Blog 11 - Lesson 1 Reflection

1. What are you most proud of in your lesson, and why?
I am most proud of the amount of research I provided in my lesson because this helped me reach the maximum time limit and the audience really comprehended it.

2. What assessment would you give yourself on your lesson? Explain why you earned that grade using evidence from the component contract.
According to the component contract, I would give myself an AP because I know I had a problem with my volume and enunciation and I didn't reference my cited research source. Besides that, I made eye contact with the audience and engaged them with visuals. As well as, providing a great depth of clear and concise research and referencing my current mentor status since I do not have a mentor.

3. If you could go back, what would you change about your lesson?  How can you use that knowledge to give a better Lesson 2?
If I could go back, I would prepare more for my lesson and make it more organized to help the content flow smoother. I can make a better lesson 2 by practicing the coordination of content to timing. Also, I should have a mentor by lesson 2 who can help me with more information and real life examples. 

Blog 10 - Interview 2 Reflection

1. Please explain how you are spending your mentorship time (Is it at a workplace or somewhere else?  Are you shadowing?  Are you able to do tasks that are meaningfully related to the topic?  If so, what?  Are there other people who are experts in the location?  Etc...)
I do not yet have a mentor but I am currently working on it.

2.  How did you find your mentor?  How did you convince this person to help you?  

I am planning to join the Pomona explorers program to find connections to the Forensics team.

3. How would you rate your comfort level with your mentor at this point in your relationship?  How does this relate to the time you've spent so far at mentorship/with this person?

When I do have a mentor, I hope to have a high comfort level with my mentor because it can make mentorship much more enjoyable. 

4. What went well in this interview?  Why do you think so?  What do you still need to improve?  How do you know?  How will you go about it?

I have not yet done my interview 2 because I don't have a mentor. Once I have my mentor, I hope everything will go well with my interview 2.

Blog 9 - Advisory Prep 3

1. State whether or not you currently have a mentor, and what the status of your interview is with that person (I have completed the interview, I have scheduled the interview, I have not scheduled the interview, etc).

I do not currently have a mentor but I hope to have one in a couple of weeks. Therefore, I have not scheduled the interview yet.

2. At this point, your research is probably guiding your studies toward more specific areas within your topic.  Name the area or two you find most promising and explain your reasons.

Criminalistics/Forensic Chemistry (basically the same thing) or Forensic DNA analysis. Criminalistics/Forensic Chemistry is a promising, more specific area of Forensic science because it involves the examination and analysis of all evidence, which allows there to be more research. Forensic DNA analysis involves the analysis of DNA that is found at a crime scene to match a suspect or victim. DNA analysis is a promising topic because it is the most exclusive tool CSI has to fight crime today and there is also a lot of controversy about the science behind it being correct.

3. What kinds of sources do you think will help you in the next month to gain more research depth?  Where will you go to get them?

In the next month, I will continue to search the internet because I know there is a whole other side of Forensics I have yet to find. After I run out of sources online, I can check out Forensic books at the library and even look up informational videos on YouTube.

4. Write down a possible EQ.  Please don't worry about wording other than ensuring that it provides the option for multiple correct answers.  At this point, the senior team is most interested in understanding your thought process.

What is the best way to insure that a Forensic DNA analyst is giving a correct detailed analysis of the crime so it does not lead to an innocent person being wrongly convicted?

Blog 8 - Independent Component 1 Proposal

1.  Describe in detail what you plan to do for your 30 hours.

I plan to make a Forensics magazine to let people know that forensics is more than just what Hollywood shows on TV. I want to let people know the real world of forensics and how much more complicated. I feel that forensics on tv, is given too much credit for not fully letting their viewers know what forensics is. I chose to do a magazine because it is the most modern form of physical communication besides social media. plan to start with a magazine template and write articles about different view points of my topic. I'll add relevant pictures that will catch readers attention to read the articles. I could even include interviews with my mentor or people who have an opinion towards forensics. Towards the end of my magazine, I'll show statistics of how people know about forensics. Whether it'd be from fiction tv shows, reality tv series or know someone in the field. After it's all done, I'll print it on fancy paper and bind it all together to make it look like a legitimate magazine.

2.  Discuss how or what you will do to meet the expectation of showing 30 hours of evidence.

For my forensics magazine, I plan to do research from the inside out on the history of forensics. Then write articles explaining what they actually do and how forensic scientists aren't paid enough for what they do. I'll also explain that there are some flaws of forensics and what we can do to fix this because it can cause innocent people to be convicted. The more people know about real life forensics, the more research and funding goes to creating a solid foundation of forensic science in the future.

3.  Explain how what you will be doing will help you explore your topic in more depth.

Creating a forensic magazine will help me understand that as the technology of forensics is always evolving and improving, so should the analysis and projection of research towards this unique career. Forensic science is in badly need of reform and I feel that it is only possible if society knows what forensics is really about.

4.  Update your Senior Project Hours log.

Blog 7 - Second Interview Preparation

1.  Who is your mentor and where do they work?  If their workplace does not reflect their expertise, what makes them an expert?

I currently do not have a mentor but I hope to have one before the interview is due, which is the end of the month. 

2.  What five questions will you ask them about their background? 

1. What motivated you to become a forensic scientist? Why?
2. What issues did you face while pursuing this topic as a career?
3. Did you expect to take this specific career pathway when you were my age?
4. I know that being a forensic scientist you are an expert court witness. When you first became a forensic scientist, how did you feel about that?
5. Do you think all the schooling you went through, to get to the profession you are at now, was all worth it?

