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For my capstone project, I wanted to educate people on animal behavior, and utilize that knowledge in situations when either animals approach people or if animals are seen on the street. To accomplish this goal, I held a presentation that went over the 4 basic behaviors of dogs and cats, since those are the two most common domestic pets. In that presentation, I discussed when not to approach an animal, since there are instances when approaching one is not safe. Another thing that I wanted to accomplish with this capstone was to give back to the animals in need, while they are waiting to find their forever homes. So with that, I decided to hold a donation drive to collect necessities for the animals, and deliver them to the PSPCA. After all of this was done, I put everything together on a website and added some extra information about animal behavior for those who want to explore beyond what was explained in the presentation. Something that I learned from working on this capstone project was that initial plans may not turn out how you originally imagined them to, but to overcome that obstacle, you should be open to quick changes to make do with what you have.

Annotated Bibliography

Baldwin, James. The Fire Next Time. Dial Press, 1963

The Fire Next Time is a poetic story that has a complex commentary on the issues that Black Americans faced in the Civil Rights Era. The two essays together serve as a commentary on race relations in the 1960s as a whole and the intersectional issues that race and religion often make for black people of faith. Baldwin’s language in both pieces of The Fire Next Time

De Beauvoir, Simone. “Untitled” Received by Nelson Algren, 1951,  pp. 1–1.

For the beginning quote of the section “Angry” I will use a quote from a letter Simone De Beauvoir sent her longtime beau Nelson Algren. She wrote to him and during it she says “I am awfully greedy; I want everything from life. I want to be a woman and to be a man, to have many friends and to have loneliness, to work much and write good books, to travel and enjoy myself, to be selfish and to be unselfish… You see, it is difficult to get all which I want. And then when I do not succeed I get mad with anger.” This quote speak a lot to me because I find that often the source of my anger stems from frustration. I chose to use this quote because of how it resonates to the feelings reflected in the section that follows it, “Anger”.

Gay, Roxane. Bad Feminist. Harper Perennial, 2014

In my journey to prepare for this project I read several different essay books. I chose to use Bad Feminist as one of my example readings. I used this book mainly as a way to understand and dissect how Roxane Gay relates to her readers, how her dialogue flows and how I can use my own words in my work in a similar way.

Huxley, Aldous. Unknown.

To begin the section entitled “Happy”. Aldous Huxley is credited with saying “Happiness is not achieved by the conscious pursuit of happiness; it is generally the by-product of other activities.” The majority of the things that have made me happy, were not something I planned. The essays I am writing in this section fit this quote very well and I think that this quote is a good way to set the atmosphere going into the section.

McPeck-Stringham, Marisa. “I Can't Get Out of My Sweat Pants: An Essay on Depression.” The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 30 Apr. 2015, www.huffingtonpost.com/marisa-mcpeckstringham/i-cant-get-out-of-my-sweat-pants-an-essay-on-depression_b_7175836.html.

As I partially mention in other sections, I am planning on writing about some very hard times in my life, some that people may not be able to handle. This essay talks about these things in a way that is emotional, but not so much so that it doesn’t work to convey the message. I used this to study the way she finds that balance in her writing, which I sometimes have trouble with.

Orwell, George. “A Hanging.” George Orwell - A Hanging - Essay, www.george-orwell.org/A_Hanging/0.html.

I used this essay as a reference point in my early research, before I started reading the essay books of other authors. In several different articles about essays, this one written by George Orwell came up several times in several different articles. After I read it I got the vibe that Orwell has a very dark, haunting way of describing things. It was interesting to read and overall, his essay made me understand exactly the way I was going to approach writing for “Angry” and “Sad” because I plan to talk about very emotionally taxing times of my life in those sections.

Sedaris, David. Naked. Little, Brown and Company, 1997.

I used several different sources to gather inspiration for the way I would write. Sedaris is known for adding a sarcastic and humorous tone in his writing, usually about awkward situations he has been in. He writes in a very cynical way but still people enjoy his books immensely. As a writer he has found the balance between being a skeptic and not being a complete downer in his essays. He’s essentially turned the things that were really hard for him into something funny for other people to equally enjoy. I can relate to some of the emotions he has and reading this book helped me understand how he manages to convey the messages he does, the way he does.

