bCapstone Project Proposal Draft

Name of student: Sofia Bolanos Sanchez

Date: October 4, 2023
Teacher: Ms.Lacroix
Capstone strand I have chosen is Product
Proposed title for my project: The power of interior design transformation

What is your inquiry question that interests you for further research? It should be a question that
connects with a purpose, passion or personalized area of interest for you. This is a question that
you cannot just google an answer for. Please see examples from your Capstone booklet.
My inquiry question is:

How does a specific room design eases or affects a daily life movments, actions, and
behavior?

Rationale/context: Detail your reasons for choosing this inquiry question. Explain WHY you are
choosing to investigate this topic as a major area of focus. How does this area of inquiry connect
to your passion(s), purpose? Why is it of personal interest to you?

I am choosing this area of focus because it is something I find appealing and I like to admire.
This connects to my passion for architecture and interior design and I find a big satisfaction
when I see a well designed and aesthetic room or place. Currently I start to notice around and
think how some things in my apartment could be accomodated differently to facilitate daily
interaction with it, specially the apartment design itself.

Background: What background knowledge/connections/prior learning do you have in this

area of inquiry?

When I was little I loved to do crafts and inventions from scratch. As I was gowing up I saw
how my mom would design different things like party tables and decorations, she has always
been after the smallest details of things. She would always ask me to help her decide how to
put up something and it seemed easy for me to critically think about it and choose the most
comfortable and easy way to set it up.

Career connections: What is your intended career area at this point in time? What
connections does this inquiry question have to your life, academic and/ or career goals?

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 I think my inquiry questions connects to Interior design and architecture as I think the modern
society needs more dynamic lives, which include places to move around more easily. It has a
connection to my life since I start thinking about how my curent place could be even more
dynamic for me and my family.

Interdisciplinary and core competencies connections: What subject areas and core
competencies will be connected with your project? Outline and explain the connections.

Core Competency Reflection

Personal Awareness & Responsibility:

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Strengths:

1. I am personally responsible, self-motivated, and can advocate for myself.

My mindset is easy to understand, I work for what I want, I have my goals clear and believe in myself, I
take failure as an opportunity to grow more all these factors are what keep me motivated. I put
discipline over most things because I think is one of the most important values since it’s gets you to do
things. For example, I go to the gym every single day, even if I don’t feel like it, I still show up because I
know every day helps me improve as a person and seeing big progress and results makes me keep
doing whatever it is I’m working on. I consider myself a very responsible person, not only for academic
purposes like being on time or always but also self and familiar purposes. Being a good student and
meeting every academic requirement is a strength I admire a lot.

2. I understand learning takes patience and time.

I have learned many things throughout my life and currently I find myself learning some calisthenics
skills. When I decided to try these new skills, I thought it would be way easier than it looked, I was very
wrong. The first skill I learned was the crow pose, I had no idea what I was doing until a found a gym
influencer on Instagram who did videos about basic skills. I practiced it every day again, and again, and
again until I finally got it; this inspired me to learn even more, and I am now trying to learn the
handstand. It can be frustrating at times, but I keep convincing myself that nothing is worth it if you
don’t work for it. Learning calisthenics has taught me to be more patient, enjoy the process, and don’t
rush things.

Weaknesses:

1. I can express my needs and seek help when needed.

I’m a very shy person which sometimes keeps me away from asking important questions I might have,
in school specially, when I’m in a certain class and I don’t understand or I’m struggling with something
I tend to avoid asking questions. If I’m feeling very stuck, I do ask the teachers but usually by either
teams or whenever I can have a private word with them. Normally I ask for help when it comes to my
health or other concerns, but I try to solve things by myself most of the time. This is an important
aspect for me to develop more because I need to understand I don’t have to deal with some things
alone, I have my family who supports me and school staff as well.

Social Responsibility:

Strengths:

1. I am aware of my community and environment and work independently and collaboratively

for the benefit of others.

