Get ready, set - go!
When asked to create a capstone that embodies the core values of Science Leadership Academy, inquiry couldn’t be a better starting point for executing this project. In the beginning, there were so many questions to be asked, so many that were answered and some that got tangled in the web of ideas that hung above my head. The dangling web above my head began to crawl into sense, my initial project was to instruct Zumba sessions bi-weekly at school. The collaboration aspect began to spread like wildfire, as many participants enjoyed working out and having fun. The element of globalization was a success; the spread of ideas with physical fitness being a normal part of everyday life was achieved. I provided a resource for the community to work out - even if it meant trying new things. The reflection process came early; this project had come to and end because of my physical conditions. Instructing became very difficult, but there was a definite weight on my shoulders not to let the community down. Thus, the transition into Paige Wayman’s boot camp began. While it wasn’t easy or always very lucid, there still was a resource for the people in the community to work out. The only catch was it was girls only!
Given my circumstances, I had to change my capstone because of the physical aspects. What drove my original capstone was the question, “How can I engage those of the SLA community who are interested in physical fitness?” I knew that whatever my capstone would be, it had to be appealing. That’s one of the main reasons I chose to teach Zumba classes. Now that my feet condition hinders me from doing a lot of physical activity, I had to modify my essential question. So I asked myself, “How can I still contribute something to the community without being able to use my feet?” My new capstone couldn’t be fitness related, because from the waist down, the pain is too immense. I’m only really able to use my upper body.
Along the new collaboration with Paige Wayman, the original problem remained. My physical conditions worsened, and my ability to walk lessened. It was a hard concept for the community to grasp, and emotions rose high. The new transition into another capstone became the Marching Soles Shoe Drive. The idea came about during capstone week, where the core values realigned themselves in my thoughts. It was the perfect way to spread the idea of giving back to the community, even with something simple. While many others had (clothing) drives of their own, shoes became a unique juxtaposition to the pre-existing capstones. Why shoes? That is the question that steered the wheel of research, collaboration, presentation and reflection. The combination of two capstones and other mini projects all came from the idea of capstones in general. The greatest lesson overall is the realization that these projects were a learning process.
The learning continued with a new journey, Marching Soles Shoe Drive. Collecting information from the library, the annotated bibliography began to add layers to it. The topics that grew from this subject were immense. As I began to flip through the pages of texts, I found researching the history of shoes to be interesting. There is no one inventor of "the shoe" that we wear today. Since the beginning of time, there are images that seem to depict humans wearing shoes. Even on the pyramids of Egypt, people are seen with some sort of sandal to protect the feet. Perhaps they weren’t called shoes (for more than language differences). The role that shoes played in prehistoric time varies, but it is assumed that humans did not always wear shoes. Walking barefoot was quite a normality, being that there was no thought of it. The physical structure of feet have adapted to the way humans have changed lifestyles. If one were to walk barefoot down Market Street, there is no telling what would happen. We have created things such as cemented sidewalks and streets that change the way the body responds. Walking on sand/dirt is far different from any other surface. These issues and ideas continue to revolutionize the way we think about ourselves.
Generally, doctors would agree that it is important to protect the feet from any danger that may arise while walking barefoot. However, many people in the world cannot afford the proper protection. Even those with financial stability still buy shoes that could make them prone to deformities. In 19th century Asia, the custom of foot binding was important for women. Smaller feet were seen as more appealing to society. These standards of beauty didn’t rest in Asia until the end of the 20th century. Still, there is a common standard in society for women to have small feet. Asia is the creator of many of the United State’s shoe products. The measurements for how big or small to make a shoe is based off of the feet of women there (who have for centuries bound their feet). Hence, the trend of pointy shoes or rounded shoes has become a normality in our lives. However, the proper footwear would be a shoe that is more squared - but to society this would almost be a sin. The opinion of the top fashion influencers is that square shoes aren’t in style (with the exception of some combat boots). What looks nice isn’t always good for the body, and this is a lesson that many of us still cannot accept.
The lack of awareness in relation to proper footwear is sickening. What’s even more sickening is the conditions that the factory workers are forced to endure while making the shoes we wear. As Americans, we almost don’t think twice about putting on a pair of shoes. However, for many people in second/third world countries, finding a pair of shoes to wear in general is a lifetime struggle. We can look at a closet full of shoes and still complain that we have nothing to wear on our feet, simply because it doesn’t match an outfit. Having the shoe drive brought many others and myself to the realization that we should give back the things that we don’t want/use or need. Many dug through their closets to find a pair of shoes to donate, and contributed something small in hopes of a greater outcome. Making a change in the community with something as small as a shoe drive was very rewarding. It sparked many other projects after this as well. I am constantly reflecting on my experiences as a student of SLA, and implementing the core values into my everyday life through capstones such as the ones I did senior year.
