Senior Project Reflection

1. Positive Statement

I'm most proud of my ability to communicate my knowledge to the students in my presentation, I feel as if I had their attention, because there was chuckles and full attention on me. I had talked to a couple of people in my presentation, they told me they felt like they learned new things through my presentation.

2. a) What assessment would you give yourself on your overall senior project? Why?

I feel like I deserve AE, because I did everything I was suppose to, I knew my information, and my answers. I tried to communicate it in a way where people will understand me, giving examples of strawberries and french fries and I think I communicated it well because my audience was entertained and I think that is a great sign of success, because my peers are my worst critics, so if they gave me a well-received response, I should get credit for that. I feel though that my strongest point was that I showed a relationship between exercise and nutrition, that they go hand-in-hand, thus everything else connected back to my EQ. I was assertive, I used up literally all my time, and I feel as though I communicated with my audience well. And my talking time was random stuff, it was all necessary, the only time I repeated myself was when I was connecting to things.

b) What assessment would you give yourself  on your senior project? Why?

P, because there were things that I was diligent about and there were things that still had room for improvement. But I feel like I reflected well through my 2-hour, and that is an overall overview of my senior project.

3. What worked for you in your senior project?

My independent component, definitely was a walk in the park. I never had an problem with that part of the project. Also, my 2-hour, I guess I feel most proudest because I didn't have much faith before I presented because of my poor experience in my 20-minute and the thought of failing and having to do it over again was scaring me, but I have to really thank Ms. Melogno for being calm, cool, and understanding. But, in the end the 2-hour just worked out.

4. What didn't work for you in your senior project?

My service learning, that was a hard experience, because I had contacted so many businesses and people, but nothing was working out. My service learning, wasn't directly related to my senior project, so I didn't get to have that experience others had. Also, my 20-minute, which I did poorly on, but that was on me, I was freaking myself out and the talking time and I blanked out and forgot everything I was suppose to talk about, but that just made me more determined to do better on my 2-hour.

5. Finding Value: How has the senior project been helpful to you in your future endeavors?

I can now say I understand the meaning of failing in some aspect. My service learning has taught me that yes, I'm not going to be successful all the time in getting what I need or want, but with some persistence everything will work out. I really feel as though consistently calling people to shadow them made me stronger more assertive, not scared anymore, and I got use to being rejected, which at first hurt my ego but it gave me thicker skin. Also, I learned that people are willing to help you, you would be surprised, especially when I explained to them my situation, they seemed generally interested, so I learned to think the best in people, human beings are good people. I feel like i learned a lot, some lessons are small, but during this whole processes I feel like I grew up, because with growing up, means taking responsibility and taking action, this whole senior project, really was a mini lesson to growing up.

2-Hour Presentation

2 Hour Presentation Rough Draft Lesson Plan

Service Learning

Literal

• Service Learning Log
• Gonzalo Najera, Number: (909)-596-7733 Ext. 2156

Interpretive

What is the most important thing you have gained from this experience? Why?

I most important thing I gained from my experience would have to be preparing food and learning what that entails, from that experience it has definitely put a new perspective on what I eat/put in my mouth. The food I prepare isn't always healthy, and seeing how the kitchen uses a lot of processed foods to make their food, showed me that looks can be deceiving. 

Applied

How did what you did help answer your EQ? Please Explain.

Well, my service learning isn't directly related to my EQ, but it does relate to one of my answers which has to do with nutrition. Often times, eating quick meals that others prepare for you is easier on yourself, but not on your health/body. Working in a kitchen, we would prepare food that wasn't always healthy for the general public that would buy the food, but it was easy for them. As far as it helping my EQ, it just gave me a sense of perspective on where food comes from and how it's being prepared.

Independent Component 2

Literal

a) I, Leah Rodarte, affirm I that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.
b) My independent component consist of doing a Zumba class and keeping a Food Journal.

Interpretive
My independent component focused on two aspects, fitness and nutrition. My Zumba class was the fitness part where I took an 1 hour or 2 hour classes each week to keep my body moving. My Zumba class added 41 hours for my independent component. The food journal was the nutrition part, where I keep a record of what I eat on a daily basis, a way for me to analyze what I am eating and to pick out the good and the bad. The food journal on average took me 5 minutes to fill out.

