Cosmetic Surgery IRR

• September 24, 2018

• For this project, I worked with a group (Joshua Kalakoti, Jessie Mayo, Jessilyn Tran, and Kaitlyn Yu), focusing on the social and historical lens of cosmetic surgery. Through research, I identified the origins of plastic surgery, causes as well as effects of negative self-image, and multiple perspectives. Looking through the IRR, no bias is present, and the multiple perspectives (cosmetic surgeons, psychologists, related organizations) provide a logical assessment of each side of the debate on whether cosmetic surgery is harmful or beneficial to today's society. Each team member researched credible and reliable sources to use as evidence within our various perspectives, ranging from social and economic to political and technological. 

• Skills used: time management, organization, research, teamwork, determination, problem-solving

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Illegal Immigration IRR/Presentation

• December 20, 2018 (IRR), January 8, 2019 (Presentation)

• For this project, I worked with a group (Jessie Mayo, Joshua Kalakoti, and Sweety Tiwari), looking at the social lens of illegal immigration in the United States in regards to the Mexican border. Along with my written IRR, my group and I created a presentation to display our findings and solutions to the problem at hand. Solutions include: addressing the issue through learning and understanding, creating a wall along the border, and adding stricter laws and law enforcement. The lenses we looked through include social, ethical, political, and economic. Jessie, Josh, Sweety, and I remained calm, unbiased, and productive during the research process, allowing us to transfer credible information from our individual essays into the presentation that we shared in class to our peers. ​

• Skills used: time management, organization, research, teamwork, determination, problem-solving, presentational speaking

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Video Games and Obesity IWA/Presentation

• March 21, 2019 (IWA), April 1, 2019 (Presentation)

• For this project, I worked alone inside and outside of class to develop a strong argument as to why video games are beneficial or harmful for children's physical health: more specifically obesity. From the provided stimulus packet, the topic I used was video-games from Jane McGonigal's TedTalk, and I linked it with obesity. Ultimately, I chose that video games do cause obesity because the argument had the most evidence; however, counterarguments arose that exergaming allows children to lose weight by having fun, and video games are healthier than watching TV. Despite these oppositions, video-games are contributed to Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, Type II Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disease, Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, and Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome. All of the perspectives, lenses, and evidence that I used are displayed in the presentation on the right of your screen, going in depth on the topic itself. 

• Skills used: time management, organization, research, determination, problem-solving, presentational speaking

Creative Short Story: Scarlet

• February 8, 2019

• For this project, the main objective was to create a short story in a chosen genre- in this case, I picked a mixture of mystery and romance. Scarlet is the main character in my short story, her father is a convicted murderer, and throughout the plot, Scarlet's inner demons come out in response to hatred and loneliness. Additionally, Scarlet tries to figure out if her father is truly the monster of Stonebrook, Ohio. The project was designed to encourage detailed descriptions, developed characters, sensory imagery, figurative language, plot, dialog, and in-depth thought processes. 

• Skills used: time management, brainstorming, creativity, determination, organization of thoughts, deep thoughts

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Poetry Compilation

• March 25, 2019

• For this project, I ​demonstrated my flexibility in poetry, writing about my feelings, experiences, and dreams in various types of poetry styles. While some of the poems are surface-level by nature, depending on the genre, others required me to step back and observe myself in order to capture a deeper meaning that reflects my childhood as an up-and-coming writer. My favorite poem listed is "A Crush" because this particular piece perfectly displays my vulnerability and desire to be loved in a cruel, selfish world, which I believe a decent amount of young women can relate to. Finally, this miniature project encompasses my passion for writing poetry to make people feel a particular way, giving me a special type of power.

• Skills used: time management, brainstorming, creativity, determination, organization of thoughts, deep thoughts

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Creative Short Story: The Beauty in Snow

• April 10, 2019

• For this project, I focused on a season that is most typically associated with a cold and bare atmosphere, signifying how we all have a vulnerable side despite the armor we cover ourselves in when we are around others. Additionally, I created this piece in the first person for that same purpose to make the reader feel that I am talking about him or her, allowing me to expose inner insecurities, my favorite part of being a writer. Within the short story, snow is seen as the only pure thing left in the world, symbolizing peace and innocence. Finally, I used figurative language and imagery to further the meaning and drama of the piece, adding depth and feeling.

• Skills used: time management, brainstorming, creativity, determination, organization of thoughts, deep thoughts

"I Am From" Poem

• May 21, 2016 (7th), September 6, 2018 (10th)

• For this project, I focused on my childhood and what made me who I am today because the past is important to look back at especially when looking at progress. The objective of the assignment was to allow my teacher to get to know each one of his students and for the students to have a physical memory to resort back to in the future. Within the poem, I needed to include figurative language and sensory imagery. I have previously written an "I Am From" poem in 7th grade, so I can reflect back on my changes in lifestyles, personality, and views of my childhood. 

