Blog 22: Senior Project Reflection

(1) What are you most proud of in your Block Presentation and/or your senior project? Why?
I am proud of being able to make time. I am proud at how well my powerpoint turned out. Although there were technical difficulties with the internet half way throughout my presentation, I was able to get through it. 

(2) Questions to Consider:

a.  What assessment would you give yourself on your Block Presentation (self-assessment)?

AP+

b.     What assessment would you give yourself on your overall senior project (self-assessment)?
AP+

(3) What worked for you in your senior project?
Being able to find a second mentor that was closer to school and home made things much easier.

(4) (What didn't work) 
 I would go back in time to before my Independent Component1 due, I would go back to turn it in on time. This would have prevented my grade from dropping as low as it did.

(5) Finding Value
 This senior project has helped me realized how important networking can be. I was able to get my second mentor thanks to networking with my first mentor. My second mentor then was able to connect me to even more people that now, have been able to help me get ahead in college while still being in high school. They have been such a great help, I couldn't do this without them.

May Blog Post

It's been such a crazy emotional roller coaster when it comes to graduation and senior presentation. Sadly, I have to re-present. Hopefully it turns out well. I need to walk during graduation with my class to make my mother proud. I will do everything I can to be able to walk.

Aside from that, I have mixed feelings about once again becoming a freshmen, this time in college.

No matter what happens, all I can do is try my best and hope that everything turns out well.

Blog 21: Mentorship

Content:
LIA Response to blog:

    Literal

·     Log of specific hours with a total and a description of your duties updated on the right hand side of your blog (DONE)

·     Elmer Rodriguez and Mt. SAC College. Student Services Building

    Interpretive

     What is the most important thing you gained from this experience? Why?

•  Out of all the things that I gained from my experience, I learned how to  take responsibility for my own actions. I was always told by my mother, growing up, that everything will not magically appear in front of me. That I have to work for what I earn. At first, I just nodded and didn't change but from this experience, I have learned that my mother was correct as always. I could have easily found my second mentor by October if I had only called my first mentor and asked for Elmer's number. Although, it was late, I was able to find him, meet up with him and was able to get my mentorship hours done with him. Although this "important thing" that I gained from this experience might seem small, it means a lot to me. It has snapped me back into reality, thankfully now, when it wasn't TOO late. 

   Applied

     How has what you've done helped you to answer your EQ?  Please explain.

• I  could have easily found the answers to my EQ by using Google Search, but that wouldn't teach me anything. Using both primary and secondary sources has helped me so much since finding an effective answer isn't the easiest thing to do. Being able to talk to actual experts in the field of my topic, College Counseling is pretty impressive, to say the least. Being a counselor isn't as "fascinating" as being an Archaeologist or a Firefighter but let me tell you, it sure is worth it. It isn't as "impressive" as risking your own life by saving someone else, or owning a business all on your own but it is COMPLETELY worth it. Being able to help each student get what they need makes you feel useful, needed, not that any of us aren't but you get the point. Reading books on my topic isn't the most exciting things to do but it really is interesting. The books open your eyes and make you see things just a little bit different. By reading books and spending time with one of my mentors, it has helped me see the answers that to a counselor, they might seem even obvious, but to me, an amateur, it isn't. Either way, having my mentors and published books on my side, I was able to find the answers to my EQ and was even to figure out which of the three was to be my BEST answer. Other students may have figured it all out much faster and easier than I did, but where's the fun in that?

YAY!!

So I'm finally getting back on track, if not ahead. I feel like things are getting better for me in every aspect.

My 50 hours for my mentorship are two hours away from being done. My independent components were successfully turned in and completed. I am getting so much great help from my mentor, Elmer Rodriguez. Specially having him be closer to me than my previous mentor.

Blog 20: Exit Interview

Content:

1.) My essential question is, "How best can an academic counselor help the university students obtain a positive college experience?"
Answer 1, "An academic counselor can provide the university students a career assessment so they find a suitable major to pursue."
Answer 2, "An academic counselor can ensure the students join a high school outreach program during their senior year of high school."
Answer 3, "An academic counselor must take student background into account and advise accordingly."
My best answer is my third answer because I found out that taking someone's background into account is important when it comes to offering help. With knowing that, it's also essential that you don't make assumptions on what they need. Just because they are of certain race, you can't just assume that they need more or less help that then rest.

2.) I came across this answer by accident. I had previously obtained a different answer but I started reading a book on multicultural students and how minority students experience college and reading on that, and with the help of my teacher, I was able to change my answer and make it more efficient. With that, I was able to obtain more sources to do more research on that aspect of my topic.

