Our Plastic Footprint

Examining the Balance Between Reducing Our Plastic Footprint and Living Sustainably

About Me

I am Julia Sergeant, a senior at Andover High School and a part of the Capstone Cohort and the Global Engagement program. I plan on majoring in Environmental Engineering at the University of Vermont next year and my ultimate life goal is to work on making the world more sustainable. For my Capstone project I am interested in plastic, the harms of plastic and what we can do to stop it. I am interested in this topic because I have noticed that everything I touch is made of plastic. I will create a sculpture of a wave out of recycled materials to spark conversation about our plastic footprint.

I love nature and being outside. I go camping in Acadia for a week with my family every summer and I love it there since everything is very relaxed. I try to be outside as much as possible. During the few warm months in New England, I like to go on hikes and to go swimming. Whenever there is snow I like to go skiing. I have been on the Andover Track & Field Varsity team for four years. I love to travel and explore new places. My favorite trip was traveling to the British Virgin Islands where I was lucky enough to explore many of the islands and meet some of the locals.

What is CAPStone?

The Senior Advanced CAPStone Research Project is a course I am taking to complete my research project for my Endorsement of Global Engagement. My focus for my research question is on waste and how I can make a smaller plastic footprint as well as in my community. We begin with creating an essential question that will guide us through our secondary research. This research will fill us with knowledge needed to become an expert of our topics. By the end of this year I will have a formal inquiry paper and a presentation similar to a TED-talk. This course will give me a chance to dive into a real-world problem that I can hopefully make an impact in.

My CAPStone research topic is about how people can reduce their plastic footprint and live a more sustainable life. I have researched all about plastic and how it is killing the planet. In my primary research I will be looking more into how someone can live zero-waste. For my tangible I will be collecting plastic and creating recycled art of a wave.

What is the Global Engagement Program?

I joined the Global Engagement Program at the end of my freshmen year. I will earn an official certification attached to the Andover High School transcript stating that I have gone beyond normal expectations to analyze, interact and develop global competence and understanding which will lead to future success in an increasingly interconnected world. Being globally minded has changed my values to be more conscious of how our country is interacting with other countries around the world.

For my Global Engagement fulfillments, I traveled to Ponce, Puerto Rico where I got to know people of the area while helping a family. I worked with a group from my town to give a family's home security with a fence since their neighborhood is not the safest place to live as a single mom with two girls.

Global Resume

World Language Courses

Beginner Spanish (2015-2016)
Advanced Beginners Spanish (2016-2017)
Pre-Intermediate Spanish (2017-2018)
Latin American Studies (2018-2019)

Globally Minded Courses

World Civilizations (2015-2016)
Modern World (2016-2017)
American Studies (2017-2018)
AP Environmental Science (2018-2019)
Senior Capstone Advanced Research Project (2018-2019)

Digital Learning Courses

Graphic Design (2018)
Design Media (2019)

Immersive Travel and Service

7 days in Ponce, Puerto Rico
Rebuilt fence and built a deck for a family in need
Handed out food to families in the neighborhood
Served lunch and played games at a block party with the children of the neighborhood to bring the community together