Some important lessons learned were that not everything goes as planned, and that’s okay. It is important to learn from mistakes, such as those with collaboration and presentation. During the process, I kept a brief journal of the way I felt of at the time about this learning experience. Here is an excerpt of what was said, “For me personally, this process has basically been frustrating. I can’t do the capstone that I would really like to do, for more reasons than one. Combining the capstone worked for a while, but it was the influence of other people that grew on my partner, and that third party created more challenges for remaining together. As a professional, I cannot work with someone who has an excessive amount of baggage. I try to keep things as professional as possible, and when a ton of drama comes into the situation, it makes it harder mentally to stay afloat.”
Reflecting on this now, it does seem that I was a bit moved by the dramatic events that surrounded combining a capstone. However, it took the experience happening to grow from it. Again, not everything will work out as planned (and that’s still okay). If everything had gone as planned, there wouldn’t be as much learning happening. All of the thoughts in my brain would continue to be right, and no criticism would be taken seriously. Learning from mistakes is a beautiful thing, especially when there is a second chance or opportunity to use the lessons learned in something else. My second capstone was another opportunity to take the lessons I learned previously and apply them thoroughly. Even with the new tools under my belt, I realized how to cope with other issues, such as physical impairment. There were things planned to happen with the Marching Soles capstone that never happened. Partially, because I felt overwhelmed within my community. However, that didn’t stop the project from being a success. The feedback I received from doing the capstone was tremendous, and the other opportunities that sprung from it were rewarding.
Being asked to speak about my capstone experience to a live audience was humbling, but was interrupted by surgery. The challenges of struggling to walk became clear after the surgery (bunionectomy). A beautiful blue boot was laced on my left foot for a month. Here, the process of understanding began. I was able to spread knowledge yet again to my fellow peers and community. Yet, through all of this I persevered; this makes a champion. For the majority of the time I was fighting a battle that many couldn’t see, even some didn’t believe me. However, the reality of it is that I couldn’t let the impairment hold me back from achieving great things and making an impact on my community.
Measuring success on how large or extravagant something is will never fully show the progress and lessons gained from it. The end point of something great almost always starts with something small. Whether it is giving the homeless man on the dollar some change, or hosting a shoe drive; you have made a difference. This small change could be the spark of something larger than imagined. Often, this is the general idea of giving back, to a cause greater than yourself. I’ve taken all of the memories created from constructing these projects and made them a building block for future references. The feedback from the community really made appreciate the people in my school and community much more. It is easier to get lost in the though of no one caring about the things you do. In reality, this is not the truth – the simple and subtle forms of support speak the loudest.
Given my circumstances, I had to change my capstone because of the physical aspects. What drove my original capstone was the question, “How can I engage those of the SLA community who are interested in physical fitness?” I knew that whatever my capstone would be, it had to be appealing. That’s one of the main reasons I chose to teach Zumba classes. Now that my feet condition hinders me from doing a lot of physical activity, I had to modify my essential question. So I asked myself, “How can I still contribute something to the community without being able to use my feet?” My new capstone couldn’t be fitness related, because from the waist down, the pain is too immense. I’m only really able to use my upper body.
Along the new collaboration with Paige Wayman, the original problem remained. My physical conditions worsened, and my ability to walk lessened. It was a hard concept for the community to grasp, and emotions rose high. The new transition into another capstone became the Marching Soles Shoe Drive. The idea came about during capstone week, where the core values realigned themselves in my thoughts. It was the perfect way to spread the idea of giving back to the community, even with something simple. While many others had (clothing) drives of their own, shoes became a unique juxtaposition to the pre-existing capstones. Why shoes? That is the question that steered the wheel of research, collaboration, presentation and reflection. The combination of two capstones and other mini projects all came from the idea of capstones in general. The greatest lesson overall is the realization that these projects were a learning process.
The learning continued with a new journey, Marching Soles Shoe Drive. Collecting information from the library, the annotated bibliography began to add layers to it. The topics that grew from this subject were immense. As I began to flip through the pages of texts, I found researching the history of shoes to be interesting. There is no one inventor of "the shoe" that we wear today. Since the beginning of time, there are images that seem to depict humans wearing shoes. Even on the pyramids of Egypt, people are seen with some sort of sandal to protect the feet. Perhaps they weren’t called shoes (for more than language differences). The role that shoes played in prehistoric time varies, but it is assumed that humans did not always wear shoes. Walking barefoot was quite a normality, being that there was no thought of it. The physical structure of feet have adapted to the way humans have changed lifestyles. If one were to walk barefoot down Market Street, there is no telling what would happen. We have created things such as cemented sidewalks and streets that change the way the body responds. Walking on sand/dirt is far different from any other surface. These issues and ideas continue to revolutionize the way we think about ourselves.