Applied
My essential question, " What is the best way to lose body fat?" My strongest answers are exercise and nutrition, my independent component focused on both of those answers. Zumba was the exercise aspect and the food journal was the nutrition aspect. By exercising I was burning calories, which in turn burned fat at a faster pace and the food journal helped me analyze my eating habits and separate the bad from the good. I learned that when you keep track of your eating habits your more inclined to be in tune which what your eating as opposed to not keeping track and being about to forget the bad habits.
Hours: 40+

Evidence
February/March Calender

 

Helping 2013

Who did you interview: Alyssa Mutas
What day and time: Wednesday, March 25, 2012, 12:40pm


1. What ideas do you have for your senior project and why?

• Answer: Hela Cells, they are cancer cells that can be read in a laboratory, they are the first human cell that can be read out of the body. I read about it through a book my aunt gave me, and it was really interesting and I want to research it because I want to be a Microbiologist. I want to cure cancer.  I would probably focus on the use of the cell, how its use has developed over time. 
• Feedback: I told her that her idea was good, and that she should focus on one specific topic as opposed to a general topic such as cancer, because there are different types of cancers and to broad a topic. I also told her to have a plan b just in case her chosen topic doesn't work out.

2. What do you plan to do to complete the 10 hours of service learning?

• Answer: My aunt is a Dean of a college in Maryland and she has a lot of connections with people from the City of Hope, so I'm trying to get an internship there for the summer, I sent her a resume to send to the people from City of Hope, so I'm waiting on that. For the 50 hours, I would plan to still work at the City of Hope.
• Feedback: I told her to have a back up for her service learning, that if that doesn't work out, she needs to be able to have a second or third choice. She said if City of Hope doesn't work out she would probably work at a near by hospital or college.

3. What do you hope to see and expect to see when watching the class of 2012  present their two hour presentations? 

• Answer: I'm not really sure, I don't know that much about the senior project. A few weeks ago, Edwards had a previous student give us a condensed version of her senior project on advertising. It was pretty intense, really well done, I'm just really excited to see how you guys make use of the time and not stutter away, because right now I'm thinking I'm going to stutter my way through my presentation
• Feedback: I told her that as long as she does her research, getting credible sources, doing research properly, by actually researching for a purpose than she will not have a problem presenting, that she will not stutter. I also told her that by researching and knowing the research like the back of her hand she will be fine, because she will have plenty to talk about in her 2 hour presentation. I also told her that if she ever has a problem presenting than, pretend to look at the audience, but instead look at the back of the wall, don't imagine them naked, it never works.

4.  What questions do they have about senior project? What additional recommendations would you give the 2013 student about senior project? 

• Questions:  What are you doing for your Senior Project? What is the hardest thing about senior year?
• Recommendation: I stressed the point of having a back up plan again, just in case things don't work out the way she wants them to she needs to have a back up plan, I couldn't stress that enough.  I also recommended, when she asked what is the hardest thing about senior year, that the most important thing to do during senior year is to prioritize her time and to be organized. I told her that the amount of things she will be doing are not hard, there are just a lot of things that have to be done in a short amount of time. I told her time management is her biggest priority and researching is important so she will know her topic like the back of her hand. I warned her that maintaining her service learning, independent component, maybe science fair project, if she is doing that will make things easier for her later on. 

Answers

1. Choose a physical activity you love.
2. Make healthy eating habits apart of your lifestyle.

Answer 3

EQ:  What is the best way to lose body fat?

Answer 3: Exercising, such as Zumba, speeds up the process of losing body fat.

Evidence:
      a. Zumba's benefits include, calorie burn, improved balance and muscle tone, and less body fat, among others.
      b. For every lb. of muscle gained, the body burns an extra 30-50 calories per day.
      c. Zumba prevents weight-loss plateaus by changing up the workouts.

Sources:
      a. "Zumba: Fun is Secret Ingredient of Latin Dance Workout" by Barbara Russi Sarnataro
      b. Fitness for Dummies by Suzanne Schlosberg and Liz Neporent
      c. "And the Beat Goes On" by Taryn Plumb

3-Column Chart

3-Column Chart

Room Creativity

1. How do you plan to address the room creativity expectation?
I think I would like to group people together according to the different Latin dances, such as cumbia, salsa, merengue, reggeaton, mambo, dances that are incorporated into Zumba. Also put bright colors in the room, but not anything to bright, like hot pink because that would be distracting and I'm also thinking of taking the desk out, to give the room more of the empty feel that exercise rooms.


