Blog 23: Senior Project Reflection

(1) Positive Statement

What are you most proud of in your block presentation and/or your senior project? Why?
A: I am very proud of the fact of how I kind of interacted with the students a bit during my presentation. I have a pretty broad and straightforward topic and I can lose the audience anyways and thus, by having them interact and communicate with each other at some point during my presentation is really nice. 


(2) Questions to Consider

a.     What assessment would you give yourself on your block presentation (self-assessment)?

AE       P /AP       CR       NC

b.     What assessment would you give yourself on your overall senior project (self-assessment)?

AE       P  /AP       CR       NC

(3) What worked for you in your senior project?
A: I really like how I was able to work with others during my entire mentorship experience. I also like how I was able to restart my topic as well. Going from a sport to something completely different like animal shelters wasn't easy but I had managed to pull through.

(4) (What didn't work) If you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your senior project if you could go back in time?
A: I think I would've loved to find a mentor just in time because it was complicated for me to go back and restart my project all over again mid-end first semester. It was hard trying to catch up on some work sometimes, so I think I would've liked to have taken more advantage of my time when it came to finishing those assignments.

(5) Finding Value

How has the senior project been helpful to you in your future endeavors?   Be specific and use examples.
A: I believe that it has helped me open my mind to an entirely different world of making a difference. It will definitely make me want to try and go and make a difference in the No-Kill community. Now that I am also 18, it can also make me think about joining the Pittie Crew (Pitbull Rescue Group) and rescue the breed that is the most discriminated against.

Blog 22: Mentorship

LIA Response to blog:

    Literal

·     Log of specific hours with a total and a description of your duties updated on the right hand side of your blog

·     Contact Name and Mentorship Place

    Interpretive

     What is the most important thing you gained from this experience? Why?

• The most important thing I gained from this experience is learning how to cooperate with others, as well as help them. I also learned that giving back can mean so much, even if it may seem small. Everyone who helps out makes a difference each day, and despite what happens something positive comes out of it. Especially when it's those who cannot fend for themselves.

   Applied

     How has what you’ve done helped you to answer your EQ?  Please explain.

• I realized that doing the little things can really make a difference. Whether it'd be small things like washing bowls or folding towels. It makes doing bigger things a lot easier like rescues and fosters. It also shows that help is everywhere and if everyone pulls a lending hand then it'll make the hard job easier. Help is all around, and those willing to lend a hand make a bigger difference than it may seem.

Exit Interview

Please be advised.  The senior team will not conduct any exit interview in which the student has not turned in a passing research count and completing this blog.  In addition, you are expected to dress as you would for a job interview.

Content:

(1) What is your essential question, and what are your answers?  What is your best answer and why?

•  What is the most important factor to make a new animal at ease in a shelter? I chose my 3rd answer as my best answer because I feel like having a leader can keep the person or animal in balance.

(2) What process did you take to arrive at this answer?

• I discovered my question through constant volunteering at shelters. (Observations.)

(3) What problems did you face?  How did you resolve them?

• I faced problems with research. Sometimes it's hard to find research  based on specific things such as finding room for an animal to stay in. But then again you have to be open to many more sources.

(4) What are the two most significant sources you used to answer your essential question and why?

• PDF'S and either articles or blogs written by Nathan Winograd who is an animal rights activist.

Be prepared with evidence and specific examples to support any response.  It is also significant to cite sources as you explain.

Independent Component 2

LITERAL
(a) Include this statement: “I, Sara Pachamango, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours and 45 mins of work.”
(b) Cite your source regarding who or what article or book helped you complete the independent component.
(c) Update your Independent Component 2 Log (which should be under your Senior Project Hours link)
(d) Explain what you completed. 

INTERPRETIVE 
Defend your work and explain the component's significance and how it demonstrates 30 hours of work.   Provide evidence (photos, transcript, art work, videos, etc) of the 30 hours of work.  

• I have completed the 30 hours. I continued to keep volunteering at the bunny shelter, (Bunny Bunch) as I did in the 1st Independent Component. The shelter actually included a new event they were going to have every first Sunday of the month called "Hoppy Hour." Hoppy Hour is an event when people bring in their rabbits and the rabbits are set in a big area and use that space to basically socialize with other rabbits. The rabbits must be spayed/neutered for about a couple months. Overall, the turnout was really good, and the shelter raised money that way c: Down below there is a photo of a typical Hoppy Hour. Placed are litterboxes, water, and bunny obstacles.

• After the Hoppy Hour event, I just kept volunteering at the shelter. I helped around by cleaning up after the animals by basically sweeping and mopping out their kennels, replacing towels, and changing their water. 

APPLIEDHow did the component help you answer your EQ? Please include specific examples to illustrate how it helped.

• This component helps me answer my EQ because I try to make sure that the rabbits are cleaned out and comfortable in their own space since they aren't able to care for themselves. It's all about caring for the animals and making sure their comfortable in their

March Blog Post

This month. . . I have not attended mentorship as much this month, simply because I have completed my hours. However, I still have been going. I've been doing what I have done before, which is walking the dogs, cleaning their kennels, folding/washing laundry and also giving them food and water. Just recently, I was given a new task, and that was washing dogs. At first, I was a bit nervous, but there was someone who was willing to wash a dog with me. (We ended up washing 3 actually.) I realized that you have to wash the entire body except the ears and top part of the head because water can get in the dogs ears and could cause infection. We were able to wash the dogs chest and chin. So, after shampooing and conditioning the dogs, we had to check off saying that they were washed and such. I realized that these dogs had not been in the shelter for very long seeing as they were placed in the back kennels of the shelter. They were fairly new, haha. Overall, mentorship has been going well, my hours are completed, so at this time around I will most likely be working on my senior project.

Fourth Interview Questions

1. How can rescuers best take caution when rescuing animals?
2. Are animals with more severe cases more harder to adopt when it comes to adoptions?
3. Do certain breeds/types matter when it comes to adoptions?
4. What changes a rescued animals personality?
5. What makes animal adoptions challenging?
6. Does owning/volunteering at a No-Kill shelter a challenge?
7. Why is it important to spay/neuter pets?
8. Does an animals behavior in a shelter affect it's adopting chances?
9. Can an animals mood/behavior change while in a No-Kill shelter? (Calm to tired, aggressive to playful, etc.)
10. Why do it take so much time to change an animals behavior?
11. What makes rescuing animals complicated?
12. What actions make a better volunteer?
13. Why is it important to seek medical attention when a new animal comes in?
14. Were there/Have there been very severe cases where an animal couldn't be saved?
15. How do donations & help from the community benefit the shelter/animal?
16. How does an hoarding case happen? Why does it happen?
17. What must a potential adopter think about before adopting an animal?
18. What is something to keep in mind about shelter animals?
19. What are some myths about shelter animals and about No-Kill shelters in general?
20. What is a No-Kill shelters goal?

Blog 17: Third Answer

• EQ: What s the most important factor to make a new animal at ease in a shelter
• Answer #3 in thesis statement: 
• A good leader can be defined in many ways, but when it comes to training a animal with a hard past, a good leader must be there through every step of the animals mistakes to make sure that the animal can change it's old ways into something better.
• 3 details to support the answer: 
• Training 
• Support
• Time & Effort

• Research source to support details and answers: Online articles.
• Concluding sentence
• Through much training and persistency of not giving up, an animal can change their own lives for the better; not only for themselves, but for their future potential owner.