Senior Project Reflection

(1) Positive Statement

I am most proud of the activity because I felt that engaged many people and it was interesting to see what others had to say. I honestly felt like a lot of people learned new things and that was my main objective. I feel that a lot of students left with new information and have new perspectives on Latino Education. 

(2) Questions to Consider

a.     I would give myself an AE because I felt that I met the standards that were required and wet beyond. I felt like I did not just do a presentation, but a lecture kinda of thing, which made others think. I did not just present information, but I made it relatable and useful information. 

For my overall senior project I would also give myself an AE because the quality of my research, and product of different components were great. I feel like I have worked very hard on my senior project not for the grade, but because I am passionate about my project. I feel like I deserve the recognition for my work. I always tried to go beyond what was needed whether it was on my independent component, service learning, etc. I always tried to find the best. 

(3) What worked for you in your senior project?

My senior project topic worked for me because it was something that I could connect to and made it a delight to research. If I would have done my senior project on a hobby or something like that I feel like it would have been a struggle to research and present on it. I loved my senior project topic because it allowed me freedom to explore different areas and is something that I was able to apply!  

(4) What didn’t work for you in your senior project?

I would have preferred to have much more time with my 2 hr house to actually prep for the presentation. I feel like we only met a couple times, but if I actually asked people about it I would have not stressed out. 

(5) Finding Value

The senior project has been helpful because it has prepared me and allowed me to see that I am capable of speaking for 2 hours. I never thought that it would be possible, but it was not as hard as I thought it was going to be. I actually feel that I could have talked for so much more if I really wanted to. It has also helped me understand how I could efficiently organize different things through the working bib, and senior towers. I feel like I am able to organize my thoughts better. I am thankful to have had the opportunity to do a senior project and research something that I was passionate about. Because of my senior project I have been able to organize and communicate with others effectively. 

2-Hour Presentation

Or click here 

Service Learning

Log of specific hours click here: Service Learning Log

 

Description of duties:

 

I did various things such as: Made phone calls to parents, cooked spaghetti for a freshman event, spoke at presentations, helped recruit people for our Adopt a Family project, filed documents, volunteered at the new Uncommon Good site, attended educational confrences, assisted in planning event at Pomona College for entering high school students, and played college bingo with elementary students.

 

Due to the fact that I was helping at a non-profit organization there was always new events to plan and things to do, so there was no constant task that I was supposed to do (which is what I loved about it!)

 

 

Contact: Carlos Carrillo

Phone: (909) 625-2248

Email: ccarrillo@uncommongood.org

 

 

    Interpretive

 

The most important thing I gained from this experience was that I was able to reconnect with my Latino/a community and reinvest in them what has all ready been invested in me. For a long time I was not very active in my community because I was a little ashamed of the bad name that I felt many Latinos/as were giving to our culture. I distanced myself away from them, but my service learning helped me relight the passion that I had. I even had the chance to visit my old elementary school where I got quite sentimental because I was reminded of where I came from and reflected on my journey. Through Uncommon Good I was actually able to make a change in the lives of Latino/a students. By helping in planning events I was able to give back to them. I know how helpful Uncommon Good has been for me, so I just wanted to help others. I saw myself in a lot of the younger students so my service learning was an amazing experience that I will treasure always.

 

 Applied

    

For my first answer I basically said that community members must inform parents/students about resources such as non-profits like Uncommon Good.  Being able to see the good that this program does reensures me that my answer is credible and accurate. By working with students and parents who were all ready academically motivated and dreamt of going to college allowed me to see the differences in families who had not event considered college. I saw recurring patterns in families who were passionate about their children attending higher educational instituions like: active involvement within the program, emotional support from parents, and parents willingness to learn. I found it fascinating and would ask, "Why do they do what they do," which would lead to do research on a specific topic. Then I would ask, " How can we get all parents to do that?" My service learning was very helpful because in an indirect way it led me to different sources, which could have led to my answer.

Independent Component 2

La Plaza: Workshop about murals in L.A. 

·     

Confirmation Letter

Independent 2 Calendar Log

Literal

“I, Madelene Santizo, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 37 hours of work.” 

