Blog #4

Research Symposium Day!

Reflection

CONTENT: I really did learn a lot about my topic, and I got to do it in a way that I really enjoyed. I loved getting to read and analyze lyrics and stories from artists that I have listened to for years.

As a woman, I am prone to supporting other women in their endeavors, but it was really cool to see the ideas that they have been producing in the world of rap. Seeing how they have shifted from conforming to male standards to creating their own is incredibly empowering, not as an artist myself, but as a young woman.

I am super interested to see how things will go in the future in terms of themes present in female rap music. While I may not be as avid of a listener anymore, I still find the genre entertaining, and now I'm excited to see where it goes. In the future, I definitely have platform to go off of if I choose to continue research in this field.

I will have to reevaluate in a few years, but even if I did this research once a year, I could continue to culminate my findings! Only time will tell!

PRODUCT: Without a doubt, this class has been one of the biggest projects I've ever completed. Between all of the work through a paper and a presentation, it doesn't seem like much, but the culmination of work is absolutely crazy to think back on. Without the Capstone program, I wouldn't have been doing as high level, independent work in my other classes, and that is something that will be so incredibly valuable as I take my next steps through college!

When it came to the paper, I've always been strong when it came to writing. Writing an academic paper was a whole different ball game, and I wasn't exactly quick to learn all of the rules. Thanks to Seminar, I had a good starting place, but having to describe the work that I was doing rather than someone else's was something that I had to learn how to do. I eventually figured it out (yay!), and I'm happy that I was able to really learn from others by doing. Through all the struggles I had, I was still able to create a paper and report that I am proud of, and I am glad that I will be able to take these skills beyond our classroom here in high school.

The presentation was definitely the thing that I worried most about before I took this class. I genuinely didn't believe that I would be able to stand up and present a project based on my work. In reality, I couldn't have been more prepared. Even though I hadn't done a large public speaking project in almost a year, when it came down to it, I was pretty borderline with not getting all the information I wanted in. I had serious doubts about my ability to present research that at times, I wasn't even confident in, but I found that through a few practice runs and a "just do it" attitude, I could get it done, and get it done pretty well. Was it perfect? Absolutely not. But I made it through, and actually had a great time doing it. Any other presentation is nothing at this point! Practice, practice, practice!

PROCESS: I think one of the best lessons I learned this year through this project was that even when things go awry, I can still find a way through. I had planned the structure of my project to work with my schedule, which was already busy to begin with. When the entire backing of my project and structure of how I was going to complete it totally fell apart, I fell weeks behind and found myself starting from scratch. I'm happy to say that I made up for the lost time and really worked to make my project the best that it could be, even with shortened time.

I learned that when I set my mind to something, I can do it, and do it well. I think that moving forward, this project taught me a lot about my work ethic and how I can find success, even when things don't go according to plan. I know that this will happen plenty of times in college, work, or even just life, so to know that I can persevere and create good work is comforting to know going forward.

While research isn't my main goal next year, I do know that in the future if it is something I want to pursue, I know how it goes now. I have a newfound appreciation for all parts of academic research rather than just the results.

I really am so happy with my decision to be a part of the Capstone Program - I have learned lessons about myself, school, and life that I would not have learned anywhere else. Working through struggles, striving for success, and creating work that I am proud of are things that I am so happy that I have found in myself. Next year and the years to follow are without a doubt going to be tough, so I'm lucky to have the opportunity to push myself in ways I didn't know existed freshman year.

The best corner of the room!

Acknowledgements

I'd love to thank Rock Canyon High School for not just their support on this project, but support throughout my entire high school career. From academics to sports, I have been lucky enough to call myself a Jag for four years.

I'd also like to thank Ms. Dobos for her guidance throughout the year - none of us could have done it without her! She was a huge part of our success, and she deserves all of our gratitude!

Finally, I'd like to thank my friends and family for listening to my struggles through some of this year. I definitely needed that support in my life, so thank you so much!