Senior Project Reflection

(1)Positive Statement

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

What I am most proud of my senior project is all the knowledge I've gained through this whole year because it has given me the opportunity to educate and help others. I really enjoy sharing what I know and participate in different events in order to bring the community together and educate the public. I think that with all the experience and knowledge I gained, made me feel more comfortable in my presentation.

(2)Questions to Consider

 What assessment would you give yourself on your overall senior project (self-assessment)? Why?
AE P AP CR NC

I would give myself an AE because I believe that I have demonstrated knowledge and understanding about my topic and I have been able to apply what I have learned in different ways such as Denim Day or working on the PSFS 24hotline. Even though I had a great service learning and an amazing supervisor, I believe my topic sometiemes was very difficult to deal with because of it is very delicate. I actually got to work with survivors and I had to go to different events to educate the  public. I really love what I have accomplished and I am very proud of all my work and effort.

(3) What worked for you in your senior project?

I think service learning and my research are some of the motst useful resources I got for my senior project. I got so much from the training I took, it prepared me to what was comming-working with sexual assault survivors.

(4) What didn’t work for you in your senior project?

At the beginning of the year I had trouble figuring out what I wanted to do for my senior project and I had to change my topic and EQ several times because it was very difficult to find a service learning place. The research I got helped me so much to understand my topic and what survivors really have to go through.

(5) Finding Value

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

I think my senior project has opened up many doors and has helped me to see things from a different perspective. It has affected my personal and professial life in a positive way and I think this something that I want to keep doing in the future because it has been such humbling and gratifying experience.

2hr Presentation Lesson Plan

2hr lesson plan

Service Learning

Training for Crisis Intervention Counselor for Sexual Assault

Literal: LOG.57hrs.

Interpretive: I really learned a lot from this experience; I learned how to work with sexual assault survivors and their families. I learned how to be sympathetic to other's feeling and situations. I think this experience has opened my eyes and made me realize what sexual assault really is and how it affects our society. This training helped me understand that it's not only about  being educated about sexual assault, but trying to get involved and find ways to support those that need our help. I gained so much knowledge and awareness about this issue, which makes me want to get involved even more, not only to support this cause, but many others. I came to the realization that this is something I really love doing, and I'm glad that I'm still going to do it after high school.

Applied: I think this training is the best source I have and it helped me to get most of my answers. In this training I learned about survivors and their needs, and this allowed me to understand what they go through even more. It made understand why it's so important to know how to talk to them and treat them in order to gain their trust. Also, I realized that every speaker that we had would mention the importance of taking good care of ourselves because if we don't, then there's no way we're going to be able to take good care of others. This training truly helped me understand what survivors have to go through, and to be compassionate and respectful when talking to them regardless their story and who they are.

 Supervisor: Georgina Martinez.
 Email: gmartinez@projectsister.org
 Phone: (909) 623-1619

Independent Component 2

Literal

(a) Statement saying: “I, Flor Peralta, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.”

(b) My independent component was putting together the first annual Denim Day in Pomona. This is an event to raise sexual assault awareness to the public. Also, since I got certified to be a crisis intervention counselor, I started to work on the PSFS hotline, and I have to complete at least 18 hours every month. It is required for advocates to volunteer in two fairs throughout the year, so I volunteered for Walk a Mile in Her Shoes at Pitzer College and a Carnival at Cal Poly Pomona.

Interpretive

Defend your work and explain how the significant parts of your component and how it demonstrates 30 hours of work.

Denim Day: I had to go to monthly meetings in order to organize the event; we had to add extra meetings because we had more things to do. In the meetings we discussed about the vendors that were going to participate, and where were all the tables were going to be, and the activities that we were going to have. The event was a success! We got good feedback from vendors, and many families went to the event. I really enjoyed working with the teen committee and putting the event together. Knowing that we're doing something for the community is very rewarding.

Hotline: After I got certified, I started working on the PSFS hotline. I got calls from people asking for information, and I even got to work one on one with survivors. I have to complete at least 18 every month and go to a monthly advocate meeting at the Red Cross at Cal Poly Pomona. This meetings are to discuss about future events coming up and talk about our calls and accompaniments.


Walk a Mile in Her Shoes: This is a walk to support sexual assault survivors, and in this walk many guys walk a mile in heels to support this cause. I worked on the PSFS booth giving information and I also walked the mile. I really enjoyed this event because it's a great way to show survivors that there's people out there that really care about this issue.


Carnival at Cal Poly: This event was put together by a fraternity at Cal Poly Pomona, and they envited PSFS to participate on  the event. I went in behalf of PSFS. I worked on a booth and gave people information about the services that we offer.

Applied

How did it help you answer your EQ? Be specific and use examples.

I think that being able to work in all this events with PSFS has really helped me understand how society perceives sexual assault, and how important it is to educate the public. Being able to put Denim Day together, being part of Walk a Mile in Her Shoes, and represent PSFS at Cal Poly's Carnival helped to come up with one of my answers, which is educating survivor's loved ones about sexual assault. The reason why this helped me was because  many people approached to the booth asking questions, and I realized that they weren't really aware of what sexual assault really is and how it can affect a person. If someone doesn't really understand what  sexual assault  victims go through in order to become a survivor, then they won't know how to support them. I talked to my supervisor about this, and she helped me to build up my answer.

