We Happen Project Reflection
We Happen Project Reflection
When I started this project, I didn’t really have prior knowledge on the topic of homelessness, but as the project progressed, I learned more and more on the subject. While doing research on different non-profit organizations, I came upon a quote I really enjoyed. It read “I may not have the best of everything, but I make the best of everything”. This quote stood out to me because It’s a true representation of the life that homeless people live. I had one of the largest groups in the project, at 7 people. Diego, Ricky, Hailey, Pablo, Jenny, Jaziel, and I were all in a group to tackle the challenge of homelessness. Throughout the project I grew as a student by problem solving, working with my peers, and working with a panel of experts.
The first way that I grew as a student was through problem solving. I problem solved a lot during this project, probably more than we should have. Whenever we ran into a problem, my whole group would pitch in and find a solution. An example of when we had to problem solve was with time restraints. On the first 2 presentations we presented, we had trouble finishing in the time given. It may have been the fact that we had such a large group, but it was simply just difficult for us to focus and get work done. A few days before the presentation, we all pitched in and worked nonstop without distractions in order to finish. This helped me grow as a student overall because I learned from my mistakes during this project. Next time I'll focus more and communicate more with my group. While problem solving played a big role in the project, so did teamwork and working with my peers.
I worked a lot with my peers during this project. I think that teamwork was one of the most important skills for this project, especially with a group of 7. Not just teamwork, but communication was also an important skill for this project. When creating the presentation, we were all assigned jobs and split the work evenly. This way, things would get done faster and more efficiently. I think teamwork is an overall skill that is vital for the work we do at High Tech High, and was definitely well used during this project. I grew as a student during this project from teamwork alone because this is one of the biggest groups that I’ve had at my time at the school, and I now know how to work with large quantities of people. I worked well with my peers during this project, but I also worked with a panel of experts to further my learning.
During this project, we worked with a panel of expert non-profit organization owners, volunteers, or employees. They came to view our presentation and grade us accordingly. That was my first time presenting in front of people who actually are experts on the subject (besides my teachers). It was a different experience but one that will be useful and it was good practice for my future when I will often be presenting to experts on the subject. My group and I got feedback from the panel after the presentation on how we did, and I was somewhat impressed considering the size of our group and the preparedness of our speech. We were fully prepared, although some of our ideas weren’t all to realistic. Instead of saying “bad”, they instead lead us in the right direction and I think our non-profit will benefit because of it. I grew as a student when presenting in front of a panel of experts because it was first for me, but a skill and experience to remember because it will be useful for my future.
Throughout the project I grew as a student by problem solving, working with my peers, and working with a panel of experts. During this project I expressed the importance of solving problems with your group, which is very useful and important for any situation, not just school. I also covered teamwork, and how it can be one of the most important skills for the school, and my future. Lastly, I talked about the importance of public speaking in front of a panel of your peers and experts on the topic, and how useful it can be. All of this matters because without these 3 skills, and other scholarly skills, It would be a lot harder to get school work done, get farther in your school work, and have a bright future.
We Happen Project Description (Link)
Presentation 1
Presentation 2 and 3