For my independent component I volunteered at La Plaza, which is a cultural and art museum located in downtown LA about Mexican-American history in Southern California. I did various things such as tours for different exhibitions, cleaned up exhibitions, helped with art or educational workshops, and did research projects for La Plaza. 

Interpretive

I've demonstrated 31 hours of work for my independent component by taking the metrolink to La Plaza to volunteer at big events during the weekends. Occasionally I would help give tours during the week for elementary students after school, but not as much as I would have liked to because of my school schedule. I had to be trained to become a tour guide so I learned a lot about Mexican-American history in Los Angeles. I have also supported La Plaza when hosting family events like: Cesar Chavez Day, the launch of their culinary art workshop, and La Plaza's 1 year anniversary. Though my independent component did not lead me to any "real product" I have attained more knowledge and made an impact on the lives of those who I shared my knowledge with. 

  Applied

This helped me answer my EQ because I knew that one of my answers would be related to the impact that stereotypes have on academic motivation. However, I was not aware of how this could be solved until I was inspired by what I learned at La Plaza. I saw how many Latinos/as lacked the knowledge of their own culture, and how by going to La Plaza they were learning new things. Seeing exhibitions about The Chicano Movement, Repatriacion, Gente de Razon, etc. really allowed people to see the struggle that their relatives underwent. One of the questions that I ask in the beginning of the tour is, "Do you think that you would pack up your things and leave to a brand new place if you promised a job, but would leave everything behind." A lot of people say they would not because they are not brave enough, but that is what many of the California settlers did. La Plaza really showed me the importance of knowing one's culture through history. That is why I made sure to tie in what I learned at La Plaza with my answer 2. Because of volunteering at La Plaza my best answer is Latinos/as must understand and embrace their Latino/a culture in order to reject stereotypes found in our society that limit their academic motivation and willingness to make a change. 

Helping 2013

Who did you interview: Bobbie Rodriguez
What day and time: 4/25/12 at 3:00 p.m.

(1) What ideas do you have for your senior project and why?

She is very interested in doing something with homelessness or alopecia, which is a medical condition where people lose their hair.  She explained that she wants to know why people prefer to stay homeless instead of going to a home and what causes them to be homeless. She is interested in alopecia because both her brother and sister have that condition. She said that she was not very sure on what exactly she wanted to study about alopecia, but she is interested in learning how it impacts females and males differently. 

When I first learned about her topics I thought that they were great ideas! I think that it is interesting when people do their senior projects on topics that are not so common. I thought that these are fascinating and would like to know what she finds. I told her that I like how she is looking outside the box and looking for things that are close to her. I was just worried about how she could actually do her project. I recommended that she forms connections ASAP to make sure that she had resources to ask for favors. 

(2) What do you plan to do to complete the 10 hours of service learning (working with an expert) which is due prior to senior year starting?  Note: They also have to complete the 50 hours during the school year.

She explained that she has an Uncle who lives in a home and tells her about all the stories about being homeless. She was inspired by this story. She plans to do her service learning with him if she does end up doing that. if she focused on alopecia then she would work with her sister since her sister is very active in spreading awareness about this condition. She said that her sister was even thinking about starting a non-profit organization for people with alopecia. 

I told her that helping start a non-profit organization would be a wonderful experience and help with her senior project. I was not aware that they had to complete 10 hrs of service learning before starting senior year, but I told her that it would be a great way to see which topic interests her the most just in case she was not sure. I told her to make sure to get ready to send a lot emails just in case and. I explained to her that service learning is really helpful because it is the time for you to do hands on things and learn from those experiences, but her service learning advisor would be her main source so make sure that he/she is informative and willing to help! 

(3) What do you hope to see or expect to see when watching the class of 2012 present their two hour presentations?


She said that she hopes to see that the class of 2012 know what they are talking about and show that they have learned something new! 


I did not really understand what this question meant. I said that she should pay close attention to the different techniques that students are going to use to present their information. I told her to see what she likes and may do in her presentation and see what she does not like so she does not repeat the same mistake. I advised her to look at her surroundings and observe any creative ideas. Also, she should look at what the teacher advisors may say during the presenation and take a comment of any of their recommendations or accommodations. I told her to not fall asleep, but see this as an experience to get a sneek peek of senior project's do's and dont's. 

