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APPENDIX J

ePortfolio - Example Final Reflection Questions:


During the process of the Journey Project, we expect that students learn, grow and adapt. Reflection
is a large part of this. Students will need to be prepared to reflect on their own status, growth, and
through processes. While these reflections may be written in first person, responses must adhere to
all formal language and grammar standards. The following should also be expounded upon in
complete sentences:

RESEARCH TOPIC SELECTION WRITING FORMAL PAPER


1. How did you go about narrowing your topic selection? What made you decide on the
final topic?
Considering my career aspirations were reaffirmed by participating in a yearlong
internship at a local law firm, it was not hard to narrow my topic selection, as I already
knew I wanted to become an attorney. I chose to discuss environmental law because I
am passionate about environmentalism and sustainability, especially considering the
increasingly pressing issue of the climate crisis. I also chose to discuss bankruptcy law
due to my reading of several books focused on this topic by Elizabeth Warren.
2. While writing your paper, what did you learn about the research process?
I learned that there are immense amount of sources out there, but it requires a lot of
work to find ones relevant to what you are looking for. Initially, I struggled finding sources
that were not legal documents filled with jargon. After a lot of time spent online, I found
resources applicable to my essay. Ultimately, I learned researching requires persistence
and patience.
3. When you complete research in the future what will you keep or change about the
process?
I would get started much earlier so I would be able to talk about specific things I wanted
to discuss rather than molding my essay to what research I happened to find. I wish we
had more time to research in class to get help on finding the kinds of sources we were
looking for.
4. What did you find the most challenging in the process?
I found transitioning from topic to topic the most challenging. Considering the Pride
Paper is almost 15 pages, there is a large variance in these things. I wrote my paper in
chunks and did not compile it together or add transitions until close to the due date. In
the future, I would have tried to get my work done sooner so I could have had more time
to work on transitions, as this was the main issue with my paper although I did receive a
good grade.
5. How confident are you in completing formal research in college?
I am not confident in completing formal research in college. I feel this project taught me
how to cite sources and utilize certain documents but not how to research in the first
place. It would have been helpful to have been taught how to specifically complete
research rather than being let loose on a website.
PROFESSIONAL PARTNER
1. How was the research related to your professional hours? If your professional was not
directly related to your topic, what did you learn about the career/industry that can be
translated to any future professional setting?
My research on the career of an attorney was related to my mentor, the town manager of
Huntersville, since there are local laws that must be followed to run a town. I was able to
speak to many people who work with and for my mentor, including the town attorney,
which was very helpful. As someone interested in government and politics, I learned how
such things play out on a local level, especially with election season going on at the time
of my mentorship.
2. Can you describe the professional hours that you completed in terms of timing, quality of
experience, confidence in a new setting, challenges you faced, etc.
I attended three small meetings as well as a town hall meeting. In between these things I
completed basic paper work for the human resources department. I enjoyed speaking to
my town commissioners, the mayor, and really everyone I encountered in this
opportunity. I feel it was helpful to be exposed to a wide variety of individuals who
worked with and for my mentor since everyone plays a large role in how local
government runs, something I am interested in as an individual hoping to pursue a
career as an attorney. Although I spoke with many people, there was time to speak
specifically to my mentor in between meeting sessions. I felt he was genuinely invested
in being my mentor and was very interested in giving me helpful advice.
3. How did working with your professional affect your understanding of the topic area,
development of your project and/or the professional world
Being able to speak with my mentor as well as those who work for and with him
strengthened my knowledge of local government and how it runs. I hope to work in the
public sector, so this was really helpful to see others working behind the scenes for local
government. Considering I participated in a yearlong internship at a local law firm, I
believe mentoring with someone who did not explicitly follow the career path outlined in
my essay really benefited me, as I was exposed to something different that still
connected to my interests in government as well as my aspirations to work in the public
sector. I enjoyed specifically mentoring with Anthony Roberts, though, because he also
wanted to become an environmental attorney when he was younger. He explained his
change in career path and introduced me to the idea of participating in a joint degree
program with a Masters in Public Policy.
4. If your mentor contributed to the development of the product, how were they involved?
My mentor did not contribute to the development of my product.
PROJECT
1. How did you go about narrowing your project selection? What made you decide on the
final topic?
Considering my essay focused on environmental law, I felt it was quite easy to pick a
topic. I extended the ideas written in my essay and combined them with the topics
discussed in my mentorship with the town of Huntersville to develop lessons on
recycling. Environmentalism and sustainability are things I am passionate about, so I
already knew I hoped to create a product that helped better the Pine Lake community in
regards to these topics.
2. How did creating a product and completing the hours challenge you personally?
As a member of Green Team, I know our club has not always had support from faculty.
Within the past year, we’ve gotten a lot of no’s and maybe’s which we generally
accepted, despite knowing our ideas and projects were essential to our school
community. This project taught me to not take no for an answer and rather continue to
fight for my goals even when there is a lack of support. The concrete evidence gained
from this project will be used as proof that there is a need for environmental education at
Pine Lake. This challenged me by encouraging me to stretch the extent to which I will
fight for my ideas and beliefs.
Completing the mentor hours challenged me by forcing me to adapt to a new
environment and meet all new individuals within the course of one day. I am grateful for
this opportunity since I believe it strengthened my communication and professional skills
as a result of this challenge.
PRESENTATION
1. Do you feel prepared academically and emotionally for the presentation? If not, why?
Yes! We completed several public speaking exercises in senior seminar and have
experience with presenting from other courses.
2. What challenges did you face preparing and practicing the presentation?
I was worried I would talk too much, so I had to cut down on content and time myself
prior to the actual presentation to make sure I did not go over the maximum time. In the
end, I spoke for 12 minutes which was slightly above the minimum amount of time, which
is good.
3. How did you change or grow as a learner and as an individual? What “life skills” did you
acquire and how will they help you in the future?
I learned how to collect and present data as well as how to do so in a professional
manner. Some “life skills” I acquired include how to speak in front of an audience, how to
clearly communicate my ideas with others, and how to professionally present myself in
front of adults.
4. Other than time management, describe any obstacles you faced and how you overcame
them? If you had to go back and do parts of the project again, what would you do
differently?
While one of my goals was to make students engaged and have fun with lessons, I felt
they were at times too excited and a bit rowdy. I tried to overcome this by using my voice
to make them calm down. In the future, I would recruit other volunteers to teach the
classes. This would allow more attention to be given to each group so they don’t feel the
need to shout over their peers.
5. Based on the entire Journey Project experience, do you plan to pursue this field as a
career or area of study in college? If so, why? If not, why? Provide specific reasons.
Yes, I still plan to pursue a career as an attorney. I believe this career would give me the
platform to make a difference in whatever area I end up working in. However, I am still
unsure if I want to work specifically in environmental law. I do not know if I would be
ready to concentrate in an area as specific as environmental law in law school. I may
prefer to concentrate on constitutional law since that would not be bound me to a single
area of law.

***ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS FROM THE ONLINE DOCUMENT***

FINAL REFLECTIONS

1. What are your overall thoughts about the Journey Project?

The Journey Project can be very beneficial to students who do not know what career
they want to pursue. Further, I feel the project portion gives students the platform to
make a real impact, so long as they are willing to put the work in. I prefer the initial Pride
Project over the Journey Project since it seems to be more professional in terms of
presentations and does not allow students to work in groups. I feel the reflection portion
would be beneficial if it was conducted in an interview rather than on paper, as this
would further strengthen professional skills and not seem as if it were just another school
assignment.

2. How did you feel about the Journey Fair evening event? Are there things we can do to
make it better? What would you do differently if you needed to do it again?
I enjoyed sharing my project with others, especially Pine Lake faculty since my product
was centered around our school community. While I would not do anything to make
specifically the event better, I would like to have been a bit more prepared in terms of
what to bring to the event. I felt a bit out of place without a physical product outside of my
laptop. I would have created a poster board with an overview of my project if I did the
Journey Fair again.

3. In retrospect, would to re-choose this same topic? partner? project? Explain.

I would definitely re-chose this same topic since I am positive I want to become an
attorney in the future. While I am not completely sure I want to go into environmental
law, I would strongly consider doing so and will continue with environmental activism into
the future. I enjoyed my work with my professional partner and felt it was valuable to
spend time with an accomplished adult who has similar interests to mine. Mentoring for
the town manager of Huntersvile allowed me to gain insight into the inner workings of
local government and a better idea of the educational path I want to pursue, as I now
would consider participating in a joint-degree program with a Masters in Public Policy like
my mentor. I am very proud of my project and hope to continue to work with this in the
future by using the data I collected as concrete evidence of the need for recycling and
environmental education at Pine Lake. I strongly believe there is power in every small
act when it comes to environmentalism and fighting against the climate crisis, so I hope
to encourage other students to adopt this kind of thinking when it comes to something as
seemingly simple as recycling.

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