. I get nervous speaking in front of large groups of people, and the fact that I actually wasn't as nervous as I thought I would be during my presentation shows that I've really come a long way from the shy and timid girl I was in freshman year. Sure, I still wouldn't go out of my way to actively participate in public speaking, but just knowing the fact that I could if I wanted to, and actually do good during it is an amazing feeling. As for senior project, I'm really proud of the fact that I was able to do over 100 hours of mentorship.  That was definitely an invaluable experience.

2. Questions to Consider

a. What assessment would you give yourself on your 2-Hour Presentation?

P - I definitely think I hit all the required points needed for a P, but I don't feel that I did anything above the requirements that would give me an AE. I am still proud of all the work I did in my presentation, however.

b. What assessment would you give yourself on your overall senior project?

P/AE - I think I deserve a small boost in grade for the many mentorship hours that I was able to accomplish, and I feel that I did a lot of research in preparation for my two hour presentation.

3. What worked for you in your senior project?

I really, greatly appreciated the help of the I-Search. It just helped me organize and present my 2-Hour and made everything just that much easier. It was a really helpful guideline - especially if you didn't write nearly as much as you could have in your I-Search - those were the things you could start talking about in your presentation. It was just a really great organizational tool and I would've probably been a lot more nervous while preparing for my presentation if I had not had the I-Search.

4. (What didn't work) If you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your senior project if you could go back in time?

I think I would have come up with better Independent Components. Sure, my two ICs definitely gave me invaluable experience for my overall project, but maybe if I had just gone a little above the norm and done something greater, I could have experienced something much better and fulfilling for my project.

5. Finding Value

How has the senior project been helpful to you in your future endeavors? Be specific and use examples.

It's made me open up a lot more to people. I usually keep everything to myself, and don't really ask people for help because I'd feel like a bother. But senior project has really taught me that you can't do everything on your own. Eventually, you'll have to ask people for help and support. With every presentation regarding our senior project came around, I would have to ask those around me for help, especially my finally, which is something I usually never do. It's also taught me how to be just a bit more outgoing and confident, and this definitely showed through my two hour presentation. I sounded a lot more confident than I did in the beginning of the year, and I definitely felt a lot more prepared. So, this new confidence will help me int he future with interviews with potential employers, and just any public speaking that I will ever need to do, and for that I am grateful. 

Sigh of Relief

Wow! I actually did it. I'm so surprised that I actually wasn't as nervous as I thought I would be during the actual presentation. I really wish I had taken a picture of my set up, but unfortunately my frazzled mind didn't think of doing that in the morning. Thankfully though, I have passed and for that I am beyond relieved. I'm just really thankful for all my friends and all the support they gave me, it really meant a lot. And I'm glad that they were there to watch my presentation and wish me luck. Again, I really wish I had taken a picture of my room decor because I thought I had done a really good job. I do have a few photos of the pictures that were up on the walls, however, and here are a few:

Pre-Presentation Jitters

So I'm having those nervous jitters that always come along with a big presentation. Or any presentation, really. I still get really nervous with big crowds. So I decided to share a few screenshots of my presentation and some materials for one of my activities! I'm really proud of my PowerPoint because of the animations that I put in and because I wrote in a few witty comments that make me smile, and will hopefully make others smile, too. So here are a few:

There are lots more animations and comments throughout my presentation, but these were the first ones that I wrote in, so I decided to share them!

Some dolls that I will use for one of my activities.

Product

I know there are still other opportunities to talk about my product, but I felt that having a blog post would be helpful for me to sort out my thoughts.
My product is being able to communicate better with adults, and just people in general. During my mentorship, I had to do everything on my own. I couldn't rely on my parents to speak for me as I did when I was smaller. For one, their English speaking skills aren't very good, and two, it would seem kind of strange that I wouldn't be able to speak for myself when trying to look for a mentorship - it just wouldn't look good. So throughout this entire year I have slowly been improving my communication with other people, specifically  strangers that hold information that I need to gather.
This communication skill has been improved through the countless projects and presentations throughout these four years in I-Poly, but I think Senior Project really gave it a bigger nudge because I had to rely on my self for everything. I couldn't depend on others and expect them to do the face-to-face talking for me. No, I finally had to do this for myself and I couldn't back out because my grade depended on it.
So I am truly grateful to this project for being able to take me out of my shell just that much more. I no longer get to the verge of an anxiety attack at the thought of speaking to someone I'm not used to. Sure, I still get a bit nervous, but not nearly as much as it was before.

Breathe in, breathe out...

As the day of my 2 hour presentation gets closer, it's getting harder for me to calm down because I feel like I still have so much to do. I've made countless of lists however, and everything is going right on track, so I decided to take a break a few days ago and relax with my nieces. Here are some pictures from a poolside.

Collage

I made a collage of a few pictures that I have taken throughout the year of my mentorship days, and a few of the many times I have babysat my three lovely nieces. I'm actually really happy the way this came out, and I'm definitely hanging this in my room later on.

Laying out all the pictures.

Adding a border - the final piece!

Blog 25: Mentorship

Literal

Log of Hours
Elizabeth A. Carr
(626) 917-0959

Interpretive

 What is the most important thing you gained from this experience? Why?

Patience is probably one of the biggest things I gained. Working with children for three hours a day can really take its toll on you, and if you get impatient things won't be too fun for you. Children are spontaenous and can easily change their minds, so you have to learn to go with the flow a bit and not be so strict and set in your ways. Of course, there is a need for structure in some aspects, but when you can, you should let the children have fun and be free - as long as its safe. When things get a little too rowdy, however, it's good to remain calm and collected, getting angry and yelling unneccessarily shows that you still don't have enough patience to be working with children.

Applied

 How has what you've done helped you answer your EQ? Please explain.

It definitely helped come up with my first answer, and gave me reasons as to why my second and third answers were important. It gave me insight and first-hand experience on how children behave in the child care environment, and what things affect the way they act. By seeing these things up-close, it was easy to back up my research and understanding with the real life experiences. If I hadn't done this mentorship, I don't think I would have had the same amount of comprehension in my topic and answers as I do now, because research can only take you so far.