Working with other people is something I enjoy a lot since it makes things a lot more interesting and
fun always having respect into consideration of course. I like making things as easy and productive as

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possible as it makes up a better environment. I listen to other people’s suggestions and work
collaboratively, for example, whenever there is an individual or group project, I try to get everything
organized first, see if someone disagrees and talk it though, then if we separate the work into who can
work on what, then come together and share ideas. The same happens when I work independently.

2. I have positive peer and intergenerational relationship.

I tend to treat people how I would like to be treated, which is why it is important for me to have
positive relationships with people, not only makes communication a lot easier, but it builds up a better
environment for everyone to enjoy. For example, every time I think a friend or close person could use
a laugh I try to joke around like dance or say random things that could make them feel better. I enjoy
being with people and sharing different things about life whether with family or friends. Keeping
important people close to me is essential.

Weaknesses:

1. I can identify and appreciate different perspectives on issues and use and evaluate strategies
to resolve problems.

I usually avoid as much conflict as I can unless I know for sure it is something I can help with or I'm
interested in, because if I'm not, then I get bored and it’s harder for me to engage with the issue,
especially when it comes to problems between people who I had nothing to do since sometimes it
happens because of small misunderstandings. Thinking about strategies to solve a problem, on the
other hand, is a skill I have more developed. I could try to understand every perspective and analyze
the situation and contribute however I can. However, thinking about ideas to resolve problem is much
easier to me since I usually look to the phycological part of the problem and people's behaviour.

Critical Thinking:

Strengths:

1. I can assess my progress.

Progress means a lot more to me than the results themselves, because progress shows you how good
or bad you are doing and where you need to improve. For example, I asses my progress at the gym by
seeing results in muscle gain and strength. To me it’s the most important part of a journey as progress
is the journey itself, and the thing that will test your will to do something. Setting goals is also a critical
factor for you to assess you progress as it is an easy way to track your achievements and reflect in
your growth. Always take note of the different skills you might’ve developed and always be proud of
your progress.

2. I can explore and create new ways to represent my learning around a variety of problems,
events, issues, and needs.

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I love exploring and creating things, and showing my learning in whatever way I find representative is
interesting. For example, I’m a lot into visual representations as I can usually explain a lot without the
use of too many words. Also creating things such as mock-ups or overall tangible projects help me
represent my learning a lot more. I can tell I can address any type of problem, need and specially
events with my creativity specially when it comes to building or creating things like posters,
presentations, between a lot more.

Weaknesses:

1. I can analyze and make defensible judgements, draw conclusions and consider a variety of
perspectives.

Debating is hard for me since I don’t like conflict unless I’m deeply engaged and willing to defend a
stance. Making defensible arguments is something I could work on because I usually look at the topics
in a very broad way which prohibits me from getting a more concrete argument to on hold to.
Considering a variety of perspectives on the other hand is something I can do better, since I consider
myself a good listener and open minded to other people’s points of view. I think I can improve in this
area by taking the analysis part more into consideration when it comes to judgements.

Creative Thinking:

Strengths:

1. I can use the environment around me including others, and my unconscious mind to generate
new ideas.

I am a very observant person, which is something I admire a lot because it allows me to understand
people more and some of this observation, I have experienced which is why I have a bigger
understanding of it. For example, when I encounter an issue such as something is needed in class, I try
to think about a useful idea to try to solve it and offer it. People's behavior in specific situations helps
me relate what some needs could be which allows me to come up with a solution faster and more
effective.

2. I can persevere and understand that failure can be productive.

When I was 4 years old, I went to my first swimming competition, I lost one of my races which
unmotivated me to keep competing, but fortunately my coach taught me that a real loser is someone
who doesn’t even try so I didn't give up and worked harder. Unfortunately, my coach passed away
which motivated me even more to keep going and always remember his legacy. So, I find failure very
productive as it is always a new opportunity for you to get up and do better with whatever you
propose to yourself.

Weaknesses:

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 1. I can take my ideas evaluate, develop, and refine them and make something productive out of
them.

