Emily Shaon

Jenkin P. 4

English IV

May 12, 2020

Senior Project Reflection

For the 2020 Senior Project, I chose to research the effects of mindfulness on people with

anxiety. I am really interested in this topic and enjoyed researching it. Diving into the world of

mental health and doing my best to fight the stigma that comes with it was very rewarding. I

learned a lot of new information about anxiety disorders, medications, and meditation practices

that could be potentially useful in treating anxiety. Overall, I think the project was a good

learning experience. It was challenging to figure out all the details such as where I was planning

to volunteer, who my mentor would be, and how to organize my project, but I persevered and

made my way through. Once I found my mentor and second interview, things started to fall into

place.The interviews were very helpful in guiding my essay. I gained knowledge from different

perspectives. I planned to volunteer at the National Alliance Against Mental Illness and host a

fundraiser for that organization. At the fundraiser I wanted to start conversations with people on

the mental illness stigma, and find out what their thoughts are on meditation being used to ease

anxiety. Mrs. Jenkins was very helpful in troubleshooting any ideas/problems I had with my

project planning. My favorite part of the project was writing the essay because I really enjoy

researching and writing about topics that are really close to my heart. My essay reflects who I am

as a person because I spent a lot of time and energy on making sure I felt it was complete and

done well. I made sure I did a large amount of research and that I educated myself on the subject
before writing about it. If I were to change something about the Senior Project, I would make it

so that Northgate would be more flexible if people need to leave during the school day for Senior

Project purposes. For some situations, it is the only option. Especially if the person you are

interviewing has a busy work schedule or if the only time you can volunteer somewhere is during

the school day. Other than that, I thought the project was very well organized despite the sudden

changes due to COVID-19. Overall, after all my research was concluded, I learned that

meditation can absolutely be helpful for people with anxiety. It is a great first option before

trying medication, but sometimes anti-anxiety medications are needed to open the door for

meditation to work. I plan to continue my research in studying anxiety disorders and meditation

even after the project is concluded. It impacted me greatly and has inspired me to learn more. I

am majoring in psychology at the University of Nevada, Reno, and I am excited to use what I

have learned in my future career.