To sum, I am thankful and blessed for all the support and guidance I received in order to finish my capstone project. I am overjoyed with the product of our website and the response that came from it. I believe that it was a success with over 3,000 visitors on the website from communities all over. My purpose was to educate and create an environment in which people of all ages can come together and embrace STEAM, and I believe that was made possible by the amazing students who I worked with to bring this project to life. Seeing the rush of cars come into school when I distributed the Activity Bags on campus was overwhelming, especially when we ran out and had to make more for those who were unable to get them! Receiving kind emails and texts from student participants and the community was very flattering, especially when a teacher told me she wanted to incorporate it into her curriculum and send it to her family and other teachers in other states.
The Simi Valley Acorn article that was published promoting the event showcases my emotions and passion that I have put into the STEAM Expo. The article can be found here www.simivalleyacorn.com/articles/santa-su-seniors-go-full-steam-ahead-with-science-tech-experiments/ !! From this experience, I have learned the heavy importance of time management and planning. But, not just on the surface level. Planning and managing time is efficient and important, but not if one does not take the initiative to do more and exceed expectations. Thinking out of the box sounds cliche, but in situations in which we are disconnected from one another, it takes creativity and leadership to think outside the box. This, I will carry with my in my academic and personal future— using my passion to do something more can benefit not only myself but others as well. I learned out to properly create a website, which is always an amazing skill to have. One of the greatest things I have learned is the importance of the quality of emails sent. The emails I sent out had to be clear and concise whilst still being informative and engaging— I believe that this and remaining in touch with my connections is what allowed me to succeed and I will carry that with me. This experience was something that nobody could have imagined because it had not been done before, I underestimated how vital communication would in this capstone project and how many people I had to rely on. I had to learn that not everything is in my own control, and that I had to allow patience to take it's role. At SSHS, my teacher's always emphasized the importance of going above and beyond and I kept that in mind through out my process.I grew as a scholar as I reviewed the topics that the students wanted to present on and as I provided students with some ideas. In addition, I created some videos for the website that represented what I have learned in a simple to understand manner. I believe that in some way I did provide service to others as I gave families away to connect with each other and with STEAM while staying safe. Staying home, watching TV and eating has become more mundane than ever, and being able to do something fun in the comfort of your home during these difficult times is extremely exciting. I took all of the skills I learned during my time at Santa Susana High School and poured my blood, sweat, and tears into the 2021 STEAM Expo. It has been my top priority and joy, and believe that I was able to do our school and students proud this year with something that everyone will always be able to look back on, forever.