Mini-Capstone: 

1. This year was not my finest effort in biochem, I did not apply myself and ended up regretting it in the end. In the final quarter, our group slacked off and sealed our own fate. We were given ample time to recover our grades but never took advantage off it. I came into this year expecting to progress logically from the biochem we took in ninth grade. I was excited at the promise of more fun science and figuring out how to solve problems in a  creative way. Although my year was plagued with some bad assignments and missed deadlines, I was fairly proud of my first quarter project with Mia Weathers Fowler. We completed our macromolecules portfolio and slideshow with all checkpoints completed and making all deadlines. 
1. At Sla we learn to work in accordance to the core values. Inquiry, research, collaboration, presentation, and reflection. The macromolecule portfolio, although deviating slightly from the other projects in the class, followed fairly closely to the core values. The values are not only a recommendation or a system designed to get your grades up, in fact they actually influence your experimenting and researching to point of genuine intrigue. By the end of our portfolio I was fully invested in finishing it to the best of my ability. I wanted to finish it correctly. 
1. Inquiry: We were tasked with the assignment to figure out the purposes of various macromolecules. We had a daunting task ahead of us and needed to go at it with the right mindset. 
2. Research: We divided the work up as evenly as possible and set off to work. The key here was to chose the topics we each identified with. Something I think severely affected my performance in the later quarters was my lack of engagement. I never took the time to connect with a project; at least enough to put in a satisfying amount of effort. Without proper research, your project will crumble quickly. 
3. Collaboration: Working with Mia was one of the highlights of the project. She rallied the group to go above and beyond and essentially lead us to make the best project we could. The key to collaboration is not to ever carry anyone’s weight. Once you start vouching for a fellow teammate and taking hits for them, their requirement to contribute lessens and the workload will inevitably become unbalanced. I think that since we were all so invested in project from the get-go collaboration came naturally. 
4. Presentation: Our presentation worked well in adding to the project while never bogging it down. I think it is difficult to strike a balance between a good design and an informative one. I don’t think our presentation ever became an issue and in the end, I would wager it was one of the strongest points of our entire project. 
5. Reflection: I think if I could go back, I would just add a general level of polish to the whole experiment and make up for the time I could have spent more efficiently towards the beginning. I should have been ready to go right out of the gate but instead, I ended up not putting in 100% until we already off the ground. Hopefully my performance in the later stages of the project justified it. 
2. Conclusion: I really wish I had taken advantage of my opportunities this year and really stepped into my own fate. I guess I will learn from this and come into junior year ready to give it my all.