Staff, SLA. “CAPSTONE.” Google Sites, Science Leadership Academy,

https://sites.google.com/a/scienceleadership.org/capstone/home

The Capstone website mainly serves as a base for any work I do. The capstone project has a lot of rules and a strict structure. Whenever I do work on my capstone, I have to have a tab with this site open so I know that I’m actually answering what is being asked of me by

SLA.

Schulten, Katherine. “From 'Lives' to 'Modern Love': Writing Personal Essays With Help From The New York Times.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 20 Oct. 2016,

www.nytimes.com/2016/10/20/learning/lesson-plans/from-lives-to-modern-love-writing-personal-essays-with-help-from-the-new-york-times.html.

I used this article in my search for advice on what to avoid and use when writing my essays. It explains common tropes and mistakes that people run into when they write personal essays in a way that makes a lot of sense. This helps me distinguish my writing because I now know what to avoid and what to continue doing when writing essays like this.

Thoreau, Henry David, and Bill McKibben. “Chapter One / Economy .” Walden, Beacon Press, 2004, pp. 11–11.

I used a quote from Henry David Thoreau as a preface to the section entitled “Nervous”. The quote goes as follows: “In any weather, at any hour of the day or night, I have been anxious to improve the nick of time, and notch it on my stick too; to stand on the meeting of two eternities, the past and future, which is precisely the present moment; to toe that line.” This quote for me represents and personifies some of the feelings I have when I am nervous, which makes it fit well as a preface to this section.

All photos: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1gSMg02UK65Op0Ltlb2V6Gqb5nRO2zau33i0zmtntDo8/edit?usp=sharing

Bennett, Andy, and Richard A. Peterson. Music Scenes: Local, Translocal and Virtual. Vanderbilt University Press, 2004.

This book indicates several ways in which music is shared with communities. A large part of this book revolved around the subject of technology’s effect of music industry and platforms. I found that the discussion on contrast between individual music scenes helped me gather more information about how these communities develop.

Briggs, Mark, and Jennifer Preston. Journalism a Practical Guide to Digital Reporting and Publishing. Sage, 2016.

Reading Journalism a Practical Guide to Digital Reporting was a helpful way to understand the methods used within photojournalism. Previously I’ve never taken many candid shots, but for this project I knew there would be a lot of movement. Instead of trying to give the illusion that these shots weren’t posed, I decided to take photos while the bands were actively playing their music. The movement helps tells a story, one of the key factors of photojournalism.

Becker, Howard S. “Photography and Sociology: Studies in Visual Communication.” Contemporary Sociology, vol. 31, no. 2, Oct. 2002, p. 250.

This source is a journal from a scientific study on visual communication through photography. It gave helpful insight into studies about the development and structure of human society. Answering important questions about why visual communication like photography intertwines with sociology.

Hevner, K. “Expression in Music: a Discussion of Experimental Studies and Theories.” Psychological Review, vol. 42, no. 2, Feb. 1935, pp. 186–204.

I used this article to learn about how music has evolved to become a form of expression. It’s a thorough description of the results within experimental studies regarding expression through music. Several theories have emerged over the years from the data that has been collected. It was useful to see the affect writing music has on people’s mental state.

Schäfer, Thomas, et al. “The Psychological Functions of Music Listening.” Frontiers in Psychology, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 9 Dec. 2013, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3741536/.

This source is somewhat similar to the prior scientific journal. Instead referencing research about how listening to music affects a person. There’s evidence that listening to music is often used to achieve self-awareness, regulate emotions, and as an expression of social connection.

