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P.E.P.S.I. Screening: Mia Cejas

By: Montserrat Navarro

College of Southern Nevada

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ABSTRACT

This P.E.P.S.I. Screening is on Mia Cejas. After spending some time with her, I

developed a sense of her personality, how she thinks and reacts. I developed a sense of what it

was like to be a 15-year-old student during a pandemic and was able to see how dyslexia has

affected her. I observed her physical activities. We also attended an escape room and I learned

she is a quick thinker and a very organized planner. Socially, Mia shows signs of shyness and

social anxiety. She doesn't like to speak aloud and keeps all her feelings and thoughts to herself.

By asking her questions about her friendships, morals, and favorite activities, I was able to

compare them to the average adolescents. I recorded my findings in chart form.

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BIOGRAPHY

On January 30, 2006, the Cejas family welcomed their third and final daughter to the

family, Mia Cejas. Being the youngest, she grew up to be the center of attention and “gets away

with everything” as her older sister puts it. By the time she was eight months old, she took her

first steps. Mia’s mother explains how out of all her children, she developed motor development

skills faster than the others. When she was five years old, she remembers her dad playing in the

pool with her and since then she has developed a passion for swimming. Today, she attends

weekly swim classes and has even been a part of the Desert Breeze swim team.

When I asked her what she wanted to accomplish as she got older, she ultimately

decided on joining the army to work as a nurse. Her mindset captured my attention instantly.

What a bold decision for a 15-year-old. Socially, according to J’Anne Ellseworth’s P.E.P.S.I.

Module, early adolescents begin taking interest in running away or escaping. However, Mia

chooses the road less traveled. She plans to make a name for herself by graduating school and

making her family proud. Her mother says her daughter has always been determined and

academic especially after elementary school. When Mia joined third grade, she began attending

reading programs because reading was challenging for her. It wasn’t long before she was

diagnosed with dyslexia.

PHYSICAL

Averaging at approximately 66 inches and 130 pounds, Mia is standing slightly above

average according to CDC.gov (2 to 20 years: Girls Growth Chart). She has been athletic since a

young age, joining the Desert Breeze swim team, and Becker Middle School volleyball, flag
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football, and track team. Mia explained how after Coronavirus locked down our nation, she was

unable to attend her sport classes and eventually became physically unmotivated. She mentions

how as of now, a year later after attending her last football game, her daily routine entitles her

waking up at noon, eating lunch and watching movies until it’s time for dinner. She says she sees

it as a “break” and she is excited to be joining school again and joining her usual activities.

Sutterhealth.org (Teen Growth) states that a physical development of most 15 year olds comes

with self-consciousness of their own bodies, dissatisfied, and trying out diets. Mia laughs and

says, “I just survived a pandemic, the last thing I’m worried about is eating a salad, at least I’m

eating.” Though she was laughing, it was very true.

Because of COVID-19 and her sports being delayed, Mia decided to take her arts and

crafts to the next level. She used her creativity to make butterfly shapes out of aluminum soda

cans, how to create her own stencils, and create origami. She said she has developed patience,

steady hand coordination, and attention to detail. Though Scholastic.com (Creative Development

in Adolescents) states that children are most creative between the ages of 3-5, Mia is proud to

say she’s more creative now than she ever was because of her resources. She has been able to get

a head start with ideas by using Google and Youtube to teach her things she didn’t know how to

do before.

One particular evening, Mia said to me that soon they’ll be re-opening the city to full

capacity after the virus, and she wanted to get herself back in shape. She mentioned to me how

she found a Youtuber online that posts 10-minute workouts you can do while watching her on

the television. “It’s not the same,” Mia says, “I miss sports and I miss being motivated, I guess

10 minutes out of my day won’t kill me.” Her sarcasm and physical well-being showed me she

was more mature than her age says.

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Figure 1 Student’s physical development compared to peers.

EMOTIONAL

Mia considers herself very thick-skinned and chooses not to show expression. She

mentioned that ever since she got her menstrual cycle last year, her emotions have been all over

the place. Raisingchildren.net, states that adolescents at this age have unpredictable moods and is

partly due to the child’s brain “learning how to control and express emotions in a grown-up way”

(Social and Emotional Changes: 9-15 years).