(4) What questions do they have about senior project?  What additional recommendations would you give the 2013 student about senior project?  Be specific and note what you told them.

She was really interested in the different components, and I explained to her the major ones like independent components, I-search, service learning, etc. I also talked about how early in the semester you are allowed to think about whether your service learning is something that you will be committed to, so she shouldn't be stressed if she still was questioning her EQ. I told her that she had time to change her EQ in the early school years. I made sure to warn her about the college process and senior project. I told her that she should make time to do the college application, but to always stay on task and remember about her senior project. I explained that time management is crucial. I advised that she kept a calender with all of the dates so that she would make sure she would not have to turn something in with poor quality. I also emphasized that the senior project is not as hard as everyone says! As long as you have a passion for what you are doing then senior project is not that bad, so she should choose something that she knows she will be interested to learn more about. 

Answer #3

EQ: What is the best way to increase the number of Latino/a students that attend higher educational institutions

Answer 3: If Latinos are politically informed and vote, then the number of Latino/a students who attend higher educational institutions will increase. 

Source and Evidence: 

• Latino Education and Advocacy Days Summit
• Many Latinos are not registered to vote even though they are able to, this was said by George Ramirez. The only way that we can make change is by making change through politics!
• Look Who Is Voting. Youtube
• This video shows who is actually voting and shows video of politicians who made some sort of racist comment. The fact is that people who vote tend to be white and have certain views that may go against the benefits that Latinos have. Latinos should realize that they have power to make change.
• Election 2012: Predicting the Latino Vote
• In the election of 2012 it is clear that the Latino vote will make some sort impact, but no one is sure how much of an impact it will make. The fact is that Latinos do have power but they do not take that power into their own hands.

3-Column Chart

3 Column Chart may be found on the right side under Research

Room Creativity

(1) How do you plan to address the room creativity expectation?

I believe that I will have a limited space to work with so I plan on keeping it simple. I would like to borrow flags of colleges and place them around the class room. I also planning on findings flags and placing them on tables that will be arranged in groups. I feel that for my activities there will be a lot of discussion so for the seating chart I want them to be in a group, but at the same time I want them to pay attention to me. Perhaps I may set up the room in a huge oval like shape since that could work best. 

(2) What activity ideas do you have for answer 1 or 2?

I really want to show them this: http://projects.nytimes.com/census/2010/map  maybe for my sponge activity and I feel that they will be able to be fully engaged if I ask them to see the difference between cities like Pomona and Claremont. I want them to focus on the racial make up and see if there are any patterns. 

I know that for my second answer's activity I definitely want to show them these videos. It will tie perfectly into the topic of stereotypes and I will like to discuss on some of their first thoughts when watching this video was. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLESDleDgXY

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12CrpigM9Vs

Answer 2

EQ: What is the best way to increase the number of Latino/a students that pursue higher educational institutions? 

Answer 2: A best way to increase the number of Latino/a students who pursue higher educational institutions is by understanding and embracing their Latino/a culture in order to reject forms of oppression found in our society that limit their academic success. 

Evidence and Sources: 

• Santizo, Madelene. "Es El Momento: Factors that influence Latino/a academic achievement." Science Fair
• I found that there was a higher number of students who had a 3.0-4.0 GPA who felt that it was very true that they feel bad when others joke about Latinos or put them down, compared to those who have a 1.0-2.99. This shows that those who don't reject stereotypes   have lower GPAs because they subconsciously accept these messages and conform to them - limiting their abilities. 
• Gladwell, Malcom. "Blink." 
• Experiment in which African Americans were asked to identify their ethnicity on a test and did poorly, while those who were not asked did well. What this shows is that when people's minds have to subconsciously accept that they are African Americans and makes them feel like they are going to do worse. 

TRANSITION into IATS test, and how positive images impact a person

• Alicia, Gina. LA PLAZA - Independent Component. Advisor
• There is so much Latino/a culture especially in California that people are unaware of. By going to museums or researching you can learn a lot about Latino culture. Look into Latino/Chicano/Hispanic leaders and what they have accomplished serve as inspiration. Knowing where you came from allows you to understand who you are and motivates you to take advantage of opportunities your ancestors never had. 