My capstone was an economics class where I taught students how to cook good tasting healthy food to prep their college life. For my capstone there were some tools that I would need like (hotplates, pans, spoons, and plates) to get them I decided to use the Braskem funding so that money would not be a problem that I would face with my capstone. At first I thought that getting people to attend the meetings would be a problem because I didn't know how much the other students would care for a cooking class, but once I actually started the class I noticed that a lot more people than I thought were coming because they were happy to be making good food that they could eat. Overall I enjoyed my capstone even though planning it wasn't easy, finding suitable recipes that fits the criteria, buying the ingredients, and all the work I had to do before was stressful. I liked the end result and being able to work with other people and eat afterwards was fun. If possible I want to transition my capstone from just a temporary economics club to an actual elective. This is because I feel like everyone should know how to cook, it's an important skill that will make college and just life in general easier. Hopefully the people that attended my capstone was able to get a grasp of what cooking is like, how fun and easy it can be, while also learning the importance of cooking your own food from scratch than buying ready-to-eat type foods such as top ramen.

Sophomore year during health class Ms. Martin said; “Stress is the biggest problem S.L.A students face.” Two years later when tasked with making a capstone these words would once again come into my mind, and lead to the creation of a Stress Clinic. The purpose of the clinic was to be a place students could come to meditate, relax, and essentially ease their minds. The main principle that fueled the clinic was positive education, the belief that schools should not only focus on the academic success of their students, but also their mental health and well being. The clinic itself taught me that working with people is not easy. Getting people to attend the clinic was difficult. This tied in with the fact that my fellow classmates where also holding their capstone events during the the same time period, added another hurdle for me. All these hardships led to a myriad of meetings where no students attended. The capstone process was one that has taught me numerous things ranging from what stress is on a psychological level to how to teach and hold a group of people’s attention. Even with all the difficulties and frustrations that occured I cannot lie I enjoyed my capstone. Having an opportunity to work on something that interests me was a big and enjoyable change from normal schooling.

Annotated Bibliography: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cCQFnNrJdE28mF-KTOukRSkyTXlwa9sJHdT7ibUtLjo/edit?usp=sharing

I started my Capstone in Junior year in Ms. Jonas’ class.  We had to make our own non-profit organization, and with the help of friends and Ms. Jonas, I decided to make it my Capstone.  My goal was to bring awareness and help the women and transmen who can’t afford feminine products. What inspired this was a video I watched last year about women on the street and how they struggle when it comes to there period.  Using different fundraisers and outreaches I was able to accomplish this goal and I am excited to go even further with this outside of Science Leadership Academy. Probably one of my favorite things we did was going to “Overington Home” for the first time.  This is a home for women who are living on the streets and who are recovering addicts. When I visited them for the first time we brought clothes and feminine products. Our hope in the visit was not just to give them something but to connect with them on a personal level.  Meeting the women was amazing and hearing how having their period and living on the streets was difficult, became the backbone of this project. If I had to say there was one outcome to my capstone, it would be my mindset and how much it has grown towards the women on the street.  I learned to really hear the women and others who are in the streets. Also I learned a lot more information about the women. I did many events throughout the year that have all grown my heart for the women and transmen on the streets. Another outcome of the project was that it brought awareness to the issue of homelessness and the need for feminine products and the conversations that came from the events were amazing.  I look forward to what this seed of a project will produce in the future.

Annotated Bibliography

1. Grigg, Viv. Companion to the Poor: Christ in the Urban Slums. Urban Leadership Foundation, 2013.

This book is about a man who went to Asia and established a church to the poor.  He tried to find ways that would treat the people’s spiritual needs separate from there poverty.  This is a true story about his time there and challenges his story is still continuing. He uses the bible as a reference on how to be with the poor.  He explains this through the text. Christianity is a big part of my life and why I live the way I do. This book is really helpful for me to hear the Christian perspective.  Also, this gives me insight on how to treat the homeless separately from there poverty-how to treat them like anyone else.

2.“Homeless People Poetry.” Purple Moon Group, LLC,

www.friendtothehomeless.org/homeless-poetry.html.

I wanted to go a different route with this link.  I wanted to see the artist point of view on homelessness.  This website is full of different art done by homeless people what I think is very beautiful and very powerful.  Showing how different art forms can really shape a situation and make you look at poverty differently. I read a few poems and was able to see the different feelings these women and men had.  The different words from these poems are really encouraging me to write my own piece for my project. On this website, they also have videos of the homeless men and women, singing videos, art pieces, and stories.  What a great way to bring awareness.

