Senior Project Artifact Reflection (Know, Do, Reflect)

Complete the KDR graphic organizer below with comprehensive thoughts. Each section should consist of
1-2 detailed, thorough paragraphs that showcase what you KNOW, what you can DO, and your
REFLECTION on your project. The boxes will grow as you type.
KNOW:
Explain the goal
or objective of the
course, what your
project was, and how
your project met that
goal/objective
Discuss what you
needed to know in
order to complete the
project effectively and
proficiently, as well as
discussing what you
LEARNED upon
completing the
project.

DO:

Discuss
the process of what
you actually did in
order to complete
your project and what
you can do as a result

o
Thi
nk - because I
know (this) I can
now do (this)

Discuss
new technologies
used, new subject
matter encountered,
new skills learned or
skills that were
improved, etc. as you
worked through your
project.

REFLECT: Reflect on
the process of

My senior project is called the Faces of Immigration and its a photo

campaign that sheds light on the discrimination of immigrants, as well as
tells their story about how they came to the United States of America and
why. The project was split into two parts, the first was an interview and the
second was a photoshoot. The interview had a lot of questions such as:
what country are you from? or why did you have to leave your country? but
the main question I wanted to center the interview around was: were you
discriminated against? Each interview differed in length depending on who
I was interviewing. The people who I interviewed were members of my
family, like my grandparents and my father, so it was really interesting
finding out where my roots are from. The photoshoot that followed the
interview captured one serious picture of them, as well as two pictures that
really capture their personality. The objective of the photoshoot was to
basically show the audience that immigrants are the same as you and I.
I needed to know a lot of information for my senior project. I needed to
understand the process of how immigrants become legal in the United
States of America, as well as the statistics for how many immigrants
currently live in the U.S. I also needed to understand personally that these
were real people with real experiences and it might be hard for them to tell
their story since it was basically the story of their life. As I completed my
project, I learned a lot about the history of my family, as well as how close
discrimination hit home for me. I learned the struggles of my grandfather,
and the hardships of my father, as well as how my grandmother was sort of
cast out even by her own mother and had to leave on her own. I learned
during the Eagle Arts Expo, where I hosted my senior project, that a lot of
people felt comfortable sharing their experiences with me about them
being immigrants, or their family members experiences.
I picked my project at the beginning of the semester with a completely
different idea. So when the idea to raise awareness of the discrimination
of immigrants came to surface, I suddenly felt so much more passionate
about it. I started the project by contacting the people in my family who
were immigrants: my father, grandmother, and grandfather. My
grandfather was the only one who I had difficulty with, because when I
started my project he was still in the country but by the time we scheduled
a photoshoot he already left for the Philippines for an indefinite amount of
time. So over social media and a skype call, we conducted an interview.
The interviews for my father and grandmother was done face to face, and
a photoshoot followed soon after. This senior project was so incredibly
important to me, because it helped me find a voice to tell a story someone
might have been too scared to tell. Because of the interviews, I feel so
much more confident in presentations and talking to people in general.
Technology really played a key role in my senior project. Had it not
have been for social media like Facebook or Skype, I would not have been
able to communicate with my grandfather overseas. I was also lucky
enough to have been able to use a really nice DSLR camera that belongs
to my sister. Along with these new technologies that I used, I also picked
up on some talking skills. I found my voice clearer and more confident the
more I talked to people who had wanted to hear about my senior project.
This was something rather new for me, since for the longest time Ive had
trouble with talking and conversing in general. It also helped that the
Clayton Arts Academy Spring Project was around this time, because being
on stage also improved my confidence as well.
The interviews were very eye opening. I was surprised at how eager
some of my interviewees were about sharing their story, so it made the

completing the project

(both steps taken and
knowledge and
experience gained).
What went well? Why?
What could have gone
better? How could you
have improved it?
How have you
demonstrated growth
in your knowledge and
skills as both an artist
and student as a
result of working
through the project?
Reflect on your
process of becoming
an agent of change, a
social activist, and
how using your art
has helped you
achieve this.
Did you meet your
project
goals/objectives?
Yes/No, Explain.
Did your project
produce the intended
impact on those who
engaged with it? How
so?
How will you continue
to BE THE CHANGE
YOU WANT TO SEE
IN THE WORLD?

interviews go smoothly. It was difficult finding the perfect time slot to

meet up with my father and grandmother, and because of some conflicting
schedules, more than once things were set back. I wish my grandfather
had told me sooner that he would be gone in the Philippines for an
indefinite amount of time, because I would have loved to have a
photoshoot with him as well. I wish there was more communication on my
part, because it would have made my senior project a lot easier.
Tackling issues that have manifested in our society never seemed
possible to me. I mean, I was just one girl who really didnt have a voice.
But Mrs. Wickware changed that. Because my project was something that
I couldnt necessarily relate to, but my family could, it excited me. I found
that I could use my skills to my advantage. Photography for the most part
of my highschool career, was a hobby. But when the senior project
requirement sheet went around saying a student has to use any form of
art to shed light on their societal issue, photography became so much
more for me. It became my outlet, the way to capture a single moment in
time and expose it to the world. It became a form of my own voice. As a
student who has been dreading senior projects since the first day of my
freshman year, I feel like I can leave CVCHS with my head held head and
my chest puffed out because I am so proud of who I became through the
process of this project.
I want to say that I exceeded what I had originally intended for my
goals and objectives. When I first started this project, all I wanted to do
was fill my quota on my project, just get only what was needed done and
out of the way. But during the entire process, I feel like I have grown as a
student and as a young adult. My project might not have had as big as an
impact on others, but those who wanted to listen supported my need for
change on the discrimination of immigrants. My audience understood that
immigration has always been a controversial topic and a bit of a touchy
subject for some, but it should be noted that we are all human beings
living on the same planet as one another, and the dehumanization and
discrimination of foreigners needs to change. The audience, almost all
adults, found it impressive that the three seniors using the Eagle Arts
Expo as their venue, were tackling issues in our society. It makes me glad
that our senior project was structured the way it was. Rather than doing
an easy senior project like people in the past have done, we became
agents of change, lending our voices to spread awareness, and thats
something that I think Ill walk away with.
Although college is going to be difficult, and not to mention a whole
different experience than what I am used to, Ill walk away from the
Clayton Arts Academy with a different air around me. I may not be able to
have a project like this one, where we have to raise awareness for societal
issues, but I can already say that because of this project Im one step
closer to being the change I want to see in the world. At California State
University, Monterey Bay Ive already joined the LGBTQ club, as well as
the Future Teachers club. Both those clubs, from what I understood when
I had a chance to talk to them at their booth, raise awareness for their
communities, whether it be on homophobic problems in the LGBTQ
community, or raising awareness on how important teachers are in
Americas education system. Without the senior project we have all done,
Im pretty positive I wouldnt have felt as motivated to join any clubs that
aim for change in the world. The person I am right now, whos confident in
talking to people and whos proud of how far shes come, thats the person
I want to be for the rest of my life, only getting better and never looking
back.