Blog 22

(1) Positive Statement

What are you most proud of in your Block Presentation and/or your senior project? Why?

I was most proud of my speaking and content. I feel I was very confident, thorough and informative towards the audience.


(2) Questions to Consider

a.     What assessment would you give yourself on your Block Presentation (self-assessment)?

AE

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

P

(3) What worked for you in your senior project?

My mentorship was by far the best part of my senior project. It helped me a lot throughout the year gathering research and information.

(4) (What didn't work) If you had a time machine, what would have you done differently to improve your senior project if you could go back in time?

Be better at deadlines. I waited til the last minute for a few components.

(5) Finding Value

How has the senior project been helpful to you in your future endeavors?   Be specific and use examples.

I believe that the senior project has shown me how to accomplish long term goals. I've been planning this since August 2013, so it really allows me to put the planning skills to use in future projects and endeavors.

blog 20

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

My EQ is "What is the best way a Union Station worker can successfully aid the homeless in getting off the streets of LA?" My answers were "provide them with proper housing", "introduce them to Sources at Union Station" or "volunteer and help the cause first hand".

My best answer is "volunteer and help the cause first hand", because I believe that with a global problem such as homelessness, being able to help directly would have the largest affect on the community.  When people can volunteer, they are able to get a deeper meaning and understanding of the problem, therefore making it, in my opinion, easier to connect with the clients and work with them more effectively.

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

Volunteering myself was very helpful to me. It let me really see how much work goes into the process of helping homeless recover and get themselves back on their feet and living independently. Looking at my other answers, they weren't really something that just anyone can contribute to. With volunteering, literally anyone can help and contribute.

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

My biggest problem was actually finding my 3rd answer. I was talking to my mentor about it, and she asked me what my first two were. I told her and she basically told me, how do people find about these programs? How does Union Station get the resources to be able to run these program to aid the homeless? They recruit volunteers. Volunteers are what help make the program work so efficiently and successfully.

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

My two most significant were my mentor Octavia Sisley and a book called Housing the Homeless. For Housing the Homeless,it gives me insight on how to properly accommodate the homeless in providing housing, what kind of standards should the housing be, and how long should they be prepared to stay in the housing. My mentor was by far my biggest help, however. She's been volunteering for Union Station for 15 years before being hired 2 years ago. She has insight and information on literally every single thing that goes on within the organization, and her knowledge of homelessness was a huge help for me.

blog 21

Literal

·     Octavia Sisley, Union Station Homeless Service

Interpretive

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

I think understanding how much more work is put into homeless services than just serving meals. It takes a lot of dedication, planning and understanding of your clients to be able to successfully aid in ending homelessness.

  Applied

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

It helped me form my first two answers by just understanding how the whole organization works, and understanding how the main goal of Union Station is to provide housing, as well as getting as many homeless to come into the intake center at Passageways.

blog 19

Organizing dinner in the park event

Volunteer files 

Work station

Organized files after all my hard work

LITERAL
(a) “I, student name, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.”
(b) My mentor, Octavia Sisley.
(c) Provide a digital spreadsheet (aka log of the 30 hours).   Post it next to your mentorship log.
(d) I aided my mentor in filing and recording volunteer hours, as well as planning activities for future events. We helped renovate the Family Center, as well as cleaning out old storage room to put more up to date equipment in.  
INTERPRETIVE 
Defend your work and explain how the significant parts of your component and how it demonstrates 30 hours of work.   Provide evidence (photos, transcript, art work, videos, etc) of the 30 hours of work.  


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

I think the biggest part was helping to renovate the Family Center, where it allowed me to better understand what exactly sufficient housing is for our clients. I am able to understand their needs, how to accommodate them and aid them in living comfortably.

Blog 12 revised (again)

1. Tell me about the different housing options clients have here at Union Station. How are they different, how are they similar?

2. Which have you had experience working in? 

3. Is there anything you especially like about one of the facilities?

4. Do you have a favorite facility? In terms of either, what they do inside there, or favorite in terms of favorite to do work inside of?

5. How much of an impact on the homeless community do you think each facility has?

6. Which has the largest impact?

7. Can you tell me about the new facility, Del Mar?

8. How long had Del Mar been in the works? 

9. Do you expect it to be just as, if not more important than the other facilities already in place? 

10. If you had to work in one of those facilities for the rest of your career, which would you choose? Why?

blog 15

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

I plan to do 30 hours of extra membership at the different facilities of Union Station Homeless Services.

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

I will keep a log as well as take pictures of my experiences and activities.

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

I will be working in all the housing facilities, understanding them more and experiencing how they all work and function.


4.  Post a log on the right hand side of your blog near your other logs and call it the independent component 2 log.

Blog 12 revised

blog 12

1. What's the best thing about this job, in your eyes?

2. Is there ever a time you think about getting a different job, or wishing you never got into this organization?

3. How has doing this as a career changed you?

4. Do you see yourself doing this until retirement?

5. What makes this so enjoyable to you?

6. If the college you saw what you were doing right now, what would their reaction be?

7.  If you had to make a pitch to someone to get into this organization, what would that pitch be? What would you say?

8. What is one thing about this career that makes it more unique than others?

9. If you had to talk someone into chasing this a career, what would you pitch to them?

10. Name one moment that speaks to you the most. Like, where you just thought "man, I love my job" when it happened.