3.“How Do Homeless Women Cope With Their Periods? | NSFWomen.” YouTube, YouTube, 18 Oct. 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABch4VYOJZ0&feature=youtu.be.

This is a video that really made me want to start this project.  I came across it last year when I was searching the internet. This video drawled my attention and gave me insight into something that I didn’t realize before.  I didn’t realize the struggle women have to get through on the streets during their periods. This video shows the struggles women have to go through day by day on the streets.  Showing the struggles of getting good hygiene, some women would use a cup to clean their lady parts. Also, they talk about examples of what they use instead of period products. Anywhere from paper towels to socks.

4. Okamoto, Nadya. “The Menstrual Movement | Nadya Okamoto | TEDxPortland.” YouTube, 21 May 2016, youtu.be/ncg2bw9s30M.

This is a TED talk by Nadya Okamoto.  She gives her background story of when she started her period and how her mom celebrated her by becoming women.  She talks about how growing up when she was poor how she struggled to get products. Growing up she kept a journal of all the different things women used for their periods including paper bags.  This really intrigued her and she was amused about the way people talked about there period. How women would whisper it like they were ashamed. So she decided to make an organization that would talk to students about your body and normalizes the word “period”.

5.“Period Poverty Can Imprison Women – and Humiliate Women Prisoners.” New Statesman, www.newstatesman.com/politics/feminism/2018/01/period-poverty-can-imprison-women-and-humiliate-women-prisoners.

This source is an article on tampon tax.  It talks about different parts of the world that have tampon taxing.  It talks about if the government is truly keeping women safe. This is a sign that there is a problem the way the government has a control over women.  It isn’t fair to the women that condoms are freely given out but there is no way for women to get their basic needs. This article talks a lot about Scotland and the way they treat women.  This article is important because it shows that women having these problems in everywhere. It is a worldly issue that needs to be confronted.

6. Period, The Homeless. “The Homeless Period.” The Homeless Period, thehomelessperiod.com/.

This is a website that talks about an organization called “The Homeless Period”.  What this organization is about is one day having free products in homeless shelters.  They bring an up point that I use a lot in my reach for awareness around the topic. The point is that the shelters give out free condoms and are actually given the money to buy these every year.  But there is no money put forth into getting free products for women. One thing I thought was cool was that they have a video on their website that is words written on cardboard. This is a good vision because a lot of the time the homeless writes on cardboard to bring awareness that they need help.  They have a hashtag called #thehomelessperiod this makes me think about how I started a hashtag #equalflow.

7. Snyder, Howard A. Radical Renewal: The Problem of Wineskins Today. Touch Publications, 1996.

This book is about the poor and also the church and how they connect.  The chapter I read for this annotated bib was The Gospel of the Poor today.  This talked about how people in the church need to stop shutting out the poor and act as though they are less than.  It talks about how people in the church do a lot of analyzing of the poor but they don’t bring them in. This chapter continues to talk about Jesus and his actions.  I think this is important for me to read for my project because I can see the proper ways to act around the poor. The church sometimes acts bigger and better than the homeless and this is where a lot of problems come in.

8.scholarworks.gsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://scholar.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1747&context=gsurc.

This is an art piece done by women interested in the different protests and pink tax.  Pink tax is going on all over there are certain products that have the color pink and they are products meant for women.  These pink products are taxed showing how certain things are just taxed for women and not men. There were many protests that came out of this including women gathering in front of the Houses of Parliament without any products on.  Their bloody underwear showed that these products were necessary. I thought this was really powerful to show that this is needed. Also, the author of this writing posted her artwork what was a mask she made out of tampons and she wore it in the shower and she let it get heavy and expand and this showed the weight the women had to go through.

9.Scaramella , Nicole. It’s a Part of Life. Period.

This is a document that talks about why menstruation is looked down upon.  It talks about the history of how women in the bible were told they were dirty for 7 days while in their period.  This was shocking to me because I never noticed this in this chapter. Although this is in the old testament a lot of stuff is contradicted in the new testament.  Then this document goes through the positives and negatives coming out of the word period. There is much weight on this topic and this is written well throughout this paper.  Especially with the new female taxing where they are going to tax feminine products.