Working on the hotline has been incredibly gratifying. This has given me the opportunity to talk to different people and deal with different personalities and different needs. This helped me to come up with another answer, which is knowing how to gain the survivor's trust. When working with survivors I really don't know what to expect; every case is different, but it is quite important to let them know that you're there to help them, that you won't judge them, and that you will guide them through the process. They have already taken the first step which is calling the hotline, and that is a huge step to take, so now it is my turn to show them that I care and I want to help them. If they don't feel supported, they're not likely to trust you.

Grading Criteria

LOG=57hrs

 Activities!

 We got awarded 3 times!

 Teen Committee!

Project Sister Advocates!

 Walking the mile!

Some of the guys that walked in heels!

Helping 2013

Interviewee: Jordan Lim 


(1) What ideas do you have for your senior project and why?

• I think I'd like to do my senior project on either real state or engineering. I have a lot of family memebers that do real state, so I think it would be easier for me, but I'm very interested in engineering. I'm still debating. 
• Feedback: I think it's good that you already have ideas and that you have connections because that's essential for your senior project. If you decide to do engineering, you should be more specific because just engeneering is too general. I think you should do something that you really like, so you can enjoy your senior project even more. 

(2) What do you plan to do to complete the 10 hours of service learning (working with an expert) which is due prior to senior year starting? 

• I think that I'd go to my any of my family memeber's job and would see what they do and how they do it. Maybe help them out if they need something; it would be kind of like shadowing them. If it's for engineering, I'd try to find someone that could do my service learning with and try to do the same thing. 
• Feedback: I think that's a good idea because you would get an idea of what they really do, and see if that is something that you would really like to do your senior project on. I have a friend that could help you with engineering; he used to go to Cal Poly, and it seems like he really enjoys his job. You can contact him and see if he can help you out. 

(3) What do you hope to see or expect to see when watching the class of 2012 present their two hour presentations?

• I really expect the seniors to be experts on their topic, and since most of them have been here since freshman year I think they will give a proficient presentation. Professionalism and show a lot of knowledge about their topic. 
• Feedback: I would recommend you to really try to pay attention and see what works and what didn't work on the presentation because you can learn from it. Also be respectful because for some people might not be that easy to be standing there for two hours, and you will be doing the same thing next year so it'd be good if you behave during the presentation. I think if you have questions a good time to ask them is during the activities or towards the end because it could affect the student's timing and it might not even count for their talking time. 

(4) What questions do they have about senior project?  What additional recommendations would you give the 2013 student about senior project?  Be specific and note what you told them.

• What big of a role do the teacher play in your project? They will always tell you what you need to have done and by when, and they advice you in how you can do it. I think that the teachers are really helpful if you decide to ask them for help; they will try to guide you and provide you as much information as you can. 
• Is senior project as hard as everyone says it is? I think it really depends on your topic and what you decide to do. If you have the right contacts and have a good focus, then you will be fine. There are times that there will be a lot of things to turn in at once, so I'd really recommend you not to procrastinate! I know you have heard this a lot of times, but DO NOT DO IT! Senior year is not as scary as you might think it is; I think if you're on top of your work and you meet all the deadlines, you will be fine.
• Does senior year really prepares you for college? I think what prepares you for college is not only senior year, but all your iPoly years. This year is definitively a different experience because you get to do new things and work individually, but you still do group work. I think this year is very helpful and gives you the opportunity to explore in depth something that you like, so it does help you for college. Personally, I believe that teachers will try to guide you and give you helpful information, but at the end it will really be your decision if you take what they provide to you or not. 
• What do you take away from this project? Well I think you're going to get a different answer from every senior, but personally I gained a lot of knowledge about my topic and I got a lot of connections and several things to add to my resume. I think if you chose a topic that interest you a lot and you get a good service learning place, you can take away a lot! Just try to be smart about the decisions you make during the year and work as hard as you can. 

I would strongly recommend you to pick something that you're very interested in, don't pick something just because it seems easy or because you already have the contacts. I know it would be smart to chose something because you have people that can help you, but if you're not really interested in the topic then I personally believe that it will be a waste of your time. I see senior project as the opportunity to try new things or explore an area that you truly like. I would also recommend you to be on top of your work and try your best. If your planning to take college classes I'd say to take easy classes that won't take too much of your time; unless, you think you can handle it. It would be a good idea to take classes that can help you with your senior project, so you can use it as your independent component. Also, if you are struggling with anything talk to any of the senior teaches because they're really more than willing to help you out. I think that you should talk to more seniors and talk about their senior projects just to have different perspectives and maybe they can help you out with something. 

Answer 3

Answer: Knowing how to gain the survivor's trust is important when supporting a sexual assault survivors.

Evidence: 


1. It is very important not to be judgmental when talking to a sexual assault survivor because survivors that don't feel judge tend to feel more support and are more likely to trust others. 


2. Letting survivors know that you will be there whenever they need to talk gives them a sense of security because they're not under pressure. It gives them a sense of support. 


3. Let survivors decide what is best for them during the recovery process because it gives survivors a chance to regain control they have lost. Re-empowerment is very important for recovery. 


Source: 

PSFS

Articles #54-59

Research Notes