When I thought about what I wanted to do for my capstone, I thought about tackling something that I never really talked about or addressed in my life. It was something that I have lived with all of my life and something that has affected the way I have lived my life tremendously. I am talking about the ASD (Autistic Spectrum Disorder) called Asperger’s Syndrome. For a large part of my life, I never really talked about it because it was normal to me and I did not think it was too much of a big deal. As I went on through life however, I realized how much different it made me from the average person.

The process that i followed was in line with our school's core curriculum, Research, Inquiry, Collaboration, Presentation and reflection. I Inquired on a way to help the school in a way and manner that could be continued even after I have left SLA. After doing a little bit of research into the different problems into the school   I found that the school while in poor condition most things could not be worked on or fixed. I then realized the most obvious answer was right in front of me, all of the tables,  furniture and chairs in the school are either broken or non accessible.

What I wanted to do was create a way for other students to make furniture to improve their school environment. This Capstone not only has a physical representation of all the work but a guide to help future students.  What I hope to accomplish is to complete 2 Benches for the 3rd floor Hallway. (Adjacent to Hull’s Room) I will also complete a table for the ballroom on the 3rd floor. 1 Benches will accompany the table this will fully furnish the 3rd floor area. I will also complete a detailed guide on how to create each of these things on your own so that future students can repair or replace the old furniture.

I believe that this will help students improve their school and understand the work needed to create the different mechanisms that they often destroy, giving purpose and reason to the object. Below is a link to all of my pictures, Bibliography and the process behind how to make every different design.

Pics

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B47e4baNeo1ATjBzN1VpdWVNbEk?usp=sharing

Guide

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IF3kq9qL-kzq6K3GXjn-dJyjoKS2EgIrJTmYmUhVSkc/edit#

I created a student-run internet radio station devoted to showcasing the unique talents and varied tastes of Science Leadership Academy Students. I aired a show each Friday night in May and plan to continue running each Friday night for the remainder of the school year.

I chose this project because I was personally interested in creating a podcast. Unfortunately, there was no support network or platform devoted to audio content for SLA students. SLA prior to this project had Rough Cut for students interested in cinema, The Fourth Floor for those intrigued by visual art or creative writing, and SLA Media for people who wanted to do journalism. I felt that, by creating another platform devoted to podcasts and other audio content, I could widen the variety of opportunities available to students like me.

The most important, and most difficult, thing about creating content is to make something that people like and want to experience. The presentation of that content is crucial to getting people to listen in - and reflecting on what worked and what didn’t is crucial to keeping them coming back.

My capstone can be found at slaradio.tk. I aired new shows every Friday in May at 5 PM.

​For my capstone, I designed a business plan to launch a business of my own. I created a clothing brand that carries the idea of enlightenment through our graphic designs printed on essential apparel. This brand is called Yumen. Yumen means "depressed" in Chinese. I was diagnosed with bipolar depression when I was younger; I was able to build my endurance to minimize the effect of that mental and emotional disease. With that, I wanted to create a movement that represent the growth that many other victims and I.

The Yumen team consist of a business manager, creative director, and social media manager. I take on the role as the business manager for the brand. With that, my process was very well unique compared to the other roles. I had to create the execution plan behind how everything is going to get done. In addition, all transactions, communications, relationship-build, clientele, etc. is under my list of responsibilities.

What I learned was the steps to innovating a business. More importantly, I learned the skills of an entrepreneur. There were many problems and issues that went on during the process of creating this, but I learned that it is important to build a self-driving mentality to motivate yourself to continue working at the business or product.

Yumen Website Link