Final Reflection

Maleyna Rodriguez

Senior Seminar

Mrs. Boutilier

April 15, 2022

                                                                                                Final Capstone Reflection

       Throughout our senior year in high school, we were expected to carry out a community service project, otherwise known as capstone. Me and my fellow classmates were asked to create and take on a service project that ties to a form of who we are. Coming into the year, I wondered what I can do for my capstone and what part of my identity I can connect it to. I knew I wanted to do something educational and informative regarding mental health but I also wanted to make it fun, active, and something that kids would like to take part in. 

      I ended up deciding that I wanted to bring awareness to different coping mechanisms since I didn’t have the most positive coping strategies growing up. Knowing this, I then had to think of ways that I could grab students' attention and get them to participate. I didn’t want them to think that my group was melancholic and gloomy and end up shying away from it. I started to create a presentation showing celebrities that struggled with depression and other mental health disorders, then ended it off with resources they can reach out to if they are ever in distress. I also tied my coping mechanism group as a resource as well. For each of my group sessions, we would practice different coping strategies such as playing card games with friends, painting, and doing arts & crafts. 

      Throughout my group sessions and talking with the students who participated, I came to realize that many of the kids there grew up differently from one another. Yet, how they approached their stresses were very similar. I found it common that kids tend to sleep more often or listen to music to find peace in the midst of their stress. Majority of the kids also stated that being around their friends made them feel better. I personally saw many similarities between the kids and how I was when I was younger. There was a conversation I had with one of the students and we discussed how their friend’s view on them impacted their behavior. It made me realize that when I was the same age, my decisions weighed heavily on other people’s opinions of me.

      After a few group sessions, I realized that I was grabbing the attention of middle schoolers more than I was with the high school students. The regular participants were mainly my classmates’ mentees. I formed a strong bond with the girls and realized that I really enjoy working with younger kids. I saw myself in a lot of the students I worked with and a lot of the situations the kids were going through were things that I had gone through myself. It felt good to bond with the girls and see them get comfortable with me. It felt good to know that the girls were enjoying the activities and taking something from my group sessions. 

       There were a few ups and downs throughout my capstone project. At the beginning, I doubted that I would be able to get students to participate. I started off focusing on high school students which I didn’t get much luck with and it added to the doubt I had. As the group went on and I started working with the mentees, that doubt lessened. However throughout December and January, I went through personal struggles and withdrew from my capstone. I had to face some deep rooted struggles that I realized I was avoiding for quite some time. Going through these struggles and talking with my capstone teacher, I realized that I had to practice what I was teaching. I couldn’t avoid my stress or act like it didn’t matter. I realized that coping was more than doing activities to make you feel better. It was acknowledging and facing your struggles as well, but in a positive and beneficial way. Regardless of the heavy emotions, it’s quite beneficial to let yourself sit in your grief, as long as you remember to pick yourself back up. 

      Throughout this year, I’ve changed more than I thought possible. I matured and handled the responsibilities given to me. It gave me more confidence as a person and gave me hope that I will be able to have a stable future. I realized the independence that comes as you get older and have gotten a bit closer to finding who I am. I feel like I’ve benefitted greatly from this project but I also feel the students I’ve worked with have benefitted from this experience as well.