The Product

Question: As of March, what is your product and why? Please provide evidence to support what you have done to lead you thinking this is your product. Be specific and use examples from your senior project (refer to what you are doing, for example, in my service learning, naming the where you work and who you work with, I have been..).



As of March my product is that I have become more active in my Latino community allowing me to become proud of my heritage. In my service learning for Uncommon Good I have assisted Carlos Carrillo, program coordinator, to inspire and motivate young students to pursue education by hosting different activities. After leaving my city's school district I felt like I no longer belonged and that I had lost the connection with my own community. Because of my senior project I have rekindled a relationship with many community members and in a sense reminded me of where I came from. I am now more then ever proud of being a Hispanic because I truly understand what it means to be Hispanic. I feel like I am more active in education and I try to inform younger students about scholarships, internships, etc. so that they too can pursue their dreams. 

Fourth Interview Questions

1. Why should people care about Latino/a education?
2. What is the best way to increase the number of Latino/a students that attend higher education institutions?
3. Why is it that there is currently a low number of Latinos/as that attend colleges or universities?
4. What can parents do to help their children go to college?
5. Can the government do anything to solve this problem?
6. Can teachers do anything to help their Latino/a students?
7. What can every day citizens do to solve this issue?
8. If the Chicano Movement was seen as a revolution for social justice, do you think that the movement lost momentum? If so why and if not can you give evidence?
9. Will there be any way for our generation to start a movement like the Chicano Movement and if so how can we start it?
10. Does oppression play a role in the fact that many Latinos/as do not achieve a lot academically?
11. Why is it that this issue has never been a real concern for our society?
12. Do you think that immigration and Latino education connect in any way?
13. Is there someone or something that caused this problem of uneducated students. How did we get to this situation?
14. What if there are students that have no kind of support whatsoever, what can we do for them? 
15. Are there any Latino/a ro-models that students can look up to for inspiration to reach their academic goals? 
16. What do you think is the difference between Latino/a education and general education?
17. Do you think that Latinos/as are very attached to their culture?
18. Will there be an sort of advantage for different Latino generations? 
19. How do you define Latino/a?
20. Though many Latinos/as may not gain from our education system, why is it that Latinos/as still immigrate?

Independent Component 2 Plan Approval

(1) Write a description of what you plan on doing for your independent study component.

I have a couple of ideas!

•  I would like to attend a retreat called the CA DREAM ACT Network, which will be hosted at Cal Poly Pomona. It is from Feb 17 - 20 and an all day thing. http://www.cadreamnetwork.org/
• I have been thinking about applying to be a volunteer at a Mexican American history museum in Los Angeles. http://lapca.org/moreinfo
• I have also thought about starting a club at I-Poly, which would be about the college process and just give lots of informations about scholarships, internships, etc. 

(2) Describe in detail how you think your plan will meet the 30 hours work requirement.

• Since I will most likely spending all day for those 4 days and should spend about 10 hours a day at the event it will make 40 hours. I have never been to something like this so I am not sure how I will be able to show "evidence" of my attendance. 
• I will volunteer for a number of hours at the museum, most likely giving tours because I believe I will be able to learn much more through that.
• I plan on being the leaders and have bi-weekly meetings to discuss new opportunities that members could access. 

(3) How does your independent study component relate to your EQ?   

• "It is for people who want to become leaders in their community and learn more about immigrant rights. For people who want to sharpen their leadership skills and network with other student activisits from across the state." I feel that this relates to my EQ because I will have up to date facts about immigrants and the Latino community. I just feel like it will provide me with lots of information that could be very helpful and that I could use during my presentation.
• I really love history and would love to learn more in depth the history of Latinos in the USA. Even if I do not end up doing this as my independent component I plan on visiting this place because it seems really interesting. I will be able to share with people the history of Latinos and I feel that is important with my EQ since I want to promote self-awareness. 
• Exposing young kids to resources is one of my key answers to my EQ and by actually implementing one of my answers I will be able to discover first hand if resources make a difference in students' lives. 

