Senior Project, The Holiday

Content:

1.  It is important to consistently work on your senior project, whether it is break or we are in school.  What did you over the break with your senior project?
Over break, I actually visited my mentor at the shelter and we put together packages for people throughout California who are hosting an event called The Barks and Books Reading Enrichment Program. They are hosted in public libraries, which means that anyone is welcomed (if they're actually interested). It was pretty neat learning something new. 

 

2.  What was the most important thing you learned from what you did and why?  What was the source of what you learned?
The most important thing that I learned from putting together these packages for the kids was that there are actually a bunch of curious minds. There are kids who were like me at that age, wondering why animals are put in such places. It's inspiring, really. And very heartwarming. But also, what strikes out to me is that there is a much friendlier way of presenting the reality of shelter animals without being too harsh. As long as the message gets out, that's all that matters.

3.  If you were going to do a 10 question interview on questions related to answers of your EQ, who would you talk to and why?
If I were to do a 10 question interview relating to my essential question, I would definitely turn to my mentor. Although she's not an animal control officer herself, she definitely has a wide knowledge about the shelter and working with both the people and animals. Just like the officers rescue these animals, she too does so by hosting and providing programs for children and teaching them ways they could help prevent an abundance amount of shelter animals.

EQ

Content

1.   I reviewed the rule of three for writing an EQ.

Essential Question
Once a topic is chosen, the student will develop a working essential question.  The purpose of the working essential question is to help the student build a strong foundation of research which will allow him or her to create an essential question that encourages depth and rigor in the chosen topic.  An essential question must:

• Provide a framework for studies (It calls for breadth and depth of research, Is not a yes/no question)
• Takes a stance (Allows you to argue some point, Cannot be a recitation of facts or a list)
•  Format (It is specific, The wording makes sense)

2.  Review the following EQs and

• Tell us if it meets the rule of 3 criteria.
• Tell why it does or why it doesn't

 a.  What is the most important factor in healthy weight loss?
This does meet the rule of three criteria. It allows for curiosity and further research on maybe why one "weight loss" method is better than another. Which also leads into how there are many different ways to lose weight. The question isn't in any way confusing or difficult to consume.
 
 b.  What is most important to securing a conviction in a criminal investigation?
Ooh, interesting. I'm very engaged and want to do further research myself. The question itself isvery specific and makes me want to break it down into pieces and figure out what exactly it means. That might be a downfall in the format of it. Therefor, it doesn't cut if for the rule of three criteria.
 
 c.  What is most important in creating a hairstyle that best satisfies a customer?
Eh. Vague. This seems like more of an opiniated question. It leans more onto whatever the costumer wants. There goes a point for the taking a stance criteria. However, further depth of research seems like it would be an issue. This doesn't meet the rule of three criteria. 
 
 d.  How can an Anesthesiologist best treat chronic pain?
This question also seems very specific and hard to research. Although there may be more than one answer, it seems like more of an opinionated question.

3.  Based on your review of the rule of 3 and your experience with assessing four EQs, please write another draft EQ for your senior project.
How can you get people to be better pet owners and more informed on the reality of shelter animals?

Research and Working EQ

Content:

(1)  What is your working EQ?
My working essential question is:
How do you get people to be responsible pet owners?

(2)  What is a possible answer to your working EQ?

•  Making them and potential pet owners aware of the number of animals that are brought to the shelter (stats), and laying out all the possible reasoning of why that happens
• Teach them the basics of what makes a responsible pet owner
• Also make them aware of puppy mills and why not to buy "pure" breed dogs

(3)  What is the most important source you have used that has helped you come up with an answer to your working EQ? 
The most important source I've used that has helped me come up with an answer to my working essential question most definitely has to be my volunteer work at the shelter. Some of the stories and backgrounds I've heard of the animals and how they ended up there are really something. My first interview was also very essential, because that's where the question was created. Officer Murphy is an HLE Officer himself, so hearing first hand stories was helpful.

(4)  Who is your mentor, or where are you volunteering, and how does what you are doing relate to your working EQ?
My mentor is Elana Blum, who is the humane educator and pet therapy coordinator at the Pasadena Humane Society. This relates to my working EQ because, as I said, I get to hear and interact with some animals that really have a story to tell. Also because I've been volunteering at the shelter, I'm able to ask question s and talk to different staff members, which all share the same passion for help these animals out.

Photographers Find Forever Homes for Dogs .

Published on Dec 26, 2012

In Los Angeles, volunteers are saving animals' lives with photography and sharing on social-media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Meet the people behind this new animal movement that has a 94% success rate in getting pets new forever homes

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I chose to share this video because I actually was actually given the opportunity to take on this sort of job. In previous posts, I've shared photos of a different dogs. An example was one named Kitty, who was immeditately adopted after the photo I took of her was posted up on her kennel card. Let me refresh your memory:

 

"One Picture Saves a Life" 

Meet Kitty! Right after we placed this photo on her kennel card, she was adopted the next day. It shows how great she is with people and children. Everyone around her was smiling. 