10. TEDxTalks. “Period Poverty: Breaking The Silence | Amika George | TEDxCoventGardenWomen.” YouTube, YouTube, 7 Dec. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WRuKvLMkpA.

In this TED Amika George talks about girls in other countries having to skip school for a week every month because of their periods.  She started a potion to bring free products to schools so the girls can be in school. Period poverty is a hidden problem that needs to get awareness so that these girls can go to school.  She talks about how we need to stop the silents around the topic of periods. Women are taught to keep girls there periods products from the beginning. This is even built into out commercials, for instance, naming a female produce brand “whisper” to show it needs to be silently dealt with.  The first steps to fixing period poverty are to realize it's not just a women's problem.

For my Capstone for the year of 2018 has been one that I known about since my freshman year. I have had many idea changes but in the end I finally settled with my original plan to just expand my idea and turn it into a project that I'm really proud of. I made a website for people to visit and learn about MS awareness through the mind of a high school senior, letting people into my personal life. As most of you know my mom has MS and it's something that can't be cured. This topic is important to my entire family. I spent time reaching out to different organizations that help out the MS community. I've taken part in the MS walk to raise money and I raised money on my own at school. I want to thank everyone who supported my bake sales at SLA. Together we raised over $250 dollars for the National MS Society. Along the way, I’ve also been at Morris elementary school telling people about my capstone and what has led me to this stage of my high school career. The road blocks that I've had during the process was trying to get my own booth at the MS walk, that didn't work out but it didn't stop me from helping out the local people in my area and my mom as well. This project has been pretty interesting an I believe that the four years at SLA have been just a preparation for something to be bigger and better than all of us.

Link to bibliography : https://docs.google.com/document/d/11sQGykOuS3xKjDn08FPp-K1q7QtWLfqN7AeKyWzn_IE/edit?usp=sharing

For me, the capstone process was one filled with great highs and lows. The idea for my capstone towards the end of junior year. I wanted to take the science fiction short story that I worked on during junior year, and expand on it. I originally intended on it being a full length novel, but it did not end up as such. High school, working, and the college process caused me to spend a lot of time away from my capstone. Soon I realized I would not have enough time to write a full length novel of quality, so I changed my plan and turned it into a shortened novel. With my revised idea, I spent time writing, editing, and revising my story. Using the information given from my mentor Stephanie Sessa as well as the input of friends and family I was able to produce my final product. One that I am very proud of. The book titled, Control, is a combination of science fiction and dystopian fiction that take issues of the modern world and puts them a new and different perspective. Throughout my process, the most important lesson I learned was that in order for product to be as best as it can be, there must be time put into it. Had I been given the chance to do this process again, I would allow myself more time to work on the novel so that it could be my full and complete vision. Despite this, I delivered a solid final product. 

Link to buy book

http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/cart

https://docs.google.com/document/d/10pmRkDrT9moYf5KuJby3HgNAd4mhBoLoMj90Z5LF7MQ/edit?usp=sharing

Chapter 3- Us Girls

(Section)

Lily was the optimistic one. The youngest, barely 18, she always tried to lift the mood of sorrow and anger. She tried to play games, tell stories, and such although we weren’t the cheeriest bunch up to have fun. She often spoke of her big loving family. How they spend every christmas at her grandparents cabin in the Poconos and roast marshmallows over the fire. She seemed to stay in a state of disbelief, and tried her best to remain in the past where everything was good. I guess this was her way of coping. Sit in a state of false bliss to avoid coming to terms with the actual problems. She would tell us about her life plans, and what she would do with her family once this entire “simulation” as she called it was over. She had her entire life planned. None of us had the courage to tell the poor girl that she’d probably never see them again. That she had come to the point of no return and would be stuck here forever. We let her live in a whatever bliss she created for herself to manage the pain.

