Masculintiy And Mental Health In Men
Final - Government Funding for Cancer Research - Google Docs.pdfLiterature Review
This is my Literaure Review on Cancer Treatemnt versus Governent Spending and how the money is divided among the differnt types of cancer treatments.
Final Product
I decided to partner with my friend Zach Burns on my final topic which is masculinity and mental health men. Here is our final product of the year. Zach and I decided to make many infographics to display our data and spread awareness of our topic.
Zach and Mike 2022.mp4How I Started
My name is Mike DiBenedetto and I am a current senior at St. Johns Prepatory School in Danvers, MA. I would like to share my research process and journey with you all. I started out my senior year unclear of waht topic I would like to pursue and research during my capstone course. I decided originally to focus on an area in the healthcare world due to the fact I have always found a profound interest within the field. I then deciddd to focus on Cancer because I have always found myself as a young eager learner and wanted to explore the disease in depth. The financial piece of my college originates from my chosen major at college which is fiance, love for math, and my fascination with numbers and economics. The way equations formualte and work spark my mind and give me curiosity to dig deep in to the subject of mathematcs. I personally find a high level of interest in applied mathematical uses such as a course I took this year which is financial algebra. This course uses math and applies it to real world situations such as college loans, tipping at a resturant and taxes.
The Topic Shift
I decided to change my topic when the middle school principle Mr. Larocque came to talk to us about his yearlong capstone course he had completed. His main focal point was to talk to us about setting ourselves up for success to write our Literature Review and create an impactful final product. Mr. Larocque, a big advocate for mens mental health due to his own experiences, gave a very compelling workshop on how to move forward through our capstone course efficiently and affectively. Mr. Larocques exact topic was how mens mental health was affected in an all boys school enviornment. Both of us had the same goal in mind; to create a better enviornment where young men feel safe and comfortable being vulnerable and expressing emotions. His workshop planted the seed and made me realize my true passion was within the study of masculinity and mental health. This eventually led me to my topic switch of masculinity, specifically social norms and preassures men are put under, and how this affects there mental health and well being. Also, duirng this process I have done a lot of research on the expression of Toxic Masculinity in young men and how to create an enviornment where men feel comfortable being emotional responsive.
The Present
When I switched my topic I fet very nervous and scared but realized this was the best decision I made this year. Before I switched my topic, I fell out of interest with my topic, therefore causing me to lose interest in to class. Once I switched my topic to a profound interest of mine I felt very happy and energized to soak up all the knowledge I could about my topic. I am very happy I switched my topic and learned a lot of valuable skills during this year long capstone. Not only did I gain quality research skills but I learned how to manage my time affactively and the ability to find ways to pursue new interests at ease. With my improved time management skills I could devise more time to researching the topic of mental health and other topics I am interested in. This will help me go far and continue learning quality information from the rest of my life.