 

Independent Component 1 Approval

1.  Describe in detail what you plan to do for your 30 hours.

For my 30 hours, I plan to continue on working with Elana (my mentor) at the Pasadena Humane Society. During my summer mentorship, I contributed in helping run a seminar for young teens, which just taught them things here and there about the shelter and different animal projects that were currently going on. For my 30 hours, we might have something planned out. If not, I will continue getting experience with working in the shelter with all the animals, which includes learning about the different behaviors and personalities each individual has, and so on. 

2.  Discuss how or what you will do to meet the expectation of showing 30 hours of evidence.

I'm a huge fan of take videos and photos. So, through those two methods, I will definitely be showing my 30 hours of evidence.
I have loads from this summer posted on instagram.  

3.  And explain how what you will be doing will help you explore your topic in more depth. 

By continuing to volunteer at the shelter, as I've said before, I will be exploring through things like the different animal behaviors, what is required to adopt an animal, the individual stories of the animals, ect. This is crucial to my topic because I will come across both animals and people with different personalities and behaviors. Some will be more aggressive than others, and I have to learn the correct way to handle that through first hand experience.  

Welcome to the Pasadena Humane Society & SPCA

This video provides a background of the Pasadena Humane society, which is where I've been volunteering.

Second Interview Questions

1. Who is your mentor and where do they work?

 My mentor is Elana Blum, also known as the humane educator and pet therapy coordinator at the Pasadena Humane Society. 


2.  What five questions will you ask them about their background?

• How exactly did you get here? What inspired you to get into this field?
• Were you always an animal lover? 
• If you weren't in this field, what other career would you have tried getting into?
• With all the animals that come in the shelter, some even being too ill, do you get emotional over them? How is your mental stability? 
• Has there been any change since you've worked here?

Blog 5 Project Reflection and Working EQ

The Pentagon:

(1) Positive Statement: What positive thing happen as a result of what you have completed so far?
A posititve thing that has happened as a result of what I've completed so far is that I have a much greater knowledge about what goes on in an animal shelter. Also, I did my interview, and that opened my eyes and ind to the reality of what the daily life in this career is like.
 
(2) EQ Content:  Pick a piece of research or your interview.  How has it helped you improve your understanding of your topic?
As I mentioned above, I have already done my interview. After talking to Murphy, I realized what a risk and what an adventure this career takes. There are days where the HLE officers could be saving a kitten. However, on other days, they might be dealing with rattle snakes.
 
(3) What has worked for you so far in the senior project?
What has worked for me in the senior project so far is actually all the research I've been doing and reading up different articles that involve these animal cops. It better prepares me for what I may have to deal with in the future, if I continue to go down this path.

(4) What hasn't worked so far? 
 I don't thinking there's anything that hasn't worked. I've been stress-free.

(5) Finding Value: 

•  What is a potential question you would like to study this year?  (working EQ)
  A potential question I would like to study this year might be what Greg Murphy (interviewee) had told me: "How do you get people to be responsible pet owners?
•  What do you plan to do for mentorship?  If you haven't found a mentor yet, then discuss where you are currently looking and who you are talking to to find it.   I can't go on ride-alongs just yet. However, once I turn 18 (this year), I definitely plan to do so. For now, I'll continue going to the shelter and doing what I can there.

Importance of Pictures

During my summer mentorship, I was also given such the great opportunity to bring my camera and take photos of a handful of dogs for their kennels. Capturing an amazing picture of these shelter animals is so, so important. It's an opportunity to offer a glimpse into their unique personality in hopes to make a connection with potential adopters. After all, there is the saying "A picture is worth a thousand words."

When a dog or cat arrives at an animal shelter, it's often scared, dirty and disoriented. Their photo is taken, and this photo is the face that people see when looking to potentially adopt a pet. An inaccurate headshot can hurt its chances of adoption, but an uplifting, hopeful portrait can save its life.
We all believe that every homeless pet should be represented with a positive, professional photograph,

"One Picture Saves a Life" 

Meet Kitty! Right after we placed this photo on her kennel card, she was adopted the next day. It shows how great she is with people and children. Everyone around her was smiling. 

Blog 4: Interview Preparation

Content:

1. I plan to actually interview an HLE Officer named Greg Murphy. Reason being, well for the obvious. According to my mentor, he's the main man to go to because he's gone on so many adventures and has such stories to tell. He himself is in the career I'm exploring. I'm really stoked to have this interview with him and hear what he has to say about this career and what crazy adventures hes encountered throughout. 

