Senior Project Reflection

(1) Positive Statement

What are you most proud of in your 2-Hour Presentation and/or your senior project? Why?

I'm most proud of my information and the amount of research I had in not just my presentation, but my project overall. I gained so much knowledge and everything I learned was so important. I have a lot of pieces of research that I had as good sources and references and my mentor was also a great plus. It was noticeable just how much I really knew because I had so much to say for the presentation itself. I got a lot of positive feedback from people afterwards and it was great knowing that I didn't have to worry about making time. There was so much time put into my research binder and the things I was going to say during my presentation and it all paid off. I felt I didn't speak too much, but I spoke just enough, in order to keep everyone legitimately interested. I wasn't even nervous when I went up to present because I knew my topic. This is something we've spent the last nine months on. I had no reason to be anxious because no one in that room knew my topic the way I did. I'm so glad to say I know so much and have found a new appreciation for those in the fashion industry.

(2) Questions to Consider

a.     What assessment would you give yourself on your 2-Hour Presentation (self-assessment)?

AE

b.     What assessment would you give yourself on your overall senior project (self-assessment)?

P

(3) What worked for you in your senior project?

My mentorship was lovely and I couldn't have asked for a better place to complete my hours. I was so thankful that everyone in the building was always so willing to lend a helping hand. It was great having people realize I have great work ethic and see the passion I had for the topic of fashion. They always knew just how much information to give me in order for me to learn through trial and error. So of course, there were times I was given little direction, but I feel that's the way to go about it in that industry. It's important to pick up things like that. I made great connections with people that helped me complete a wonderful project and because of that, I'm incredibly proud of it. 

(4) (What didn't work) If you had a time machine, what would have you done differently to improve your senior project if you could go back in time?

I would have used my resources more. By that, I mean I would have gone to complete more than the required amount of hours for mentorship. I completed a total of 60 hours. Although the only reason I did not go complete more hours was because it was not up to me, I do wish I'd somehow found a way around it and had gone more. This is simply because I was at my happiest when I was surrounded by that environment and I loved what I did. There's no such thing as knowing too much information, so my research binder would have been even thicker than it already was. I always got told by Ogden that I knew my topic like the back of my hand, especially because of weekly research checks. I feel I would have been more likely to have gone and picked up more pieces of research from my mentor and done more interviews than those that were required, had I gone to mentorship more.

(5) Finding Value

How has the senior project been helpful to you in your future endeavors?  Be specific and use examples.

My senior project has been helpful to me in more ways than one. It is because of my senior project that I now have the opportunity to have a real paid internship with David Meister. This is also the reason I will have something beautiful to put down on my resume whenever I apply somewhere. They will see that I have experience working under a fashion designer and that's a great thing to have, especially because my mentor is a great reference. I don't think I ever would have had it in me to go into the fashion industry had it not been for this project. The senior project is the reason I know how to sew and therefore have created a few pieces/articles of clothing myself. I have a physical product to show. One of the most important things of all is that I gained confidence. Confidence to go out and talk about the topic with those that know the industry and have years of experience. I can now keep up and have a conversation about the processes of being successful in the industry and the things that are acquired in order for your fashion line to reach its full potential. All in all, I fell in love with the industry all over again and because of this, I hope to make a career out of it one day. My life revolves around fashion and the fact that I'm so confident that this is something I want to pursue, makes me so very happy. 

10: I am officially ready to present

I present tomorrow. The day is finally here. I am so terrified, I'm not what else there is to say besides the fact that I'm feeling so many things all at once right now. I wish more than anything that I was presenting second, just so that I could get it out of the way first thing in the morning. However, I have all my props and everything I'm going to put to display ready and my powerpoint is ready as well. I'm actually planning on going to sleep right after I finish this post so that I can get a good amount of sleep before I present. That's a scary thing. In 12 hours, I will be presenting. 

It's almost upsetting how all this work that I've done is all going to be done. I'm officially done after tomorrow. I can say I survived senior year and iPoly. (Okay, that's only kinda true, because we will still have  product presentation. Hopefully, though, I kick that presentation in the butt tomorrow. 

9: I PRESENT ON MONDAY

I know the title of the post is in all caps so it seems as if I'm incredibly nervous, but I've gone through my entire presentation a couple of times now and it seems pretty decent. I am incredibly confident in all the research I've gathered up until this point. I'm really eager to just present now so that I can finally say I've legitimately survived iPoly. Sure, I still have product presentation to look forward to, but I'm not even remotely anxious about that because we've done so many presentations that have only helped lead us into the final presentation. I think the only reason I'm even remotely anxious about the 2-hour is because it's the longest presentation we've ever had to do.

Today, I saw Ryan's presentation (we both present for Ortega) and I was so proud of him because he was probably even more nervous than I claimed to be and he did even better than I'd expected him to do. He did really well and it was all because he knew his information and he seemed so passionate about what he did. I can only hope that I don't blank on the information I have to talk about and I hope Ortega and the rest of the class likes what I have to say.

