Module 3

In this journal, I was asked to give advice to upcoming BRVGS seniors. Provided that few will look at this advice, I will still give my best effort to do so. One of the first pieces of advice I would give, being more than halfway through the developmental steps of this project, is to ignore your own self-doubts. More than one time, heck, more than ten times, have I doubted how much time I actually have and how much skill I really need for this project. I often go to my mentors in search of where they can tell me where I am going wrong or awry. Oftentimes, their response to me is “there is nothing to worry about.” The mentors place an enormous amount of trust in you, and they emphasize how this project is your own work, not based solely on their opinion. They can explain how to enhance your project and make a bigger impact, but they in no way make you change it based on their preference. That brings me to my second piece of advice: let your mentors guide you, but make sure you are paving the path. Again, this is your project; remain confident, for your mentor does not know your interests as well as you do. They might offer suggestions, such as a research question or a way to improve your community service. This does not mean you should take this as a fact and let it dictate how your project runs, for it should be based on your passion and interest. As for my last piece of advice, this is something I wish someone told me earlier, so take heed: be prepared to do some whacky project-related activities, and do not be afraid to go out of your comfort zone. Throughout the project, I have been exposed to completely new things I knew nothing about, such as researching at a college library, working with a professional, and even going out and building a bridge (which I am hoping to complete AFTER the research paper). Your project can go in so many directions and take you to so many places, along with gaining many new memories and experiences. Relish it, because it is not your typical class; it is a class based on you and pretty much you only. I personally love it, and I sure hope the other upcoming seniors in years to come will recognize this and love it too!

After reading “Five things your high school student should know about careers,” by Allison Cheston, I realized that everything she lists in her journal highlights important aspects of this project. One of the first thoughts on her list is to explore the interests that clue you in on your career path. This directly relates to how this whole project started; I remember last year, while I was a junior, stressing to figure out what my project was going to be about. This was because I wanted to complete my internship over the summer, which I did not quite do. Anyways, during the last month of my junior year, I was stressing over what my project should be on. My mentor Mrs. Esch told me to make a list of things I was interested in throughout the week and come back to her once it was finished. Through this process, I was able to hone my project on civil engineering and green architecture. Another thing Allison mentioned in her list is having a mentor throughout the career path experience. Sadly, I have not had one until recently. I say my mentors are my internship mentor Joe D’Alù and Mrs. Esch/ Mr. Morrison. While Joe offered great advice and lessons on engineering and colleges that support that, MR. Morrison and Mrs. Esch have really helped me explore my career path and develop essential career soft skills, such as communication, research, presentation, and self-confidence. Also, Allison said that internships are a great way to explore and learn the fundamentals of your interesting career. I really find this one interesting because again it directly relates to the BRVGS Senior capstone project. Finally, Allison's last two thoughts on her list are to start researching your career early and to network with others, professionals and interesting peers. Overall, the points that Allison provides in her article all directly relate back to the BRVGS Senior Capstone project, even though they are for career investment and research. Therefore, Blue Ridge Virtual Governor’s School and its BRVGS Senior Capstone Project are not only for you to explore your interests in a challenging yet creative way, but it is also to help you gain experience toward a possible career after college. This project essentially is paving the road for you, by helping you create experiences and soft skills for college and the working world. Overall, the article was very insightful and I was very pleased to make this connection!

I am loving what we are doing right now. Honestly, trying to find community service opportunities and materials was such a drag and it was stressing the heck out of me. Now that we are working on our research papers, I feel that I have more control and interest in what I am doing. I have multiple speaking points, lots of ideas, and an amazing vision for how I want my paper to look. The trip we took to the University of Virginia’s library was extremely insightful, not only for this research paper but for any other research projects in the future. As for the paper, I do not know why, but writing a paper professionally, based on hard research, is just so satisfying. I have written multiple types of papers and essays and my favorites always go towards scientific papers (such as my PVCC Chemistry 111 Lab Paper “Synthesis of Aspirin”) and research papers, like my paper on the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire for AP United States History. There is something so satisfying in writing a professional paper that you put a lot of time into, somewhat unlike the essays you write for an English class. Overall, the paper is going well so far, but I am kind of taking a different path than what my mentors want; I am writing the paper and the Outline alongside each other, especially since I do not do well with Outlines. I tend to write and let the ideas flow, then I refine them later. As for my resources, I am starting to find a little struggle with finding sources for ideas I have. I would like for them to support these ideas but I might start claiming them as my own. This paper overall though is really exciting. I do have a clear plan of how I want it to flow and I mostly know what ideas I want to place in the paper. I am hoping that this paper will be very impactful, but I never know where this experience will take me. In closing thought, all I know about this paper is that it is helping me develop as a researcher and a writer, and it is assisting me in creating new soft skills I will need after high school!

This year I am dressed up as Maverick from Top Gun: Maverick, and so far it has had impressive results. Sharp, dangerous, and witty, I have been enjoying the attention only a little bit (yeah, right!). Now as for the actual project, I know that while my teachers say I’ve got it, I feel pressure and stress building up from the incoming due date for the research paper. While I have a lot of resources to go off of, I still need resources for other parts of my paper. Along with that, finding sources that serve my purposes have been hard. I know that when doing research, you are supposed to let the research guide you, not you guiding the research. Truth is though, my research has led me down huge interesting rabbit holes, and I have now had to constrict what I am to write about. Otherwise, beneficially I have plenty more information to go off of. In contrast, though, I am now obligated to start tightening the reins on my research. Along with that, I am still needing some materials from my internship, but they still have not sent anything either via email or mail. I do not know what to do at this point, so I have given the task of tracking down my internship mentor to my senior mentors. Re-focusing on the research paper, I feel that I will also have problems with balancing that, my critical analysis for The Tempest, and my Advanced Placement Psychology and Art History classes. Last week I fell behind one day on my AP Art History assignments and it started to take over my designated project time. Thankfully, my mentors have been gracious with me, but they have communicated that the time of grace is over. Hopefully, this will work out in the end!