Blog 23: Interview 5

I interviewed junior, Alonso Corona, Thursday, the 26th, at lunch in front of Ortega's classroom.


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

• " I was thinking something in the fields of radio broadcasting or medicine, like pediatrics. These are possibilities for future careers for me."
• I explained to him that, while most seniors advise juniors not to choose a possible career choice as their senior project topic, I really recommend it. If you still like the subject after studying it for a year, then you know it would be a plausible career option.

2. What do you plan to do to complete the 10 hours of service learning which is due prior to senior year starting?

• "I was hoping to get into contact with someone in the medical profession or someone into radio broadcasting. I'm not too sure yet because I haven't looked into too much yet and I'm not sure about my topic."
• My advice was to look into service learning as soon as possible. I told him that finding service learning is very difficult, especially when talking about the medical professions, and that it could take longer than he expects to find service learning, let alone complete it, before summer is over. I also told him that it was good to make as many connections as possible with individuals that may be able to help him later on in his senior year with things like ideas and interviews.

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

• "My class is really into making really big projects and building things, so I'm hoping that the class of 2012 is the same, or better, because you guys are seniors."
• Basing this feedback off of my own experience when watching the senior projects, I told him that it is very important to pay close attention to the way the senior presents their topic, and see what works and what does not work, and apply this to his own senior project next year. 

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

• He asked: "What was the most difficult part of senior project?" I told him that, although a generic answer, time management. First semester seems relaxed around senior project, and you amy not expect much, but once February comes, everything stacks up and it becomes difficult to juggle it all if you don't stay directly on top of things.
• I explained to him how important it is to take the senior project seriously the entire year, even when model assembly is going on. Due dates can creep up on you, and you suddenly have four blogs to write, an interview to complete, research to margin note, and towers to update, but you're stuck at service learning the entire Thursday afternoon. You definitely have to plan out your schedule on how you will tackle each new assignment. I also told him not to fall behind on the "little" things like research checks and updating towers/working bibliography, because the night before a research count will quickly turn into a very bad night.