I can evaluate my ideas, what I struggle a little bit with is with the development of them since I start
thinking about so many ideas and all the different factors that can strand out of them, it gets hard for
me to come up with a specific idea. Thinking broad about things is something I do a lot and I think I
could improve this by thinking deeper about the purpose of the idea to find the interest needed and
make sure I want to deal with all of it. But overall, usually my results are productive and I’m always
proud of my hard work.

Communication:

Strengths:

1. I can listen, learn to contribute meaningfully to discussion and debate, consider different
perspectives, and build consensus.

Sharing ideas with others is critical to me since it also helps me see things from another perspective,
especially when it comes to developing ideas with others to communicate them to specific audiences.
Giving my point of view is important to me but I can sometimes hesitate to share it, but I do if I feel
like I need to. I prefer discussion over debate since discussion is more of an opinion sharing situation
while a debate gets more serious about defending a specific point.

2. I can work with other students to plan, inquire, and solve problems.

I love talking with other people about different things, especially when it comes to discussion and
sharing of different ideas. I enjoy listening to others as it also helps me understand different points of
view which I believe are important as well. Two heads are better than one and the more people the
more fun and creative an assignment can get. For example, out careers teacher gave us a
communication and creativity challenge about recreating a piece of art with paper, where we had a
classmate and only one opportunity. Me and my partner were successful and managed to recreate the
craft which made me feel proud of myself.

Weaknesses:

1. I can engage in deep and meaningful inquiry for a variety of purposes and audiences.

When it comes to deep inquiry, I must have enough interest for me to engage correctly as I can lose
attentiveness very easily, but when I do have it, I can be easily involved for variety of purposes since it
can be very interesting to decide how to share something to either convince or persuade an specific
audience. I think I could try to improve this by developing more my critical thinking to maintain more
engagement and entertainment over deep and meaningful inquiry.

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 Personal & Cultural Identity:

Strengths:

1. I understand how what I value has and will shape my choices

I always aim for ethical choices and avoid situations where I know I wouldn’t feel comfortable. I feel
very proud of my roots and will always be grateful for them. Moving to a new country where people,
food, culture and environment is distinct to what one is used to is not easy, but it is a new opportunity
to grow. For example, I value family and religion a lot which is why I put them first in any situation, like
going to church with them instead of going out that night. Trust is something I highly value as well
since I think life can’t feel the same way if there are no people you can trust.

2. I understand how to use my strengths and abilities to my advantage, and I can explain how I
use them to contribute to my community.

Knowing my strengths is something I can easily identify and understand. Sharing them with others is a
trait I have, and I enjoy a lot specially because people admire different things from others and if that
comes up to be the case with me, I am more than willing to share whatever it is they want to know.
For example, a lot of people ask me how come it is that I’m so disciplined, since a lot of people admire
that. I usually say that it’s because you got to convince your mind you can do it, and fight for the
person you want to be, and I always work to improve.

Weaknesses:

1. I understand that culture is a broad concept that includes things like geographic region,
nationality, sex/gender, age, ethnicity, sexuality, language, and religion.

I can only understand some concepts about culture, because I either don’t relate to others or I don’t
have interest for it. For example, about how all the gender variety has come to be nowadays, it is such
a delicate subject where you can barely say something because if you say something wrong you would
be hated by the world. I’m open at the fact that people can feel however, and do whatever they want,
I just believe they shouldn't involve us the way they do, especially because it has brought us
consequently the separation of society. I don’t have a very open mind to this aspect since I’m faithful
to my religion, so I disagree, but I don’t judge, it’s just my opinion.

Capstone Presentation medium: select one or more project mediums you wish to use to
present your project. Outline and give details about how you will present your project once
completed. You may use a combination of mediums.
o Electronic portfolio: Prezi or PPT
o Physical portfolio
o Website
o imovie presentation
o YouTube channel

Electronic Portafolio: PPT and probably a YouTube video or a room model

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Description of my Capstone project. Specific Project Details of the Capstone Project: what
will you research, create, study, produce, solve, investigate? What product will be produced
at the end of this project for evaluation. Write a one-page description outlining your
proposal.