2. What activity ideas do you have for answer 1 or 2?
Well my topic is Zumba, thus one of my activities would be Zumba. As for any other activities I'm still in the thinking process I am thinking of making a Jeopardy-like game where the groups are quizzed on nutrition. I know that I want to make all my activities-except for the the Zumba activity- interactive games that will make the groups work together while using what they learned from my answers to win these games. My third activity is still in the process of being thought of.

Research Check 14

Article: Mostly Plants
Author: Dean Ornish
Source: The American Journal of Cardiology

Literal(L): "Eat food. Mostly plants. Not to much." -Michael Pollan, The Omnivore's Dilemma
Interpretive(I): Ominivore's are people (not necessarially people but for this case yes) who eat both meat and plants. So my understanding from this guy is eating to my plant based produce is not always good, huumm.....

L: " there is a growing coverage of scientific evidence that an optimal diet is mostly plant based, consisting predominately of fruit, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and soy products. A healthful diet is also low in refined carbs, saturated fat, and trans fats and high in complex carbs with adequate omega-3 fatty acids."
I: Based on what Pollan said and based on what Ornish said, they are both walking a fine line between having the same/different philosophy when it comes to food..who to believe? When you have so much against and for meat.

L: "When most patients are diagnosed with hypercholesterolemia, they are usually advised to follow the dietary lines of the American Heart Assoication or the National Cholesterol Education Program. However, these moderate changes in diet usually result in only modest reductions in LDL cholesterol levels, at which point lipid-lowering drugs are usually prescribed. Most patients are not go en the option of making more intensive changes in diet and life-style such as a plant based diet, because of the belief that they will not follow them."
I: This is long, but it is becoming clear to me that the government or whoever is in charge of this, doctors, big meat and drug companies are all in a battle to make sure the people of every nation are subjectifiying themselves to the ways that they [those in charge] want us to,because if the government really wanted to end the obesity expansion that we have then they would have doctors take people off they're mods because that makes it to easy for everyone who is doing that to not solve the problem, but prolong the diseases, such as cholesterol same goes for meat that is supposedly great for humans, but I think it could be said that our teeth are an indication that we are not carnivores."

Research Check 13

Article: "Are These Foods Really Healthy?
Author: Danya Winter, RD
Site/Source: Prevention Magazine

Text:
"...Society for Neuroscience's conference in San Diego... researchers presented several studies neatly demonstrating that a particular type of trans fat attacked brain tissue, muddying thought and destroying memory.
My Thoughts:
I didn't know there were different types of trans fat, that is a good "look up" idea, if the brain is harmed in anyway then that will unintentional harm the body and one's healthy.

Text:
"...Rats eating trans fats made more errors than the vegetable oil group, they didn't seem to learn from previous trips through a maze. Granhholm (neuroscientist Lotta Granholm, PhD, director of the Center on Aging at the Medicial University of South Carolina) suspects that the trans fats were choking off a key neurological protein, possibly by inflaming the brain's tissue."
My Thoughts:
My question is could this possibly kill a person, granted when ur senses are not all there, you make reckless decisions, but that can also be said for why as a society we eat foods, fast food that we know are bad for us, but is also very addicting. Could it be a silent killer.

Text:
"Food manufacturers had began using a comparatively cheap new hybrid sweetener called high fructose corn syrup back in the late 1960s, and a few years later, rates of obesity and diabetes began to skyrocket."
My Thoughts:
Humm... Idea! Look up all things bad in foods, ingredients, man made ingredients that have cause or maybe causing obesity. Also the dangers of meat products they is a lot of controversy as to if they are healthy or harmful.

*Research Site: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

Text:
"These two ingredients- trans fat and high fructose corn syrup- are in 40% of the foods Americans eat every day. And a growing number of experts believe that both are contributing to the epidemic levels of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease in the U.S."

Answer 2

EQ:  What is the best way to lose body fat?

1. Answer 2: The most important aspect of losing body fat is eating nutritionally rich foods.

2. Evidence:
         a.  Do not cut out all fats. The body needs "good" fats, such as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat, to fight fatigue and control one's weight. Do cut out the "bad" fats, such as saturated and trans fat, which contribute to a number of health problems.
         b. To lose body fat, the body needs to be kept from switching to starvation mode, which increases fat storage, and the only way to do that is to eat nutritionally rich foods that fill the stomach up in small portion sizes.
         c. When one eats less, while exercising more, there creates a battle between the brain (telling you not to eat) and the subconscious (telling you your body needs food to function properly, which may cause overeating because the body has been starved). The subconscious always wins.