8: The Difference Between Designer and Non-Designer Dresses

I just realized while practicing my presentation is that my best answer had the shortest explanation. I'm not necessarily certain if that's a bad thing or not because if it's something that is really noticeable and Ortega doesn't like that, I CAN back up why it's the shortest answer, but I'd rather just avoid it. I feel I might have to just talk more about my best answer. I do have to avoid being repetitive, though. That's another worry of mine. I found that my longest explanation was for my third answer because for sewing and sketching, I'm going to show an example of one dress that is not a designer dress. Therefore, on this non-designer dress the seams will be noticeable. I will then go on to show an example of a designer dress and compare the two. Clearly, the designer dress has the prettier stitching because customers are PAYING for that. This explains why designer dresses/gowns are so much more expensive than dresses you see at Forever 21. 

My mentor always became so frustrated with me when I would show up to work wearing a cute top or dress from Forever 21 or H&M because she would always point out how lazily made they were. She'd continuously talk about how dresses I would pay $25 for from H&M would cost them no more than $5 to make. Especially because they buy so much because they stock up in great bundles. Also, their materials are considered pathetic and those in the design world scoff at stores like that. 

I've witnessed first hand a lot of the pricings for dresses/gowns that David Meister creates and they legitimately cost quite a lot to make. The dresses range from $50-$200 for fabric alone and then extra for labor. They then sell it to stores for anywhere between $300-$500 and then these huge stores like Nordstrom or Bloomingdale's will put it on the rack and sell it for $700-$1,000. It's hard to believe, but definitely true. This is something I want to talk about during my presentation because it was one of the first things that I'd ever learned from my mentor and it's really important for my third answer, which is sewing and sketching. 

7: Just a Quick Update

So senior presentations are great so far. I have yet to see a "bad" one and I hope it remains that way. In preparation for my own, I've completed most of my powerpoint and am buying all my materials for my activities tomorrow. Also, something I've seen that I've enjoyed about every presentation that I hope to incorporate into mine is that I hope to have my activities on point. Everyone has activities that coordinate perfectly with their answers and their EQ. Also, I think what would work best for me is if I save all my activities for the end. This makes sense because it allows for no interruptions and I could meet time and the rest of my activities will then flow smoothly. 

I am a little scared about foundation because it seems that a lot of people had completely different things to talk about when it came to their foundation. Hence, I'm not certain if my foundation is supposed to be about what the process was to finalize my topic and/or EQ (like I've seen for some) or if I'm supposed to talk about the general idea of my topic. (Also something I've seen in a few presentations thus far.) I'm going to have to ask for clarification on that so that I can get a better understanding and do well on that portion in my own presentation. 

6: 2-Hour Preparation

I'm currently preparing for my presentation, seeing as I go a week from today. June 3rd, to be more precise. I am very glad that I present the very beginning of the second week, simply because that gives me all of this week to watch what everyone else does and decipher the good and bad in each. I will then be able to use the good from every presentation I see and try and find ways to incorporate it into mine, while witnessing the bad in some and try and find ways I can stray away from that.

Something I realized that I haven't given much thought for my presentation is the set up of it all. I haven't decided what I'm going to do with the room (if I plan to do anything at all with it). I'm not necessarily certain what I can do to go above and beyond. Something else I also have on my to do list is that I have to split up the people in my presentation and put them into groups so that I can have each table with a couple of seniors (so that the juniors stay on task).

I also got my two hour lesson plan back from Ortega with some comments written on it and I'm really glad she seemed to like what I had to say on it. This will hopefully mean that when it comes to the information I have to talk about, I'm doing well. However, she did seem a bit confused on my sponge activity. So I'd assume I'll have to email her tonight/tomorrow and try and clarify it in simpler terms so that she may understand it. OR maybe it just won't work at all and I'll have to figure something else out.

So far, everything seems very doable. I hope to have all of my powerpoint and props finished by Wednesday (Thursday at the latest) so that I can spend three days just going over the whole thing. I'm really just excited to knock this thing out so that I can focus on product presentation.

5: Update (Again)

I just got my I-Search paper back this weekend and was very pleased with my grade! I received a P on it and I'm very proud of it because a lot of research went into it. Also, there is exactly two weeks until the day I present! I'm not nearly as prepared as I'd hoped I would be during this time because it seems like so much is going on right now. On top of figuring out everything for my 2 hour presentation, I also have to worry about core stuff. There's a lot due dates for all four teachers coming up very soon and it's all just coming together.

I hope to be able to complete all my core stuff and put most of my focus for next week on finishing up a few last things for my 2-hour presentation. It seems like I have so much time because the last time I really checked, I still had several weeks (months) before I had to worry about this, but it's fast approaching. I still have to figure out what my second activity is going to be for my presentation because as of right now, I only have one activity. The first one was "promising/good" according to Ortega (my 2 hour teacher), but that isn't going to cut it. Clearly, I need another one so that I can be sure to not only meet the time requirement, but also so that I can be able to thoroughly give examples and explanations of my answers.

My lesson plan was completed and written in great detail, too. Hence, I'm very proud of that. So within this week, that leaves me with several tasks to complete. I have to finish my Powerpoint and start running through it a couple of times within the next two weeks. Then, I have to make one poster to be a visual aid (I already have one from my 30 minute presentation. Finally, I'll have to gather together all my props for my presentation/activities.