The final product I would like to come up with, is the best design of a house and its interior
design for someone or even my own family, as there might be a possibility we could move
to a new house which I would love to make work on. This proyect requires a good critical
thinking and the ability to visualize and have a big imagination to make and think about a
variety of ideas for different shaped spaces. The research I would like to go more into is
probably surveys of people’s/my family’s design preference and dig a little deeper into
each one of them, whether it’s minimalistic, modern, traditional, contemporary, between

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 others. This will help me understand what type of dynamic life most people prefer and use
it for my proyect. Learning and understanding the true importance of space will be helpful
for this assignment as it will help me visualize what could fit perfectly in that open space.
The human behavior of my own household helps me understand what some basic needs
are and what could be done or changed around to make them happen or simply make life
easier and dynamic. I would love to create a model of the final design whether it is on a
platform online or a tangible model of the idea with all types of details just like an actual
architecture proyect, as long as I can create or build something I would be satisfied. If i
decide to use a platform I would have to develop the skill to use it without struggle and
most definitely be patient. I for sure need a mentor who can guide me and advise me as I
move forward with this project maybe even get a mentor from IKEA to ask about their
designers and how they plan out every display room, this could maybe take me to meeting
some of them. Contacting IKEA is one of the things that has me the most excited as I
have always wondered how they make the store work and how they manage to change all
the display room designs almost daily, it is something I really look forward to and hope I
can get good results from, results that could even help in the future for my career. I will
have to commit time outside of school to work in this project if I choose to do the tangible
model, and I will most likely use class time to do research about design, draft the ideas,
make blueprints or just minimal crafts I can make there and then place them when I get
home. I could also work on the presentation itself during class and then the final project
product at home. I would like to conclude this project with a fair solution to a house design
with the most dynamic lifestyle it can have with either specific furniture, decorations, or the
house design itself. I would like to make and focus my own furniture from scratch to make
it fit even better, as well with wall and room colours, lamps and lights, blinds, kitcken
accomodations and models of cabinets, drawers, and pantries to be able to fit as much
stuff as the owner would like making it look good at the same time to take the most
advantage of space as possible, and even closet complexion to have a more efficient and
organized room. If the final product is as good, people or my family could use it for their
own convenience, or simply as a nice guide or idea to have. I am hoping I can prove my
learning in this new area of interest with this final project.

Resources/ Technology/Skills: Make an assessment of the resources, technology and

skills you will need to be able to complete this project. What is your plan to be able to
access/learn all of the resources necessary to achieve completion of this project? Detail
your plans.

I definitely need a mentor because I haven’t studied anything about profesional designing but I
have a bit of critical thinking about what a more dynamic design could look like. I might have
to learn how to use a 3D design platform which I can ask in school about, as they have the
program and teachers who know how to use it. If i decide to do a model I'll have to be very
patient and require different materials such as hot glue and maybe cardboard.

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Mentors/Community Connections: What types of mentor(s)/community connections will
you need to help you complete your capstone project? How will your mentor(s) help you?
What is your plan to access the mentorship/community connections necessary for this
project?

My mom has a friend who is an architect who I think could help me with house design but I
believe the most vital one could be contacting IKEA’s designers and ask them some questions
and advices for designing, as they are the ones who build the demonstration designs for every
display room in the store.

Project limitations: What are some project limitations and potential obstacles that you foresee
that might affect progress with your Capstone Project?

Maybe contacting IKEA could become a hard task but I’m sure I could try to get their attention.
Also maybe making a model could be hard as I have no clue how to make one but my mentor
could help me out with it. Or if I do a YouTube video it would be about a design program and
how my final result would look like.

Other considerations: List and detail any other related information/ considerations about
your project that you feel should be included in your project proposal.

Might take a lot of time out of school and effort to make the model design but I’m actually
looking forward to it.

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