3. Sources:
      a. "Choosing Healthy Fats: Good fats, Bad fats, and the power of Omega-3 fats" by Melinda Smith, M.A., Maya W. Paul,  and Robert Segal, M.A.
      b. You on a Diet: The Owner's Manual for Waist Management by Michael R. Roizen, M.D. & Mehmet C. Oz, M.D.
      c. "Fat: What No One is Telling You". Audio Visual. PBS.org

The Product

My Product:
 Fully Understanding, "You are what you eat." (In clear words, I have come to understand that unhealthy foods are the main reason why my fat cells have grown, versus the major myth that exercise can cure body fat growth.) I choose this a my product because it is a simple concept but is often overlooked for exercise, but I found that not only does food help my body lessen the body fat, but it gives me energy and taste satisfaction.

Evidence:

• Food Journal (From Independent Component 2): The Food Journal, I had i mind to do for a while because it is an efficient way to keep track of what I am eating and so I am able to pin point what are some of the foods that are either holding me back or helping me succeed. The Food Journal has also kept me from eating certain items that are unhealthy, because it keeps me mindful versus being able to forget what I ate.

• 
• Interview 3:  My interviewee, Adrian Navar, is a personal trainer and when I asked him what he thinks is the best way to lose weight, he said it all starts with food, the type and the amount of food a person puts in their body. (In so many words) A lot of articles I have come across have pin pointed people's food habits as the main reason for obesity and Adrian, in so many words, also agrees.

Fourth Interview Questions

20-questions:

1. What is the best way to lose body fat?

2. What are some warn signs a person can look for to know whether they are getting the most out of their exercise?

3. What is the best way to measure a person's body fat?

4. What are pros/cons to using a scale to weight one's self?

5. Describe the processes of how fat cells work?

6. How much of an importance is there exercising when losing weight, compared to eating right?

7. What are attributes in a person that can make a person fail when trying to lose body fat?

8. What are the dangers of losing fat at a fast rate?

9. What are the affects of body type on body fat?

10.  What is hindering modern society in the issue of obesity that past decades and centuries have managed to  avoid?

11. How many calories would a person have to burn to lose a pound of fat?

12. What makes muscles useful in the body?

13. What is the difference between body weight and body fat?

14. Where in the body is it most harmful to have an overabundance of fat and why?

15. What are the most useful types of exercises that are close to fool-proof?

16. What is the a "rule of thumb" to know about nutrition when losing body fat?

17. Describe the different types of fats and what they are used for?

18. Describe the role that Leptin plays with body fat?

19. Where are you in the issue of the environmental role in obesity vs. the genetic role in obesity?

20. Which is worse: belly fat or thigh fat, and why?

Independent Component 2 Plan Approval

1.  Write a description of what you plan on doing for your independent study component?

I would like and plan to continue taking my Zumba class as my independent component. Also, I would like to have a food journal, to write down my eating habits, I am told it is a sure way to keep track of the food I put in my mouth.

2. Describe in detail  how you think your plan will meet the 30 hours work requirement?

My Zumba class is Monday-Friday, for one hour, in a month I could finish more than half the required hours,

plus, I would consider this class very crucial to my senior project. Also, if I were to do the food journal, that's a good 10 minutes at the most to account for the food that I eat, and 10 minutes add up.

3. How does this Independent Component relate to your EQ?

In the future I would like to incorporated Zumba in the 2-hour presentation, so taking a Zumba class will be beneficial to me in the long run. It also supports a possible answer to my EQ, it would support the answer of exercise being crucial to losing body fat. Zumba works all my body muscles, depending on how much effort I put in and that is vital to losing body fat.  

Independent Component 1

Literal:
(a) "I, Leah Rodarte, affirm that I completed  my independent component which represents 30 hours of work"

(b) My topic is Zumba, but my essential question is about losing body fat, so what better way than to take a Zumba class for my Independent Component. In the class, it was about enjoying your time while exercising in a high-intensity pace, so in that I completed a exercise class, with a twist of Latin-infused dances.