Blog 6 - Advisory Prep

1. What has worked well for you concerning senior project this year?  What has made it a positive experience for you?  

Concerning senior project this year, I think research on my topic has really worked well for me. Because my topic is forensic science, there is a lot of sources out there and it is really interesting so the research doesn't feel repetitive. I think whats made it a positive experience for me is that I really like this topic and I have a passion for it. Therefore, doing all this research on my topic is kind of fun and it might even be a potential career for me.

2. What are you finding difficult concerning senior project?  How can you adapt to make that portion work better for you?  How might the senior team help?

At the moment, it is really difficult for me to find a mentor on forensic science. I feel like as soon as I find a stable mentor for my senior topic, everything will run smoothly from there. I am currently waiting on available internship spots at the LA county medical examiner. 

Blog 5 - Interview 1 Reflection

1. What is the most important thing I learned from the interview?  Is there anything I would do differently for other interviews?

The most important thing I learned from this interview is that I can get a lot of information from any possible source about forensic science because forensics contains so much science that even if it seems surreal, there's always science. Especially with the crime fiction shows/novels, the plot may seem too extreme and may be unrealistic but the science of forensics can never be hidden. For other interviews, I would ask better, more interesting questions to make the interview less boring.

2. Did I get additional resources and contacts?  What is the most useful?  Why?

I got some additional resources about different perspectives of forensics. Other than that, I didn't get any resources or contacts. But it was really useful to dig deeper into researching different view points of forensics because like all things, it is not 100% perfect. No matter which way you look at it.

3. What makes my interviewee qualified to help me? 

My interviewee was qualified to help me because she has a lot of knowledge of my topic of forensic sciences. Although she is not an actual forensic scientist, she studied forensic science in college and is continuing to become one.

https://soundcloud.com/eden-reyna/interview1

Blog 4 - House Advisory Prep 1

I hope to accomplish great knowledge on this topic from my senior topic because I am considering this topic as a career option for me. Such as good speaking skills, in order to testify in court and also the ability to research intensively. Besides considering my topic as a career, I hope to accomplish the ability to stay on task while doing multiple tasks at the same time to help me in the near future.

Blog 3 - First Interview Preparation

1. Who do you plan to interview? Why?
I plan to interview my potential mentor, the head forensic scientist at Ontario police department. Although I haven't met him yet, I've heard great things about how committed he is to his career.

 2. Five questions will be assigned to all seniors to ask.  What additional questions do you plan to ask?  Ask open-ended questions.  What are open-ended questions? Click here!

• What made you choose this topic as a career?
• What obstacles/issues did you have to face when starting to pursue this as a career?
• What is it like to have this unique/frightening career as an every day job?

Blog 2 - Summer Mentorship

1. List the contact name, phone number, and organization of the person with whom you volunteered.

Justin Brainard (909) 786-9178 from Strahan Advertising

2. What qualified this person as an expert in your topic choice?

Justin Brainard, my mentor, was the best employee at Strahan Advertising company, therefore making him qualified as an expert in advertising. He brings unique and interesting ideas to the table when it comes to producing an ad and he also well knowledge in web/ grap

hic design.

3. List three questions for further exploration now that you've completed your summer hours.

• What are the best ways to keep a consumer engaged to an advertisement while still keeping it professional?
• What kind of aesthetics are most important in making an advertisement? 

• What is the best way to ensure that an advertisement will meet a consumers needs for a product?

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

The most important thing I learned and gained from this experience is being able to multi-task with limited time on the clock. Especially in a small business, there is a lot of work for one person. Also not procrastinating on anything is a big plus. This is all because as an adult, you learn to handle a lot of things and become responsible by putting priorities first.  

5. What is your senior project topic going to be?  How did mentorship help you make your decision?  Please explain.

My senior topic is going to be on Forensic sciences. I was interested in forensic sciences as well as advertising so I got a taste of advertising. It was very interesting and I learned a lot but I don't think it would be good for a senior topic. This mentorship helped me which my decision by eliminating a choice for me.

Blog 1 - Senior Final Lesson/Interview Reflection

1.  What three lessons were most helpful for you to see, and why?
The three most helpful lessons for me to see was Senior Citizen Services by Caroline S., Clinical Psychology by Aaron M. and Primary Care by Joseph G. because they were all very professional and seemed prepared. They were all very organized, entertaining and answered their EQ well. However from these lessons, I also learned not to get your nerves get to you and to be enthusiastic but professional.

2. List one thing that you learned about the senior project in interviews that will help you get off to a good start?

One key important factor that I learned about senior project from interviews is that it is very important to break down your EQ and define its terms. This can lead to your audience understanding your EQ thoroughly and thus understanding your topic more clearly, which will keep your audience engaged.

3. What topic(s) are you considering, and why?

I am considering Forensic Science as a topic for senior project because I think it is a very interesting and exciting topic. Although Forensic Science is a broad topic, I can go more into depth about Criminalistics which is basically C.S.I. I love this topic but I don't know much about it which is why I think it is a good topic for my senior project.

4. What EQ do you think might be interesting to consider in guiding a project like this? (Please don't worry about any sort of formula...we want this question to come from your genuine interest).

What can a Criminalist do to best insure that a crime scene has been thoroughly examined?

5. What are some ideas you have about finding summer mentors?

Some ideas about finding summer mentors for my potential topic is to write a formal letter of what I need to do and why I think that person is a good mentor for my topic. Also, go to my local police department and ask a member from the forensic unit if they are willing to be my mentor.