During the world-wide shut down in 2020, Mia opened up to me and said it affected her

more than she initially thought. I realized her growth when she told me “At first, I was excited to

not do school work anymore and just wake up at any time I wanted, but now, I miss being

around friends and in a classroom setting instead of doing my school work from a screen.” She

obviously knew how to express her frustrations. She showed me pictures of her friends and the

guy she liked. According to CDC.gov (Child Development), it’s normal for adolescents her age

to take interest in relationships.

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Mia also mentions how she got closer to her family during the pandemic. She says that

“before the lockdown, all I cared about was hanging with my friends and getting away from the

house, but because of the lockdown I was forced to stay in and had no other choice but to like

my sisters.” she chuckles, “but really, I’m happy it happened because they became my best

friends.” TheWholeChild.org (Signs of Normal Development Stages Ages 13-18) describes

adolescents at Mia’s age wanting to spend less time with their family. At first, that was the case

but now she’s happy she got closer to them.

Figure 2 Student’s physical development compared to peers.

PHILOSOPHICAL

Mia grew up in a strict, Catholic household. Her parents taught her what is right and

wrong by following the 10 commandments. “I respect my parent’s beliefs,” she sighs, “but as

I’m getting older, I’m learning different ones. At the end of the day, I know what’s wrong or

right because I get a gut feeling.” According to Jan.ucc.nau.edu (Late Adolescence), “there may

be recognition of the need to establish a belief system for self” this shows me that Mia is right on
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track for her age and her mind is beginning to explore more than just the physical things in life,

but the philosophy of our minds and beliefs.

The weeks I spent observing her, I saw her spend the least time on social media. When I

asked her why she wasn’t on social media much she answered, “A lot of people bully on there

and I don’t want to be apart of it. I watch Tik Toks and Youtube, but Twitter and Facebook isn’t

for me.” Lumenlearning.com (Moral Reasoning During Adolescence), states that teenagers start

becoming more independent and receptive to their culture, the way they see it at home or mass

media. Choosing to stay away from social media has given Mia more time to be creative and stay

away from negative

opinions.

Figure 3 Student’s physical

development compared to

peers.

SOCIAL

Out of all three siblings, Mia is the quiet one. She tends to stick to a small circle and

doesn’t open up easily. She’s very “loud and obnoxious” as her middle sister would put it, but

when she is in classroom settings or with other people around, she tends to close up and become

silent unless spoken to. Mia says that she doesn’t have a lot of friends and the ones that she does

go to school with her. It wasn’t until recently she was able to reconnect with some of her friends

now that they began opening schools up. According to VeryWellFamily.com (Social
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Development), Mia is right on track considering her having friends and being open to romantic

relationships .

Last month, I remember Mia’s mom telling me how Mia was “set in her ways” and that

she believed strongly she was right. “Lately, there haven't been many arguments between her and

I. She’s starting to be more independent and deal with things by herself. When she needs me, she

comes and talks to me.” According to CDC.gov (Developmental Milestones), most 15 year olds

have spent less time with their parents, becoming more independent and going through less

conflict with their parents.

I was very entertained by how Mia carried herself. She talks more maturely than most

teens I have met, she’s happy to have a small circle of trustworthy friends. She told me how a

year ago she was bullied online and it caused her to no longer want to be a part of social media

or have people pressure her to look or act a certain way. This type of realization surprised me

because most students her age want to be a part of social media. Jan.ucc.nau.edu (Late

Adolescence) shows how adolescents at this age use most of their energy on peer approval. Mia

proves otherwise, showing me that she stays in her own lane, focuses, and is happy with the

friends she has

now.

Figure 4 Student’s

physical

development

compared to peers.
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INTELLECTUAL

As Mia’s mom previously mentioned, Mia has been very academic especially after

elementary school. When she started elementary school, teachers began noticing her having a

difficult time reading and diagnosed her with dyslexia. She says they placed in her classes with

other students that had the same problem to be able to help her advance. She started putting in

more work at school because she shares a passion for succeeding. She decided to get more

organized at school and set goals for herself. Webmd.com (Your Daughter at 15: Milestones),

shows that Mia is right on track with other girls her age, setting goals and developing a sense of

right or wrong to help develop decisions..