Independent Component 1

See Log Here


“I, Madelene Santizo, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 37 hours of work.” 

Literal
I attended a course, which was taught by a Pomona College professor, where I was part of the collaborative community that was composed of Claremont Colleges' students and Pomona High school students. I attended several meetings both in Pomona College and Pomona High to get to know each other and work on our specific topics. I worked with a group of variety of students on our topic of Migration and interviewed several people. For our final presentation we shared the stories of our interviewees and learned about the topics (Education, Housing, Communities, etc.) of our fellow peers. 

Interpretive

I had meeting for three months were we learned what a community really meant, and we visited and learned about two educational institutions  (Pomona HS and Pomona College) that are close to each other yet very different. These meetings themselves added the majority of my 37 hours (and additional meeting times), and were very productive since we were able plan our own curicculum. Within the Migration group that I picked we wanted to compare migrants from Claremont and Pomona, but instead focused on reoccuring themes and shared their stories. I was able to interview a Scripps college professor who was from Vietnam and an I-Poly student who was from Ecuador with a Claremont College partner, while my other peers focused on their own interviews. The interviews themselves lasted a couple of hours, but I first learned how to properly conduct an interview and transcribe it. The proof of all of my, and peers, hardwork could have been seen in our final presentation, which was like an exhibition, that was held on December 3rd at Pomona College.

Applied
I took into consideration that a large portion of Latinos/as  are recent migrants and have traveled to the United States from their home countries. I felt like this was a very important topic that I had to learn about in order to discover why so many people left their homes and why the US intrigued them so much to leave, which I assumed was due to opportunities such as acessibility to education. One of the many reocurring themes that I found throughout the interviews was that the young migrants took advantage of being able to be educated in the US. This leads me to conclude that many first generation Latinos/as are most likely to try harder in school then later generations. I believe that this is because they know what it is like to live in a place where there is lack of education. Later generations may not appreciate this because they have never had to face any struggles and do not value its importance. From this I feel like I could answer my EQ by stating that there must be an awareness for ALL Latinos/as of their roots and where they come from. If they are shown their potential conditions, whether its living in Mexico or Cuba, then they will appreciate everything that was done for them and be more likely to take advantage of their opportunities.

Also, while hearing my fellow peers presentations I found something interesting. Claremont, which is now a heavily populated with whites. used to be the home of many Latinos/as. Living by this neigborhood I never thought that any Latino/a even lived in Claremont. Basically, Latinoa/as were forced out of Claremont because they were going to be build new homes. and in recognition for their bad actions they made a little park called, "El Barrio." To me this shows that their is much oppression that we are not even aware of and I can tie this to my answer of rejecting imposed ideas from oppresionists.

Presentation 2 Rough Draft

 20 Minute Lesson Plan

Answer 1

EQ: What is the best way to increase the number of Latino/a students who attend higher educational institutions? 

(1) What is answer 1 to your EQ? Be specific in your answer and write it like a thesis statement.


If community members inform Latino/a students about resources like enrichment programs at an early age, then the number of Latino/a students who attend higher educational institutions will increase. 


(2) What possible evidence do you have to support this answer?

• College Board is a not for profit organization that supervises the SAT, SAT II, etc. and even they see the need to increase the number of Latinos/as in college. Written by professors in CSU Sacramento and UC Davis Professor it entails the step by step process for Latinos/as to attend college. They believe that a relationship must be fostered with Latino parents, communities, and schools by:

1. a two-way communication process;

2. support of the child, family, and the school;

3. a process to learn about each other, and how to work

together;

4. sharing teaching responsibilities; and

5. collaborating in decision making and advocacy. School

and community partners should engage these techniques

in daily practices.

• My own experience by having my 6th grade teacher inform me about a non-profit organization, Uncommon Good, helped me learn about the college process. Now for my service learning I am working with them and I am able to inform elementary students about the program, and get them excited about going to college! It really helped me a lot, and honestly I would have no clue what I would do without a program like this. 
• The Influence of Academic Support on Latino Adolescents' Academic Motivation is an article that looks for the major influences of academic motivation on Latino/a students. It found that for boys the dad was seen as a more significant role model and for girls the mother was seen as a more significant role model. However, for both genders the teachers were equally important. This is important because it shows how each one can impact the lives of the students. The community has to equally be active in the lives of the students in order to motivate them to pursue college. 

