Capstone

Over the course of my senior year I have been researching on the problem of  resiliency, or the ability to move through obstacles, found in students, because it is not something that is taught or discussed in the classroom.  Many students who have the ability to succeed do not, because they are so afraid of failing. They are told they are not good enough or not smart enough, and no one is there to teach them otherwise. School is starting to focus so much on grades, rankings, SAT scores, and quantitative data that they forget to look at the individuals.

To solve my problem, I am creating a program called One Mind One World that will bring people together to talk about their strengths and inspire the community. However, I am also writing an elementary school curriculum. This curriculum will focus on working with elementary school children and giving them the tools and the knowledge to overcome adversity and be resilient. This curriculum is made up of varying parts that I will implement over a six weeks period. However, in the long-term, the hope would be that this curriculum would be continuous. The goal is to help students become more successful by teaching them to believe in their abilities.

When I graduate, I plan on majoring in Psychology and Sociology and working with people. I am not sure yet what my career will be, but I want to help inspire those around me. This project relates to my career goals, because I want everyone I meet and work with to feel confident in who they are. I have a firm belief that a lot of problems within individuals and within society are due to people feeling stuck. Some people never learned to deal with a challenge or never believed in their own success. Their own lack of belief validated their belief that they wouldn't have succeed in the first place.

I am extremely passionate about this topic! I am excited about my innovation, because it is tangible and I feel like I can make a difference! I am looking forward to the project and finally being able to put it all together.