2. In addition to the five questions that were already given to us, some additional questions I would like to ask are:

• What inspired you to take on this sort of job?
• How is your mental stablility and coping with such tragedies?
  (ie) getting too attached
• When it comes to confronting people about their wrong doings, how do they usually react? Have you ever had to call for backup?
• Dangerous animals?
• What's one story in particular that has really touched/affected you?

Blog 3: Topic Choice and Semester 1 ESLR Goals

1. Topic: HLE (Humane Law Enforcement) Officer... Aka: Animal Cop / Control

2. What do I plan to do this year to show growth in each of the ESLRs?

• iPoly Citizen: I definitely plan to show up more often than I did last year. None the less, I always get my work done. But I've struggled with coming to school on time, let alone coming at all. So being there is definitely a goal! Also, this summer, I have completely washed away all negativity and filled myself with only positive thoughts. As far as being an iPoly citizen and for myself, I hope to continue this habit and to also bring my new, happier self to others. I want to share my positive reinforcement on my peers and hope to make the best of this year. If there comes a time where I ever fall, I've got to just pick myself right back up and keep trying. There is no giving up allowed. As far as stress and dealing with those who have a different mind-set from mine, my goal is to accept things as they are. "By listening with calm and understanding, we can ease the suffering of another person." Things happen for a reason, right? So just let things flow and fall in place on their own. Two negatives make a positive.
  Referring to involvement, I need to step up my game. I'm a really shy and reserved person, and normally don't enjoy "social" events. I will probably try and hold back on being a part of them, but I plan to at least try and get involved. That's the most you could really ask of anyone. To try.
• Effective Learner: As I've mentioned before, I'm a really shy person. And it's kicked my behind multiple times. Having this personality gets in the way of my studying and asking for help when I really need it. For example, last year during chemistry, I struggled so much. I knew that I needed help and extra tutoring. It wasn't the end of the year (when it was too late) that I asked for help. And tutoring sure did boost me up a whole grade! I just wish I had done this sooner. So with that being said, I plan to open up some more and speak up when I have to. I've already started in Pittman's class, and asked to be assigned to a tutor for Physics. I don't know yet whether I need it or not, but one-on-one tutoring is an effective learning skill for me and I grasp a lot more. There are no distractions and I'm hoping to get a deeper understanding of whatever it is I'm learning. I definitely want to explore and look into getting much better grades for me. I want to explore into finding what study methods work for myself and use those skills in the real world. "Do not follow the ideas of others, but learn to listen to the voice within yourself."
• Effective User of Technology: Technology will be used greatly for my project (power points, research, ect.) What I plan to show growth in is, again, looking deeper into some of the things we may learn that interests me. If I find some cool facts about it, I'll probably share it with my peers and the teacher. I also want to excel in sharing my skills with others in need of help.
•  Effective Communicator: Refering back to my blurb about being an iPoly citizen, I plan to show growth in continuing being a positive person and sharing that positivity with others. I want to bring peace and harmony into our class, and just make it a feel-good environment. It's all about the positive thoughts, good vibes. I believe my plan in growing towards being an effective communicator is very similar to being an iPoly citizen. What I do need to work on is opening up more and allowing myself to listen to others, and vice versa, speaking up so that others hear me. You'll never know. One thought, one word, one idea, one sentence.. It can take you a long way. I'm so excited to present my senior topic and all new things that I've learned. This will allow me to be heard, thus showing my plan in growth of being an effective learner. 

"Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it." Negative thoughts that have ever held me back from going on.  

"Let us live in joy, never falling sick like those who hate us. Let us live in freedom, without hatred even among those who hate." 

Summer Mentorship Component

Literal: 

