Capstone isn’t just about completing a project, it’s not about getting a grade to pass. It’s taught me that it’s more than that. It’s about community interactment, doing something good for your community, and exploring new things on your own without help from others. It’s a chance to show your creativity and independence. You can choose any project you want but the end result typically is the same for everyone, you’ve grown as a person in some way. Whether it’s learning to stay consistent with your work, actually turning things in, communicating with others, or even having better presentation skills, there’s always something you gain from capstone. For my capstone, I was fortunate enough to collect donations to make gift bags to Manchester Memorial Hospital’s colon cancer patients. I started off by decorating tissue boxes and making them look presentable enough so I can then put them around different locations to collect money. With each box I made sure to attach an informational brochure to inform the public about basic colon cancer facts. I figured that colon cancer is such a silent killer that deserves more awareness and what perfect way than to donate.
I won’t lie, throughout this project I have faced many obstacles. I feared that I would fall behind and had many “what if’ moments. I was scared I wouldn’t get enough donations and there actually were times where I didn’t get as much as I hoped but I reminded myself that it doesn’t matter how much I collect, all that matters is that I donate. While choosing my capstone I had no idea what to do or how to start the donations. The beginning of capstone, I was confused and found this project pointless since it’s just a project but I was wrong. Yes, there were times where I got tired and still found it pointless but in the end you learn so much. You see how you grow as an adult and as I mentioned earlier, you spark your creativity in a way you can’t possibly imagine. It’s scary doing things on your own. It’s scary to grow up, but what can you do. Capstone is a good way to slowly start getting into the adult world. Academically, I learned that it’s still harder for me to be consistent on something for a very long time, however, I still manage to push and get it done. One thing that stressed me out the most about capstone was the pressure. The pressure from everyone around you to get things done at a certain date. The first phone call and email with my mentor was absolutely terrifying for someone with social anxiety… well the phone call part at least. Even the career research was nerve wracking. Don’t get me wrong, I was super excited but it can be scary interviewing a stranger, especially if you're awkward. It was also hard to find a doctor to interview considering almost every doctor I wanted to interview was busy. Now, the presentation piece at first was the most terrifying part. Normally presenting is scary but since I barely looked at the board for capstone and made eye contact with everyone, it was even more scary. Of course over time and practice, you become better and presenting gets easier and easier. You start to memorize more and realize you’re just talking to peers and most of the time, they’re just as nervous as you are so they won’t judge. Everyone’s so supportive with the presenting part because I won’t lie, it’s intimidating at times.
My project resulted in donating to the hospital and being able to make patients happy. It resulted in me having opportunities to job shadow in the future since I was involved and even internships if I wanted. A particular event during this capstone got me more involved and saw things differently. The time I went to tour the facility. It was small and quiet. It made me see how their living environment is and how serious this was. It was pretty bland in the facility but they tried their best to make it look alive. At that moment I knew I had to do something for their comfort since that’s the hospital's main priority since their treatment is already painful enough for them. I was able to serve my community by giving back to my local hospital. It was to show the patients that they aren’t alone and someone out there cares for them. I was able to help out in any way that I could. If I were to do this project again, one thing I’d do differently is get my boxes out sooner and stop procrastinating to decorate them since they’re very time consuming. I’d also try to find more than nine places to place the boxes at and maybe even go to local events and sell things. As mentioned earlier, capstone impacted me in a lot of ways. From my time and commitment, to consistency, to getting out of my comfort zone, they will all effect my future. I’m able to plan things better now because of the time and commitment I have to certain things. I have learned to stay consistent with many things in life, especially with things I can’t control and to not give up. It taught me to get out of my comfort zone because trying new things will be worth it, even if it’s scary. It’s an important life skill. However, most importantly, it taught me to balance everything in my life and be creative in my own work but also own up to my actions, which shows leadership. Capstone can be a handful even though it’s easy. It’s super time consuming but it’s a beautiful outcome to experience.