Interpretive: 
From Monday-Friday, I took a Zumba class for 1 hour, as I have said before, it was an high intensity Zumba class, where we did aerobic/latin dances. As part of my class, we did arm, ab, back, and leg workouts all in one song/routine. Some of songs my instructor incorporated in our class were reggageton, cumbia, hip-hop, and merengue. With any activity, it requires practice and working at it, to get better, that is what this Zumba class has meant for me, every time I go, I get better and my body and mind become healthier. That is pretty much all I can say to defend my work on this component. The most significant part of this component is learning as well as exercising to the latin songs, exercise is offend repetitive and in my mind time consuming, but with Zumba, I learned new things everyday and enjoyed excerising, which is alot of the times not found in traditional excerises.    

Applied:
My essential question is, "What is the best way to lose body fat?" Exercise has been a major component to any health lifestyle, whether it is used to lose body fat or maintain a health body. I had seen first hand what exercise can do for the goal of losing fat. Doing Zumba changed my body such as:
- I worked out muscles that I rarely ever work out.
- After I come out of my class, I feel this sense of satisfaction, because when a person exercises, the body releases endorphins, which blocks the feeling of pain.
- I have become more aware of what I'm eating.

Prime example that Zumba helps people lose fat and is an excellent fun way of exercising:
- My instructor, who use to be over 200 pounds, was trying to lose fat, through traditional ways of exercise, such as walking and running, yeah she was finding herself in a plateau, then she joined Zumba. Now-a-days, she is extremely fit, lean and muscular, and she has gained her muscles from doing Zumba.


Here is a link to the Calendar for my Independent Component:
Independent Component Calendar

Evidence:

Presentation 2 Rough Draft

Here is the link to my lesson plan:
20 Minute Lesson Plan

Answer 1

EQ: What is the best way to lose body fat?

1. The best way to lose body fat is: understanding that not all fat is bad; the body needs fat to live.

          2.         a. Fat storage is the sign of good health, it signals that metabolic resources are abundant and the organism is healthy. An extreme overabundance of body fat places stresses on the body and can be unhealthy. However, the degree of leanness (or lack of body fat) that is currently in vogue is probably just as unhealthy for up to 80% of the population.

      b. Leptin is a strong suppressor of appetite and food intake. As your body fat rises, more leptin is    produced and your appetite declines so that your body fat stabilizes. If your body fat falls, your          leptin production declines and your appetite is disinhibited. It seems that we inherit a body fat   set point that is most efficient for our environment and the environment of our ancestors.

      c. We’re actually hardwired to store some fat. Our bodies have more systems that allow us to gain    weight than to lose it.

         3.      a. “Body Fat: Hard Facts about Soft Tissue” by M Doug Mcguff, MD

         b. “Body Fat: Hard Facts about Soft Tissue” by M Doug Mcguff, MD

         c. You on a Diet: The Owner’s Manual for Waist Management by Michael R. Roizen, M.D. & Mehmet C. OZ, M.D.

Service Learning

I have found service learning at Casa Colina, I have already taken the orientation and I have been assigned to the dietary department. On Monday,  February 27, 2012, I will start my volunteering, I will still need my second orientation. The lady has not given me my set hours but I will be getting them that Monday. This is all I know so far. Everything will be set in stone on Monday.

Third Interview Questions

10 Questions for Interview 3:

1.       In your opinion, what is the best way to lose body fat?

2.       What are some major factors to gaining body fat?

3.       When it comes to physical activity for fat loss, weight training is often thought to be more beneficial than cardio. In your opinion, what would you say is more beneficial, what are the pros and cons for both exercises?

4.       Is there a difference between losing weight and losing body fat? If so, can you describe to me the difference?

5.       Losing body fat isn’t just about physical exercise; food has a lot to do with it as well. In your opinion, what are some foods that are crucial to a healthy lifestyle as well as contribute to fat loss?

6.       In this day and age, as body fat is a consistent issue there are new diets everywhere, and surgical procedures for fast weight loss, we known the pros but what are some things to worry about with the diets and surgical procedures?  

7.       A lot of the times, women specially, have a hard time losing fat from their problem areas, what are some things that women should do to move on from the plateau?

8.       Both women and men’s bodies are designed differently, what works for men may not always work for women. What makes women’s bodies different from men? For example, men lose fat quicker than women, why is that?

9.       In magazines, there are often taglines saying, “Lose 5 inches in 2 weeks.” Is this a health way of losing body fat?

10.   What is the best way to measure body fat, scale- with a body fat measure- , skin fold caliper, or measuring tape?