Blog 1 – Senior Final Lesson/Interview Reflection

1.  What three lessons were most helpful for you to see, and why?

Digital Publishing, Sarah Regan's lesson, had been the first of the Senior presentations I had seen, and for me, it was an example as what not to do when it is time for my own presentation. Regan's Hook Activity opened up with a bad impression; she tried to engage us by having us weave a story with sentences that began with, "And then there was...". It was an interesting concept, but she had mistakenly written it as, "An then there was...". The error would have been overlooked if it weren't for the fact that she kept insisting it was correct when someone in the audience tried to correct her, leading the rest of the Hook activity without realizing what was wrong. Her topic was about publishing, the mistake stuck out like a sore thumb. Her later activity was one that could not be completed with the time she allotted, and so we were rushed. Moreover, whenever her assistant would accidentally skip a slide, a wholly understandable mistake that occurs often in slideshow presentations, Regan would dwell on it excessively, aggressively criticizing the assistant. Not only would it completely draw us from the presentation, it was extremely rude and embarrassing for her assistant. And, in general, she relied too much on the slide texts.

Two other lessons, Security and Editorial Publishing, were more positive examples of Senior presentations. Mike Rivera (Security) had an extremely unique Hook activity by having a staged robbery happen outside the class. Our activity was to describe the robber's appearance that we managed to glimpse. In addition, during the presentation, Rivera physically demonstrated a security guard's techniques of defense against people, and our other activities were to mimic those techniques. In Editorial Publishing, we were put into groups, given materials, and told to design a yearbook cover of a fictional school based on a few random key words. The results were very entertaining, and the presenter, Elijah Garcia, later cleverly tied the details of the activity together to one of the answers to his EQ. Both seniors were very articulate in their presentations, relying only on a few words every slide to convey a lot of interesting and relevant information.

2. List one thing that you learned about the senior project in interviews that will help you get off to a good start?

Getting an early start in finding mentorships was emphasized in every interview with the Seniors I recorded. Most talked about how many of their mentorships eventually fell apart due to distance and scheduling, and so they would lose time in pursuing another. Some had ex-mentors that broke off from them simply because they had become disinterested, so I was further advised that, when I find a mentor, they should be from someone who will most likely form a strong bond with me.

3. What topic(s) are you considering, and why?

Bio-medical engineering has been one of my first choices, not only for its interesting subject of prosthetics but also because of my own interest in it as a prospective career. I've always believed that I would most likely pursue engineering in college, but my parents have always felt strongly in me being in the medical field. Bio-medical engineering, to me, is almost like a compromise, one that I am happily for; one of my idols happens to be a bio-medical engineer, a fact that first sparked my interest.

Game Development has been another one of my considerations, which is an interest that has increased recently. In the past few years, I have become very fascinated by programming, and I've always enjoyed video games. The video game industry has also rapidly grown in the past years, now being an extremely competitive field. I would love to get a glimpse of what it would be like through a mentor in this topic, but I feel it might be too ambitious. At the very least, I've already talked to some Seniors and teachers about connections of this relevance, and responses are pending.

Software Engineering, Tissue Engineering, or Biodegradable Plastics have been other considerations.

4. What EQ do you think might be interesting to consider in guiding a project like this? 

What is the most effective way in closing the gap between the engineering and medicine fields?

or

What aspect of a video game is most essential to develop one that is successful/engaging?

5. What are some ideas you have about finding summer mentorship?

I mentioned before that I have talked to some Seniors and a few teachers regarding any connections they may have that are in Game Development. Some have said yes and will contact them about my interest for their mentorship, and I am currently waiting on those responses. 

A mentorship for Bio-medical engineering has been more difficult to pinpoint, given that I know almost no connections in the general medical field at all. I will be regularly volunteering at a hospital soon, so I plan on asking around there. But, as of now, prospects are bleak. I will also be touring in some college campuses this summer, so I will also be seeking some connections there.