Generally, doctors would agree that it is important to protect the feet from any danger that may arise while walking barefoot. However, many people in the world cannot afford the proper protection. Even those with financial stability still buy shoes that could make them prone to deformities. In 19th century Asia, the custom of foot binding was important for women. Smaller feet were seen as more appealing to society. These standards of beauty didn’t rest in Asia until the end of the 20th century. Still, there is a common standard in society for women to have small feet. Asia is the creator of many of the United State’s shoe products. The measurements for how big or small to make a shoe is based off of the feet of women there (who have for centuries bound their feet). Hence, the trend of pointy shoes or rounded shoes has become a normality in our lives. However, the proper footwear would be a shoe that is more squared - but to society this would almost be a sin. The opinion of the top fashion influencers is that square shoes aren’t in style (with the exception of some combat boots). What looks nice isn’t always good for the body, and this is a lesson that many of us still cannot accept.
The lack of awareness in relation to proper footwear is sickening. What’s even more sickening is the conditions that the factory workers are forced to endure while making the shoes we wear. As Americans, we almost don’t think twice about putting on a pair of shoes. However, for many people in second/third world countries, finding a pair of shoes to wear in general is a lifetime struggle. We can look at a closet full of shoes and still complain that we have nothing to wear on our feet, simply because it doesn’t match an outfit. Having the shoe drive brought many others and myself to the realization that we should give back the things that we don’t want/use or need. Many dug through their closets to find a pair of shoes to donate, and contributed something small in hopes of a greater outcome. Making a change in the community with something as small as a shoe drive was very rewarding. It sparked many other projects after this as well. I am constantly reflecting on my experiences as a student of SLA, and implementing the core values into my everyday life through capstones such as the ones I did senior year.
Some important lessons learned were that not everything goes as planned, and that’s okay. It is important to learn from mistakes, such as those with collaboration and presentation. During the process, I kept a brief journal of the way I felt of at the time about this learning experience. Here is an excerpt of what was said, “For me personally, this process has basically been frustrating. I can’t do the capstone that I would really like to do, for more reasons than one. Combining the capstone worked for a while, but it was the influence of other people that grew on my partner, and that third party created more challenges for remaining together. As a professional, I cannot work with someone who has an excessive amount of baggage. I try to keep things as professional as possible, and when a ton of drama comes into the situation, it makes it harder mentally to stay afloat.”
Reflecting on this now, it does seem that I was a bit moved by the dramatic events that surrounded combining a capstone. However, it took the experience happening to grow from it. Again, not everything will work out as planned (and that’s still okay). If everything had gone as planned, there wouldn’t be as much learning happening. All of the thoughts in my brain would continue to be right, and no criticism would be taken seriously. Learning from mistakes is a beautiful thing, especially when there is a second chance or opportunity to use the lessons learned in something else. My second capstone was another opportunity to take the lessons I learned previously and apply them thoroughly. Even with the new tools under my belt, I realized how to cope with other issues, such as physical impairment. There were things planned to happen with the Marching Soles capstone that never happened. Partially, because I felt overwhelmed within my community. However, that didn’t stop the project from being a success. The feedback I received from doing the capstone was tremendous, and the other opportunities that sprung from it were rewarding.
Being asked to speak about my capstone experience to a live audience was humbling, but was interrupted by surgery. The challenges of struggling to walk became clear after the surgery (bunionectomy). A beautiful blue boot was laced on my left foot for a month. Here, the process of understanding began. I was able to spread knowledge yet again to my fellow peers and community. Yet, through all of this I persevered; this makes a champion. For the majority of the time I was fighting a battle that many couldn’t see, even some didn’t believe me. However, the reality of it is that I couldn’t let the impairment hold me back from achieving great things and making an impact on my community.
Measuring success on how large or extravagant something is will never fully show the progress and lessons gained from it. The end point of something great almost always starts with something small. Whether it is giving the homeless man on the dollar some change, or hosting a shoe drive; you have made a difference. This small change could be the spark of something larger than imagined. Often, this is the general idea of giving back, to a cause greater than yourself. I’ve taken all of the memories created from constructing these projects and made them a building block for future references. The feedback from the community really made appreciate the people in my school and community much more. It is easier to get lost in the though of no one caring about the things you do. In reality, this is not the truth – the simple and subtle forms of support speak the loudest.