Developing My Senior Capstone

Overview of "Precious Baby" Project-

"Precious Baby" is the name of the theoretical non-profit organization that I decided to create as my capstone project. The objective of my non-profit organization is to distribute "baby boxes" to parents of newborns at the newborn's first pediatric visit. This would promote doctor visits from a young age, the family's participation in the child's health, building a bond between patient and doctor, and would help alleviate parents' stress to obtain baby necessities. I was inspired to start this organization because of the my parent's experience at the hospital when I was born and by my mentor interview.

Capstone Reflection

This capstone project has changed me for the good. It has taught me to think outside the box and learn to be uncomfortable. If we are comfortable, there is no room for growth. Prior to the capstone project, I was missing multiple necessary life skills such as being able build a resume, knowing how to write a cover letter, being able to do research, and to use different resources. Now I have the skills and artifacts necessary become a part of society and accomplish my goals. Capstone was frightening and difficult at first, but it became easier over time since everything started to come together. It was interesting seeing how my classmates came up with their own unique ideas and seeing them bring their ideas to life. This capstone project has served me as a reflection of my personal and intellectual growth over these past four years of high school.

Capstone Log Timeline

Throughout the transcourse of the school year, we were expected to work diligently on our capstone. We were given a "capstone log" and had to turn it in with an update as to our progress on our project.

capstone activity log #2-ann vargas-p3/4

To see the full document, click on the link below or slide down:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tIjiQEIvDT-2f0NW-_XAiHssHKpppUrR8uqpT-PW7oY/edit?usp=sharing

Deciding on an Idea

When I first heard of the capstone project, I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do. I wanted to do something that would be unique, but I also wanted to do something manageable considering I still had school-work to do. My initial idea was music therapy in schools. My piano teacher, Mr. Lee, offered me the idea one day in class and since I have a musical background and had heard of how music was therapeutic, I decided looked into it. As I did research, I realized there weren't a lot of music therapists in Las Vegas and there was also the issue that I didn't have transportation or a lot of time in my hands. If I pursued that idea, that would have meant setting up a meeting with the therapist for an interview, getting permission at an elementary school to do a mini-session of music therapy, and creating an activity plan that my mentor would approve. I soon decided to change my idea to something else.

After thinking long and hard, I remembered of something my parents told me a while back. One day, when they were telling me about the time when I was born, they told me that they received a bag of supplies for me like diapers, a hat, and a few other things. Considering I already had an interview with my pediatrician, I decided to do something related to pediatrics which was a career I've been looking into. One thing led to another and I decided on the "Precious Baby" non-profit organization as my capstone idea.

Mentor Interview- Q&A (paraphrased)

Interview with Dr. Jalet Ontanillas, MD ( 07/26/2019)


About Dr.Ontanillas:

  • Dr. Ontanillas is a Pediatrician and works at Sunrise Pediatrics
    • 3061 S Maryland Pkwy #101, Las Vegas, NV 89109
  • She finished school in the Philippines and came to the US when she was 26
  • She went to med school in 1996
    • Graduated 2000
  • Trained in New York (2003-2006) at NUMC
  • She decided to become a pediatrician because she loves kids and loves seeing them grow.
  • Special career interests: obesity and diet

Somethings she would change in her field are:

    • She would like to deal and interact with the whole family.
    • She wants them (the family) to work together to help the patient.
    • She wants the whole family to be educated.

"What are the difficulties/struggles of your career?"

    • Every family is different and they each go through different situations. The way they approach you might reflect their life experiences. You have to be patient and be compassionate. (paraphrased response)
    • Since patients are young, they are not specific when explaining where it hurts or how they feel. Parents look to you for a specific answer and sometimes doctors make mistakes.

Doing the Research

As I worked, I did my investigation on topics I wasn't too sure about such as licenses and permits I would require, if there had been other organizations that did the same, how to write a resume and more. The internet was a major resource for my capstone.

According to my research, hospitals would allow parents to take home extra supplies like diapers from the delivery of the child. I also found other non-profit organizations that were similar to mine, but they targeted a different audience (disability/homeless/etc) and had a different objective.

Pros and Cons of 'Precious Baby' Non-profit organization

PROS

  • Parents would be relieved of some costs
  • Child would be examined and necessary steps will be taken by pediatrician (vaccines, physical examination, etc)
  • Family-doctor and patient-doctor relationship would start to be formed
  • Start of medical record from young age
  • Prevention and possible treatment of conditions found at first pediatric visit

CONS

  • Organization would be completely dependent of donations from the community
    • No guaranteed success
    • Possibility of there being insufficient supplies
  • Accessibility to help by organization would be dependent on family's ability to receive medical care. Inaccessible to some.

Problems could be dealt with if organization is successful. Programs could be opened for individuals that can't receive medical care due to lack of health insurance, legal problems, or other issues.

Research References Page

Capstone References Page