As part of my capstone project, I undertook a position in a three-person team to carry out Rocketfest, a film and photography festival. In this project, I was the chair of Submissions & Selections and Media Production. Which meant that I was responsible for handling students’ submissions, selecting the final films to be shown at the festival, and editing the film reel for screening.

Throughout the process, we focused on equity, collaboration, and presentation. Some challenges I came across included refining communication skills and designing certificates for Rocketfest’s’ winners, which I overcame through persistence and teamwork.

The final product was a successful event, made possible by the Philadelphia Free Public Library, that showcased students’ talents and encouraged community engagement. As for my personal growth, I improved my editing skills, improved how to communicate with others, and learned valuable time management effectiveness.

Reflecting on the experience, I realized the importance of successful communication and collaboration when taking part in managing a project. Additionally, I gained a deeper appreciation for media production as a way of bringing people together.

Overall, organizing Rocketfest was not only a fun event to be a part of, but also a meaningful experience that strengthened my skills and improved my understanding of teamwork and community involvement.

LINK to Bibliography: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Cu4GaxE5oVBXLwyB0Kcq5eq4QShzlb_5ZEKEuqxteaQ/edit?usp=sharing

LINK to Rocketfest’24 Films: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rf8JLeTsjd_eppE4TxbVGo44DwTQGo_r/view?usp=sharing

(Screenshot from experimental film “Eyes Wide Open” by Jet Muhammad from CAPA submitted to Rocketfest)

ABSTRACT

For my Capstone, I created a podcast, titled the Rocket Record. The podcast has a total of twelve episodes, constituting a first season. Every two weeks, a new original theme would be announced in the Advisory Memo, after which I would go around during lunch periods to interview students, making sure to have diversity of grade level; each episode would be around three minutes long. On Fridays, I would publish something called the “Friday Spotlight”—where I would interview a single senior on the same topic, in a more conversational manner; these would be around ten to fifteen minutes long.

LINK TO PODCAST: https://www.slamedia.org/?s=Rocket+Record+Podcast

LINK TO BIBLIOGRAPHY: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1q1TQxj8-xBtGqHKBltPIo50Jw9dO5pUwNHTR0tuSnCo/edit

BELOW: Photo of the average format of a podcast episode (top to bottom: title, podcast logo, episode player, podcast summary)