Next was Alice. Quiet girl, soft spoken, around my age. Like me she had been taken on her way home from work, accept according to her accounts that had been very rough on her. She said once a main grabbed her she managed to kick his groin and run down the block, only to have three men tackle her to the ground. She was punched, gagged, and tied in down in the van. She was thrown in the cold room with the rest of us, with a bloody face and they didn’t seem to interesting her distressed appearance. I could tell she was still slightly traumatized from the experience, and was scared of anything else happening. She adopted the motto of “laying low” and never challenged the authority. After seeing a small portion of what they were capable off, she didn’t want to put herself through anymore unnecessary pain.

In most ways she was an ideal prisoner. Always did what she’s told, kept complaints to herself, and expressed no desire to leave. Accepting this as her fate, she had the mindset of listening and doing whatever it took to make it through both this day and the next. It was hard to get through her tough exterior, making it hard for any of us to get close to her. However, we would get glimpses at the girl beneath the exterior.

Sometimes, she would tell a story here and there about her family or life in general and she seemed more than a robot programed to do everything she was told, but just as the vulnerable and human side of her came out it would quickly close back up.

Lastly, there was Diamond. The exact opposite of Alice, Diamond was a spitfire, She wasn’t shy to speak her feelings of disdain for the government and the program. Something that nearly got her ruffed up by The General and a few of the guards on more than one occasion. That’s the nickname we gave to Joe. Every she expressed to us her strong desire to figure a way out, telling us that it would take the cooperation of all four of us to make it happen. It was her fierce personality and determination to never give up that brought me closer to her than the other two.

One night after dinner, she told us her story. She was a single mother, lived with her mother, and taking classes at Community College while working a full time job at the supermarket. One night she was late picking up her sun from daycare, and as she stepped out of her car was hit on the head and fell unconscious. The thing that plagued her mind most often was of the wellness of her family. She wanted to know that they were okay, and no one could give her the assurance that they indeed were. Despite her strong front, I could see the pain and sorrow within her eyes. Every so often she would utter her son’s name and her eyes would get watery. Unlike the rest of us girls, she was not just living for herself, but also for her child. The one she may not ever see again.

They tested our ovulation every other day trying to pick the perfect day. Diamond was the first one to experience the removal of her eggs. She was gone for about an hour and came back in a sea of rage and disgust feeling as though something had been stolen from her. She cursed at the gards and even flipped one of the beds. Eventually I was able to calm her down, but I had yet to experience the feeling that something had been stolen from me. But I would soon experience that very thing.

I remember slowing walked down the dimly lit hallway looking towards the big red doors. I took small steps, wanting to take up as much time as I could before I entered the room. I didn’t fully know what to expect nor did I want to find out. I walked into a what looked to be your average looking hospital room. White, clean, and abnormally silent. There was a man sitting at the desk, who if you weren’t paying attention could walk right past him. He had me completely undress and lay on an operating table. Not much interested in conversation, he was there to do a job and I was there to be used.

A man named Wayne introduced himself as the doctor. He said no more words to me before the procedure, instead just putting me to sleep. When I woke up, he was cleaning up and simply said, “You can go.” I sat up, confused at what just happened. Physically I looked the same, but my body felt as though it didn’t belong to me. Something was off, and I don’t think I ever felt the same after the procedure.

Walking back to the room, the emotions begin to fill my body. I’m not sure if I was more angered at my bodily possessions between forced out of me or the fact that those doing it had so little respect for what I was giving to them. We were giving them the “future of America” and they had not the decency to say thank you for our great contribution.

It was that night as I laid in bed staring at the ceiling that I decided I was done. Previously I tried to convince myself to go along with the program and to keep myself safe in hopes that one day I’d be able to go home, however that feeling was long gone.

I was no longer willing to actually give myself to those who were so unappreciative of it. I knew in that moment when he rudely told me to leave, that this was the end. I knew I had to escape. The next morning, right before The General, I told the girls we had something very important to discuss. When we got back to the room after retrieving breakfast, I expressed my strong feelings of disgust for the program and my desire to escape. Letting them know that if the four of us band together, we could possibly find a way out. Without even asking if there was a definite plan, they all agreed to participate. Even Alice who several times in the past spoke against escaping, arguing that dealing with our fate would be a better option. With the four of us in, we started to the planning. We realized early on that there would be a series of obstacles in our path. The first being The General.