Senior Project Self Reflection

Positive Statement:
I think I did well in the visual area of my 2 hour presentation. The front of the classroom turned out better than I thought it would and it looked great. The background looked realistic. My Powerpoint was also visually engaging, since I customized it to my liking. It was clean and really supported my speaking. I also liked how my activities were engaging and really utilized that I spoke about in order to execute it. Overall, I think my presentation was engaging for the audience and I really did well to set up a nice learning environment.

Questions to Consider
What assessment would you give yourself on your 2-hour presentation? Why?
AE: because in terms of the rubric, I believe I hit all the points necessary for a P, but I was really knowledgable in my topic and I believe my content was extremely strong; I backed up everything I said with some sort of evidence or visual example and seeing how well the class did in my activities, the information really resonated with them and got to them clearly. I believe that my hard work was really evident in how strong the content of my presentation was– above what would normally be a P. I also believe that my classroom creativity showed my dedication to my project and took my project to the next level visually and really added that extra "umph" that would be "above and beyond." Overall, really, I think I did everything that was required, but I feel that I did it better than what was to be expected and I went above and beyond with the visuals and the activities were strong evidence that I conveyed my message clearly; that's why I feel that I deserve an AE.

What assessment would you give yourself on your overall senior project? Why?
AE: This is mainly because of my product, which is my internship with Tetra Tech's design team. My senior project was done well, but not only that, it showed that I grew from when we started in August to now, while I'm typing this up. Senior project was a journey for me, and I worked hard and showed passion in my topic throughout that journey. This is evident in my end results– the yearbook, my 2-hour, and my product. Yes, I completed the assignments that was asked of me, but I believe that the passion I put into my project made it more meaningful than just a grade: it's a part of me now, and I believe that alone shows more value than anything else. Aside from that, though, I performed well in every assignment I completed, often getting AE's, so I believe that overall, as a whole, because of the value I found within those AE's, my overall senior project should get an AE. I'm walking away from senior year with something more meaningful than just a grade to graduate, and I believe that is ultimately what the senior project should aim to do. Plus, the quality of my work, if I say so myself, is never less than impecable.

What worked for your senior project?
I think choosing a topic that I wanted to grow more in, rather than learn entirely new, really worked to my advantage in my senior project. Because graphic design was something that I actually wanted to study in the first place, the quality of my work showed that willingness to learn and the passion that goes with it. Had I chosen, say, pharmacy like I originally planned, if I didn't like it, too bad, I would be stuck and the quality of my work would have suffered. That wasn't the case with my senior project, though. Yes, I burned out halfway through he year, but didn't? It's senior year; everyone is tired. But the quality of my work never suffered. The punctuality of my work maybe, but everything I did turned out well in the end, and I believe my 2-hour showed that. Also, because I chose something I loved to do already, my product became something that I can actually be proud to walk away with, rather than some faked "appreciation" for something I don't care about.

What didn't work for your senior project?
What didn't work would probably have to be... scheduling interviews on short notice. The interviews that really paid off were my second interview with Mimi Orth and my third interview with Sylvia Ly. In fact, the two were actually two of my best sources. But, I scheduled my second and fourth interview last minute and really didn't gain as much as I would have liked in the fourth; my interviews helped me out so much and were the best sources I had because I learn best from experience and getting that firsthand talk to someone so knowledgable in the field was so much more valuable to me than books or internet articles. I really wish I could've gotten a better fourth interview, since there were so many more questions.

How has the senior project been helpful to you in your future endeavors? Be specific and use examples.
It should be really obvious with my product. I gained a paid internship doing what I love because of the work I've done with my senior project. Both my independent components helped me grow as a designer by increasing my execution skills and the research helped me gain insight to how problems are solve visually and my interviews and service learning helped me gain more of the "design eye" by getting me to constantly be on the lookout for inspiration. Though I'm still interested in pursuing a career in the medical field, this internship is like a window into a career in the graphic design world, and if I like it, I can further pursue it. After all, I'll be at UCLA, which has both great medical and design programs, so either way it works out. Basically, senior project helped me by giving me an opportunity to go into a field that I was afraid that I was not good enough for, even though I loved it. But after getting working all year, and with my product, the internship at Tetra Tech, it paid off and confirmed I'm good enough and now I a great opportunity.