• Skills used: time management, brainstorming, creativity, determination, organization of thoughts, deep thoughts, reflection, presentational speaking

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Analytical Essay Over "The Welcome Table"

• February 14, 2019

• For this project, the main objective was to analyze a short story, in this case, "The Welcome Table" and explain how a character reacts to conflict, leading to the central theme. Within Alice Walker's story, Sister Clara stays positive despite discrimination based on her color and gender, adding to the theme that sacrifice leads to worthy gain. Within my analysis, I included figurative language as my evidence to highlight the deeper meanings behind Walker's words and to provide a quality understanding of the short story as well as its importance in real-world connections. 

• Skills used: time management, brainstorming, creativity, determination, organization of thoughts, deep thoughts

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Creative Short Story: Beautiful Creatures

• February 1, 2019

• For this project, I was required to write freely with guidelines such as staying within a word count of 1200 to 1500, using appropriate grammar and syntax, and including figurative language to develop characters as well as the plot in a short amount of time. My main character (protagonist), Winston, is stranded on an island and ventures into the castle on top of the hill where he finds an oddly perfect woman amongst the creepy interior of the building. This story was inspired slightly by The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell as well as an image of a castle on an island that I used as a reference for a quick write; therefore, the project was designed to be a creative outlet.

• Skills used:  time management, brainstorming, creativity, determination, organization of thoughts, deep thoughts

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Poetry Analysis Essay: Maya Angelou

• November 1, 2017

• For this project, I researched Maya Angelou in order to fully understand how her poetry identifies parts of her life that made her into a well-known poet. I chose to analyze Angelou's “Still I Rise” and “When Great Trees Fall” because I felt that they had a stronger and deeper meaning than one might think through figurative language. The main objective of the essay was to highlight a deeper understanding of poetry and connect experiences and words to the poet; therefore, Angelou’s use of personification and imagery highlight underlying motives of social minorities to alter America’s discriminatory views.

• Skills used:  time management, brainstorming, creativity, determination, organization of thoughts, deep thoughts

Science Fair: Volt Jolt (8th Grade)

• February 17, 2017 (Write Up), February 25, 2017

• For this project, my lab partner (Ilyena Joe) and I decided to look into the voltages of pennies submerged in various solutions for a given amount of time to see whether the electricity would increase or decrease. Substances varied from apple juice to vinegar to sugar and salt water, and the pennies used were made before 1982 because the percentage of copper in them was different from the ratio today. The main objective of the project was to design a well thought-out experiment using the scientific method and identify whether the hypothesis is correct or incorrect and understand why. Ilyena and I advanced to the Regional Science Fair in Plano, Texas where our project competed against other projects in the same category and grade level. 

• Skills used: time management, brainstorming, creativity, determination, organization of thoughts, deep thoughts, presentational speaking, teamwork

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Chemistry Water Project: Video

• April 6, 2019

• For this project, my partner (Ainsley Nelson) and I decided to go all out when creating a presentation to meet the criteria of describing the unique properties of water- H20. In this case, we decided a fun, comedic video would appeal to our classmates and make learning enjoyable. I was cast as the creepy advertiser, Strange Stephani, and myself while Ainsley was cast as Testimony Teresa, Chemistry Christina, and herself, allowing us to branch out into different roles as well as describe the properties of water among multiple scenes, backgrounds, and situations. Finally, Ainsley and I needed to include information about water's boiling point, freezing point, surface tension, heat of vaporization, latent heat, viscosity, cohesion, density, etc. 

• Skills used: time management, brainstorming, creativity, determination, organization of thoughts, presentational speaking, teamwork

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AP Psychology: Narcissism Project Video

• December 6, 2018

• For this project, I was grouped with Mahia Chowdhury, Kayla Thompson, and Ally Naukam), and we decided to create a news report about Narcissistic Personality Disorder. The objective of the project was to inform our classmates about how to identify, react to, and treat NPD. Our roles include Ally as a news anchor, Mahia as a news anchor and a testimony, Kayla as a professor, and myself as a news reporter as well as an interviewer. Throughout our presentation, we used visuals, various background locations, props, necessary information for understanding NPD, and hotlines for those affected by NPD. 

• Skills used: brainstorming, creativity, determination, organization of thoughts, deep thoughts, presentational speaking, teamwork​

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AP World: Review Shower Curtain

• May 15, 2019

• For this project, my partner (Sakina Mehdi) and I were required to make a creative representation of the important information for each of the six AP World time periods we discussed. We used a shower curtain, sharpies, pencils, and erasers as our materials, and our design was based on a tree, having the branches be each unit, the trunk filled with maps, and the leaves inside the tree encompass important figures, events, documents, and concepts. This preparation helped to prepare Sakina and I for the AP exam by requiring us to look back at the material we learned at the beginning, middle, and end of the course, refreshing our memories of the world's history.

• Skills used: brainstorming, creativity, determination, organization of thoughts, deep thoughts, teamwork