3.) The one major problem that I encountered was having my first mentor, Evelyn Luna be so far from my area. She works at UC Riverside as an academic counselor and seeing her was becoming complicated. I hardly ever had the chance to see her and we both talked it through and realized that it would be better if I had a mentor closer to me. This is when I came across my second mentor, Elmer Rodriguez. He is a high school outreach specialist at Mt. San Antonio College. He has helped me out so much when it comes to finding resources and finding the answers to my essential question. In fact, Elmer and Evelyn know each other from previous years which amazed me and made me realize that this really is a small world. Aside from that, Elmer and Evelyn have been such a huge help and such great resources. I couldn't thank them both enough.

4.) Through the course of the year, I have found most of my published sources to be helpful. The two most significant sources would be, "How Minority Students Experience College" by Lemuel W. Watson, Melvin C. Terrell, Doris J. Wright and Associates. The other source is a book called, "Transforming the Multiculturalism Education of Teachers" by Michael Vavrus. Both of these books have helped me with my research behind my third answer since, specially since it involved multiculturalism. As I began reading through these books, it made me open my eyes and realize that culture isn't something only involving self-pride, but also involving the entire school and college communities. Multiculturalism is something that must always be present.

Blog : Independent Component

Literal:

a.) "I, Kimberly Gonzalez, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours worth of work."
b.) I have three sources that helped me complete my independent component, which are the culture fair at Mt. Sac, Evelyn Luna at UC Riverside and a book called "Parent's Guide to College and Careers" by Barbara Cooke.
c.) Done
d.) On April 9th, I attended the culture fair that took place at Mt. San Antonio Community College, and there I was basically taken around the world and was shown all the great and wonderful things that comes along with each country. On April 17th and 18th I went with Evelyn Luna, an academic counselor at UC Riverside and shadowed her around during the day. And for the rest of my seven hours, I took Cornell notes on the book that Ortega lent me. Since in an hour, I do 3, then for 7 hours, I should have done 21 and I did.

Interpretive:

Going to the culture fair was such an amazing experience because as I watched them dance and talk about the different cultures, it made me realize that there are many people out all around us that have different cultures and different religions and a college counselor has to see that too in order for them to give appropriate and helpful advice to his or her students.

 They were so happy to take pictures !

 The looked beautiful and even had their own photo booth in their own Bangladesh station

 I can say they were amazing Salsa dancers, they even showed us some basic Salsa moves!

 These two Hawaiian dancers danced amazing and they even showed us some of their traditional instruments including the hula hula.

 This is also another student showing us another, quite unique Hawaiian dance.

 These two were from the UK group. The guy on the right looks like he is in pain.. he is. He didn't expect people to take pictures of him while he was wearing his tiny tiara..

These amazing group represented the American Deaf Culture and they only made me 10 times more interested in their culture.

I know that it is side ways, I couldn't find how to make it right side up but I have the hard copies with me in my binder. I took notes on the book I previously mentioned and although it is a "Parent's Guide" I did carry helpful information on college for me.

 I did seven hours worth of Cornell notes on April 23rd and on April 24th.

Applied:

Doing these 30 hours helped me be more confident on my previous answers as well as my third answer. The fair helped me feel secure about my third answer because culture is important, we each have different cultures and it's important to learn how to give appropriate advice without insulting someone's culture or religion. As for the book and seeing my mentor Evelyn Luna, they both helped me see the importance of college starting from the senior year of high school. And the book had so much information on career assessments that is part of my first answer. The book started talking about how Psychologist John Holland created one of the most popular frameworks for career-interest inventories used in high school and college.

Blog 14: Independent Component 1

Content:

Literal: 

a.) I, Kimberly Gonzalez, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.
b.) Evelyn Luna helped me complete this component.
c.) Done
d.) During these 30 hours I spent my time at the side of my mentor, getting a better feel as to what she does. I realized that it was going to be a very busy 30 hours, since there were recovery workshops going on. I helped her by making copies for the students and their parents. These recovery workshops were taking place during my 30 hours. All three days, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. 

Interpretive:
-This entire experience has been significant because they help me realize that being an academic counselor isn't an easy job. She always has a busy day and I absolutely look up to her because even after a long stressful day, she manages to put a big hear-warming smile on her face and is always willing to give a helping hand. I was able to take pictures of her office and what it held but not images of her while in action because of security issues.   

Applied:
-The component helped me understand the foundation of my topic better because it opened my eyes to a more "real" scene. When I had gone during the summer, there wasn't much to see or do since the classes weren't set and not many students needed help, due to them barely settling back in. So seeing her and helping her work with the students in the recovery workshops was an experience that is unique. Not every day do you get to see the counselors in action.