1. K N O W 

Date	Hours	What I Did	Total Hours
07 / 23 / 13	11 AM - 3 PM (4 hrs)	Was introduced as to what I would going to do for my presentation in the next upcoming 3 weeks // Met the other workers and members // Took a tour of the shelter and interacted with the animals // Took notes // Introduction of ourselves (mentor & I) // Created a custom made doggy tag for my puppy	4 hours
07 / 30 / 13	11 AM - 3:30 PM (4.5 hrs)	There was an event for younger kids and learning about the shelter and animals and why it's so important to keep in check // I was observing and taking in how things were presented, since I'm doing this next week // Acted as an assistant and helped with the kids // Answered questions the kids had // Met two dogs & discovered how dogs really do have different personalities // Took both for a walk and bathed them	8.5 hrs
08 / 06 / 13	11 AM - 3 PM (4 hrs)	My mentor and I prepared for next week's seminar and put together a scrapbook of the history of the humane society, which included the orginally building, the founder, and different articles written about the humane society.	8 hours
08 / 13 /13	11:30 AM - 5:30 PM (6 hrs)	Today was the introduction to the seminar, in which I assisted my mentor. There were 12 students total. I answered any questions they had, helped pass out the materials, played an activity with them, toured them around the shelter, and also sat there and learned myself. Afterward, my mentor & two other volunteers and I put out beds in the cages for the more elderly dogs.	14 hours
08 / 14 / 13	11 AM - 5:30 PM (6.5 hrs)	Our topic for the day was animal behavior. So to contribute that to real life, two of the ASPCA admins came up & introduced two dogs to the students. Before doing so, a short section of a film off Netflix was played, which showed relationships between animals of two different species (it was really touching). After, we split the kids into two groups (one for each dog), and walked them down to the park to allow the dogs to show off their tricks & what they could do. Towards the end of the day, the kids were given doggy treats to give to the shelter dogs and they made little cards for them.	20.5 hours
08 / 15 / 13	11 AM - 5:15 PM (6 hrs / 15 mins)	Last day! Today's topic is very serious. It's of animal issues: factory farming, animal testing, breed discrimination & puppy mills. Animal testing is beyond what I want to get into detail, but a friend of Elana is part of a Beagle Saving Project that has to do with saving beagles from being used as testers. Beagles are most commonly used, and she actually saved one of them. The kids and I all got to meet him. The discrimination has to do with the certain breed of dogs, more so commonly the pit bulls. Sadly, they're used great to scare others off and used in dog fights, but little do these people know that they are the biggest, most playful babies. And the only reason a dog acts the way they do is because of the owner and whatever kind of training they give them. That comes with love and affection. As for the puppy mills, getting the dogs spayed & neutered is very, very important. Puppy mills and pet shops are a no go, and we are striving to get the kids to lean more towards adopting and getting the word around. Now that they have all this knowledge, they can educate the next person they know that wants to get a new companion!	26 hours / 45 mins

2. Mentor: Elana Blum
   Number: (626) 792-7151

 3. N E E D T O K N O W 

• Were people well educated before hand as well as we are now?
• What needs to change?
• What can I do to help change things?
• Why are there so many old, elderly dogs living in the shelter?
• Why are there limited resources in all shelters?
• What drives people to go so far as to throwing out a dog into a busy street from their car? 
• Why don't animal hoarders realize what they're doing is wrong?

The list can go on & on ...

Interpretative: 

4. The most important thing I gained from this experience was truly how important it is to adopt from animal shelters. Unfortunately  my family has never done so. And recently, we got a new puppy. This is very important towards my senior topic because the whole concept of puppy mills, pet shops, and getting your animals (mostly dogs & cats) neutered is so very important. It's our goal to put a stop to reproduction. Our shelters could only hold so much, and if these animals continue on being brought in at the rate it's at, we're bound to run out of room (which already happens) and have to turn to animal euthanasia (putting them to sleep).

Applied: 

5. What I did definitely helped me choose my topic. The whole experience was really fun, and it allowed me to interact with all sorts of different dog personalities. I actually made new friends! Tanner is my favourite. He's an 8 year old German Shepard / Akita mix (left). He doesn't have a name really, but I decided to call the lad Tanner. Anyway, going through the whole process opened up my eyes to see the reality of it all, and my topic is crucial to helping these guys out. Also, now that I've been greatly educated on such serious issues that we have going on now, my mind is is filled with greater knowledge that I can share with everyone else.

2013 2-Hour Presentation Reflections

1. Presentations I saw:

• Woodworking // Sebastian
• Interior Design // Natalie
• Criminal Investigation // Gawen
• Child Life Specialist // Alicia
• Clinical Social Work Therapy // Brittany
• Healthy Mexican Food // Manuel
• Video Game Journalism // Cristopher
• Running A Skateshop // Eric
• Political Campaigns // Angel
• Animal Control // Cherokee
• Physical Fitness // Jocelyn

2. What questions do I have that haven't been answered about the senior project?  

• For Animal Control, I noticed that she ad only two answers to her EQ. Is that okay? All the other students seemed to have 3.

3. What has the most important part of the senior project based on what I'm seeing in the 2-hour presentations?

• What seems to be the most important aspect of the entire project is the EQ. Everything the students presented was based off of that, including their 3 answers, and the activities that tie into that.

4. What topic am I considering doing and why?

• The topic I'm considering is actually very alike to Cherokee's [animal control]. However, mine is what you call an HLE [Humane Law Enforcement] Officer. The reason why I'm doing it is because I myself am a huge animal lover. I wouldn't even hurt a fly. There's a show on Animal Planet called Animal Cops, and that's what has driven and inspired me to pursue this. Whether a happy or sad ending, I cry watching the show. I'm very passionate about it. I volunteered at a local animal shelter, so I already have a feel for what's to be expected. I'm pretty stoked to do my mentorship requirements.