For my Capstone project, my partner Sebastian Torres and I organized a school-wide basketball tournament at SLA, aiming to foster school spirit and community engagement. We planned a bracket-style event where student teams would compete, with the top teams facing teachers in a Student vs. Teacher game, alongside field day-style activities, a concession stand, and music to enhance the atmosphere. Throughout the process, I researched best practices for event organization, focusing on logistics, participation, and crowd management, especially given the challenge of a broken gym divider. We tried to collaborate with the NHS for event promotion, used flyers and Google Forms to recruit participants and helpers, and worked closely with staff to secure a date and resources, including a trophy for the winners. Although unforeseen scheduling conflicts prevented the event from taking place, the planning process taught me the importance of communication, flexibility, and accountability in large-scale projects. I learned that building a sense of belonging and school pride requires thoughtful organization and collaboration. Reflecting on the experience, I am proud of the structure and outreach of our project and believe it set a foundation for future community-building events at SLA.

Link to guide/bibliography: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ML_UT9yrwonRS_1Vdo5m6CvHYr9UPfd3?usp=drive_link

For my capstone project, I worked with the School District of Philadelphia on their plan for putting period products in all Philly school bathrooms. I started a mini organization called Students Against Period Poverty that advocated for more student voice to be included in the decisions being made around period products in school bathrooms. This culminated in a town hall that we led in collaboration with the School District and Philadelphia Youth Commission (which I am also a part of) where students could share their ideas and thoughts. Additionally, I met First Lady Shapiro and was able to advocate for student’s needs directly. I learned a lot about how to be a leader and a student activist, and how to get people to listen to what I have to say.

For my Capstone, I created a presentation and a guide to help the teachers support kids with chronic illnesses. I gave presentation to the teachers that included the research that I did every Wednesday and different activities so they could understand how students are affected. I chose this project because during sophomore and junior year I was struggling with my own chronic illness. From this project I learned how to conduct good research and confidently present it.

Link to my Guide: https://www.canva.com/design/DAGlTToo93Y/I3UwgPCCr13mmglz4S7bRQ/edit?utm_content=DAGlTToo93Y&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton Link to my presentation: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1i1lF62luvK-8H2XZ_Q2FI9CDCKN1mUcTG_rrpmOET0s/edit?usp=sharing

Bibliography: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CWX6SY7Nv1O8fYBej6YDhaCb0_bZ5RKYmh5w5ozGf3A/edit?usp=sharing

For my project, I have used the negative emotions and misery that I have personally experienced into pieces of art that others can either relate to or maybe even feel inspired by. There were a couple adjustments I had to make to my proposal and my idea overall, but eventually I came to what was truest to myself which was creating poetry based on what I’ve been through! I have learned that the best art is created not by thinking about what others feel, but about what you feel and how you can capture that and pour it into art. I hope that by being able to express my vulnerability and put it out into the world, it encourages others to do so as well to remind everyone that we are all struggling in some way. Having that as a reminder from a person, a website, or even a poem is enough to make the world a slightly better place. Happy reading!

For my Capstone project, I wanted to do something creative that represents myself, so I decided to create a short comic that reflected my own experiences regarding self discovery. In total, there are five complete chapters uploaded online. Every panel was drawn by me; using no bases or pre-drawn backgrounds. Over the course of this year, I improved my digital art and storytelling abilities. Each panel took over two to three hours to complete, with the longest taking fifteen hours. The final product has been uploaded through a free online publisher.

For my capstone, I am creating a mural in the gymnasium not only for the student athletes, but for the audience and supporters of SLA. When I thought about this, I realized that there isn’t really anything on our side of the gym that makes us stand out as a school. The colors on the wall don’t even match our school. I have a passion for art but I could never really partake in this in high school because I was always active in the sports community. To me, this capstone meant that I could do something I love, which is art, and somehow incorporate sports and SLA life in a mural. The main goal of this capstone is supposed to lift school spirit and acknowledge the sports at SLA. As a student athlete myself, especially when I used to play basketball I noticed that we do have a mascot however, it was never used at one of our games. For the four years I have attended SLA I noticed that I have only seen someone in that mascot under a dozen times. I wanted my mural to also have aspects in it that differentiate SLA from other schools. I wanted a basic design that has a meaning and will last for a long time. We call home games in our gym, and I wanted to make it distinct that this is SLA’s home. We are a very creative unique school and I thought that it would be a very SLA thing to create while representing our school.

My Progress: https://docs.google.com/document/d/13Cu2wABEYCRFjWVbBkf6Dx4R3QjTtJPpd251wm2_nYY/edit?usp=sharing

Annotated Bibliography: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EIYaYZKovcMnfa2-gtnfHI0wdMSAGagZ8-arHfXvRoA/edit?usp=sharing

Utilizing the power of social justice art, I have worked in conjunction with my mentors and teammates at the Remedy Project to continue creating art for incarceration justice and reform. I have formed the Remedy Project’s art group, where a group of young people get together to create art for our many campaigns. I have continued to improve my personal art skills, as well as expand my knowledge of teamwork and social justice art through this outlet of expression.

CAPSTONE PRESENTATION LINKED HERE! https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1IS6FkOWr8F8hZ8_Z4KJxdRuTeky_RKYckIp6MqqJSYk/edit?usp=drivesdk

BIBLIOGRAPHY LINKED HERE! https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gj3BufupILF-D4WY3hwVDS8SnsXpcOZKqDvXoXUQYZY/edit?usp=drivesdk

For my capstone project, I focused on spreading awareness about Sickle Cell Disease and Sickle Cell Trait to the students at Science Leadership Academy. This topic is meaningful to me because my cousin, Isaiah Turner, passed away from a rare Sickle Cell crisis, even though he only had the trait. His story motivated me to make sure others understand the seriousness of both the disease and the trait. I started by designing pamphlets with key information and eventually organized short presentations during advisory periods to reach more students directly. The process involved a lot of research, interviews, and collaboration with my mentor to make sure everything was accurate and engaging. I faced some setbacks, like delays in getting my pamphlets printed and scheduling issues with advisory sessions, but I didn’t let those stop me. Presenting to different advisories and seeing students engage with my project made all the effort worth it. This experience pushed me out of my comfort zone and taught me how to adapt, communicate, and stay focused on my goals. I’m proud of the work I did and the impact I made. Even though everything didn’t go exactly as planned, I learned that flexibility and determination will lead to something powerful and lasting.

Click Image to see full pamphlet!! This is a digital copy of my personalized tri-fold pamphlet that I created!

Annotated Bib: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Q1UjiyEgKNacO4XsGRgtmyVtb0x2-E9g-oU12GLGmYE/edit?usp=sharing