For my Capstone project I did a “Necessities Drive.” Recognizing the poverty that runs deeply through our city I knew very early on that I wanted to center my Capstone around combatting this major issue. I created a partnership with an organization called Cradles to Crayons, which is an organization whose mission is to distribute items necessary to survival and comfortability to families in Philadelphia who are in need. I have collected donations both inside and outside of the school community, as well as having held events such as bake sales to raise funds to be able to purchase more donations to distribute. I have distributed multiple donations to Cradles to Crayons over the span of my Capstone project.

Here is the link to my Bibliography: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1e_A-wvXF1jiS_Bvr5GQxr22Nhck-033k026hHSE9uCw/edit?usp=sharing

Here is the link to my Process Paper: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-0JdUuctuaGTPlAOE0qTT2aeBEMcyINYj64hJ4nMw3o/edit?usp=sharing

Whatever I did I knew that I wanted to help someone who was less fortunate than me in some way, shape, or form. I thought that it would make sense for me to focus on a group that I felt was impacted highly. I decided that families that suffer from homelessness were often overlooked and forgotten about in times like these. I also thought about who was in this group individually, women, men, and children. The way that I decided to leave my mark on Science Leadership Academy was by showing that giving back is one of the most important things. My capstone project consisted of me raising money for a shelter called “Families Forward”. The SLA core values are something that I was constantly mindful of when I was doing different parts of my capstone project. I wanted to really make sure that I was able to cover each of the five values which are inquiry, research, collaboration, presentation, and reflection. Seeing these values in action for four years you also learn that they are very versatile. My capstone project addresses all five in a way that affects others. I am most proud of my capstone project for its volume, I did not expect to be able to pass on so many things to the shelter. It makes me so excited to demonstrate what we can do as a community if we apply ourselves to things we care about.

I made a google site that has information on getting healthy and fit. It includes suggestions on losing weight and gaining weight. It also has information on working out. It also gives you ideas on what foods to eat to reach your goals. I did this project because when I started the gym I wanted there to be some type of website that gave me all the information about working out and dieting in one place. The website I created is simple and easy. I will give you a summary basically on what to do and what to eat. Without having to look up multiple things and without reading pages of nonsense to get to the answer you are looking for. I also wanted to make it to help people start getting healthy and turning their life around and reaching their goals in fitness. https://sites.google.com/scienceleadership.org/getfit/home

For my capstone project, I made the decision to teach a Career Exploration Mini-Course for freshmen at SLA. My motivation for teaching this mini-course stemmed from two primary reasons. First, I recognized that a mini-course would enable me to have a direct impact on the students at SLA, which was a key objective of mine. Secondly, I wanted to create something that would have a lasting impact beyond my time at SLA, which was my primary objective.

To begin my journey toward becoming a teacher, I researched what Career Exploration Course Curriculums typically look like to further brainstorm how I would model mine. Drawing inspiration from the sources I found online, I was able to develop my own curriculum. The process of creating my curriculum took me approximately two months, and once it was approved, I was ready to begin teaching.

During the course of my mini-course, I realized that students do not have sufficient access to college readiness classes. Planning for life after high school can be an overwhelming experience for many students, and I observed that some students were genuinely interested in learning how to navigate this process and the possible opportunities that are out there. Ultimately, my capstone project proved to be a highly rewarding experience, as I was able to contribute towards improving the SLA community.