Last weekend, Mia and I decided to play in an escape room. It amazed me to see her

strategizing and being ahead of me in terms of the game. Psychologist Jean Piaget, developed

Piaget's stages of cognitive development in which he states that at this age, strategy and planning

become possible. Adolescents also begin to apply concepts that they learned throughout their

life.

By 7th grade, Mia was removed from her Fundamental English class because she was

doing very well. By 9th grade, Mia’s IEP teachers decided to add her back to her Fundamental

English class because she didn’t do her test placement due to COVID-19. Now that she has had

the opportunity to test, Mia scored average compared to all her peers. Though dyslexia has been

a form of holding her back from her full potential, Mia has worked very hard to maintain good

grades and keep up with her classmates. Just as Jan.ucc.nau.edu (Late Adolescence) states, Mia

too has used her thoughts and ideas to solve problems and facilitate change which is what she

chose to do to be a better student.

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Figure 5 Student’s physical development compared to peers.

Figure 6 Student’s P.E.P.S.I. compared to peers.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Mia is very active and it’s important to find physical activities to do even if its from

home. Going to the park or signing up for private swim classes would help her stay active and
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enjoy doing what she loves to do. Keeping up with her crafts will allow for creativity to flow.

Doing even a 10-minute workout just to get her back to being physically motivated is a great

start. She’s very mature and emotionally she tends to keep things to herself. What I propose is

for her parents to spend more quality time with her so she builds more trust and can express

herself more clearly to her parents or a family member. Emotionally, Covid-19 impacted her

greatly, limiting her daily routine. Now that the state is coming back to full capacity, it’s

important she goes and explores beyond the television. This will help her figure out her feelings

and what she enjoys doing while getting fresh air.

Philosophically, Mia is beginning to dive into new religions and belief systems. She

knows what right from wrong is based off of the 10 commandments she learned growing up. She

values loyal friends and is very particular about her social group. Allowing her to explore beyond

what she knows philosophically will open the doors to new levels of knowledge.

Mia seems as if she might be developing a sense of social anxiety. After being bullied

online, she faces bits of trauma from unkind words and friends. Going back to school around

peers will help her face her challenges and develop new relationships. As she gets older, she will

develop a more sense of communication and be able to open to those around her and make more

friends.

Intellectually, Mia has had a lot of held backs but continues to push through. She

mentioned her dyslexia and assistance for spelling words. I recommend limiting the amount of

time on TV and finding a book at the library that she would enjoy using. This will help her learn

to read faster and gain more intellectual knowledge.

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REFERENCES

2 to 20 Years: Girls. CDC. (n.d.).

https://www.cdc.gov/growthcharts/data/set2clinical/cj41c072.pdf.

Amy Morin, L. C. S. W. (n.d.). What You Can Expect of the Emotional Development in 15-
Year-Olds. Verywell Family. https://www.verywellfamily.com/15-year-old-
developmental-milestones-2609027.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021, February 22). Adolescence (15-17
years old). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/positiveparenting/adolescence2.html#:~:te
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other%20problems.

Creative Development in Adolescents. Scholastic. (n.d.).

https://www.scholastic.com/parents/family-life/creativity-and-critical-
thinking/development-milestones/creative-development-adolescents.html.

Ellsworth, J. A. (n.d.). Late Adolescence . Late.

https://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jde7/ese504/class/pepsi/reading2-1-2.html.

Home. Sutter Health. (n.d.). https://www.sutterhealth.org/health/parenting-preteens-

teens/physical/teen-growth-development-ages-15-to-17.

Learning, L. (n.d.). Lifespan Development. Lumen. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wm-

lifespandevelopment/chapter/moral-development-during-adolescence/.

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Signs of Normal Physical, Social & Emotional Development Teens 13-18. The Whole
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Social and emotional changes: 9-15 years. Raising Children Network. (2018, February
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