(3) What source(s) did you find this evidence and/or answer?

• Carlos Nevares and Timo Rico. Latino Education: A senthesis of Recurring Recommendations in P-16 Education. 2007. College Board. http://advocacy.collegeboard.org/sites/default/files/Latino-Education-A-Synthesis.pdf. 
• Service Learning with Carlos Carrillo (program coordinator) from Uncommon Good.
• Alfaro, Edna C., Adriana J. Umaña-Taylor, and Mayra Y. Bámaca. "The Influence of Academic Support on Latino Adolescents' Academic Motivation." Family Relations55.3 (2006): 279-91. OmniFile Full Text Mega. Web. 20 Oct. 2011.

Service Learning

• Where are you working for your service learning?
• I am working at a non-profit ogranization, Uncommon Good, that is located in Claremont, CA and serves the Inland Valley. I am personally assisting Carlos Carrillo who is the program coordinator there. 
• What is your contact?
• My contact is Carlos Carrillo, the contact information is provided in the list of contacts. 
• Summarize the services you have performed to complete the 10 hour requirement
• I have helped by filing
• Inserted data on to the computer
• Helped recruit people to adopt a family for Christmas
• Made phone calls to members (families and students) of Uncommon Good
• Help with Freshman activities by cooking and creating activities
• I helped lead activities at monthly meetings in elementary/middle schools
• This Thursday I will be presenting on my experience at I-Poly to prospective Uncommon Good students and help them start thinking about financial aid/ scholarships! 

ESLR Blog

Through my senior project I believe that I have been an effective communicator, user of technology, and effective learner:

• I have been an effective communicator because besides giving a presentation for my independent component, I have also done many interviews. When I did my first interview I did not know what were the proper techniques to interview someone. I decided to take my laptop and record the interview while I typed out the main points. I later learned through my independent component class that it was not the right thing to do. The instructor explained how all the attention should be given to the interviewee and to continue the conversation with follow-up questions. I will now use this style to get a more in depth conversation when I interview someone the next time. Along with effective communicating, I learned how to use technology that I was unfamiliar with - a recorder! I know it may sound silly, but I had never used that device before and by using the Dropbox program it made my life much easier to share and communicate with my classmates from Pomona College and Pomona High School. 
• I have been an effective learner because I have had to be responsible for my own learning. I had to contact all the people who provided me with service learning and my independent component, so I had to assume responsibility for my learning. I complete tasks that I am supposed to do, but most of the time I am looking for new ways to expand my knowledge on my Senior Project; whether it is watching documentaries, or Spanish news channels, I am always eager to learn more!
• 
  

Third Interview Questions

1. Why do you believe that many Latinos/as are not pursuing higher education? if you do not believe this is so, why not?
2. What is the best way to increase the number of Latino/a students who attend higher educational institutions? 
3. What benefits and advantages are there for Latinos/as who pursue higher education compared to those who do not?
4. Are there any benefits for the community and society as a whole if Latinos/as attend college?
5. There are many different higher educational institutions such as community colleges, California State Universities, private colleges, etc., will they offer equal opportunities to Latinos/as? 
6. Who is responsible for the lack of Latinos/as attending educational institutions? 
7. What can a regular individual do to help solve this issue? 
8. What factors (or information) would any student require in order to apply and attend college? 
9. Do you believe that media portrays dishonest perceptions of Latinos/as that in some way discourage Latinos/as to attend college? If so what are they, and why do they discourage them? If not, why not?
10. At what age should Latinos/as start preparing for the application process of higher educational institutions? 
11. How does the fact that not many Latinos/as attend college directly impact you?
12. If you are Latino/a or Hispanic, were you able to attend college and how did you manage to do this?
13. What would you tell high school students if you could tell them one crucial piece of information about college or anything of that matter that will help the students immensely?