Oh December!

This month has proven its self challenging yet worthwhile. I was able to attend the holiday pictures my shelter hosted to help raise money. I admit I did not really help during the event because the opportunity did not present itself, I was able to see some really adorable puppies at the shelter. (I call all dogs puppies or doggies regardless of age.) I was able to see a beautiful Saint Bernard up close and let me tell you be was so cute and fluffy! Anyways it was fun to see them bring the dogs and have them pose either with their owners or by themselves. After that it has been usual business at the shelter. On some days I am so busy I do not know what to do next and on other days I just wander, checking on the puppies if they need anything. On days like these I like to take as many as possible on walks but sometimes it gets dark outside so I can't and I have to stay inside. However being around dogs can never be boring. I have fallen in love with another baby. He is new at the shelter so he does not have a name yet but he is an Australian cattle dog and he is gorgeous! One day I was pointing for him to move to the other side of his kennel and he decides to put my finger in his mouth. I couldn't stop laughing! I have been talking with more people and have been able to have more smoother conversations and even laugh along with some of them. It is nice now that I am not so shy anymore. As for pictures, I was having problems trying to find the pictures I took and transfer them but in my next post, I hope soon, will have all the pictures I needed for this months post. :)

It has been slow...

It has not been very eventful this month because of my busy schedule. However I do try to go to my shelter when the opportunity presents itself. Unfortunately I have not been able to get pictures but next time I go I will make sure to take plenty. I cannot wait for December because on the seventh the shelter will be taking pictures of pets who's owners bring in. Almost how you have your child take pictures with Santa, it's the same but with your pets and I don't think there is a Santa. All the money in this event will be for the shelter. I am so excited because it is so cute and fun to take pictures of pets. Besides this is a perfect opportunity to interact with more people and see how I should react around them. Maybe they may even adopt an animal. All I know is that it might get busy. Until December :)

Blog 9: EQ

 Due Date: Friday 11/22 by 8AM

Content

1.   I reviewed the rule of three for writing an EQ.
Essential Question:
Once a topic is chosen, the student will develop a working essential question.  The purpose of the working essential question is to help the student build a strong foundation of research which will allow him or her to create an essential question that encourages depth and rigor in the chosen topic.  An essential question must:

• Provide a framework for studies (It calls for breadth and depth of research, Is not a yes/no question)
• Takes a stance (Allows you to argue some point, Cannot be a recitation of facts or a list)
•  Format (It is specific, The wording makes sense)

2. a.  What is the most important factor in healthy weight loss?
            This eq can have different answers depending on the person because everyone can have different opinions on the same thing so it does allow for some argument. The formant is specific and I understand what it is asking. I also believe this eq provides a framework for studies because there are so many things that can be researched to come up with an answer.

  b.  What is most important to securing a conviction in a criminal investigation?
             I believe this eq meets the requirements because there can be different options that can be considered important therefore allowing more than one answer and for it to be argued. 

             

 c.  What is most important in creating a hairstyle that best satisfies a customer?
            This eq can be improved because i am not sure how this can provide a framework for studies. There can be research but maybe it does not go into much depth.

            

 d.  How can an Anesthesiologist best treat chronic pain?
         I believe this eq meets the rule of three because everything seems to be there. Like I've said before people can give different answers for 'best treatment' since each believes in different things.

            

3.  Based on your review of the rule of 3 and your experience with assessing four EQs, please write another draft EQ for your senior project.
         What methods will be successful to help a shelter animal get adopted?
       

Blog 8: Research and Working EQ

Content:

1.  What is your working EQ?

• What are the best methods to help an animal get adopted?

2.  What is a possible answer to your working EQ? Please write the answer in thesis format.
EQ: What are the best methods to help an animal get adopted?

• A method that is used on ocassions and is helpful for the animals is to either host or attend an event where the shelter is able to set a table and present the varies animals that are available for adoption.
• Another productive method is to create flyers and/or cards of individual animals available at the shelter and hand them out to the public.

3.  What is the most important source you have used that has helped you come up with an answer to your working EQ?

• The most important source that I have used to help me answer my EQ is "How to promote shelter dogs for adoption." This source is incredible helpful because it give ideas of what to do to inform the public of the dogs that are available. Plus it gives you tips on what to do and what not to do when promoting a shelter dog. Mostly their tips revolve around what attracts a potential adopter and how to ensare them once their attention is caught. Also a couple of the tips is how to make the dogs presentable and how to show them to the public. I love the ideas so much that I will talk to my shelter and see if we will be able to try some of the ideas to help our animals.

4.  Who is your mentor, or where are you volunteering, and how does what you are doing relate to your working EQ?

• I am volunteering at the Upland Animal Shelter and this helps me with my EQ because I have hands on experience of how to interact with visitors and what to say when they want to see an animal.

Independent Component 1 Approval

Due Date:  Thursday, 10/3 by 8AM

Content:
 

1. What I plan on doing for my 30 hours is to volunteer at the Animal Shelter in my city and there I plan on working with the animals from cleaning their cages to interacting with them. I believe it is also important to know how the animal acts, that way you will be able to tell the people if it is playful or shy. And to be able to answer any questions they may have about the animal. I will also help the visitors that want to adopt.

2. The way I will be showing my 30 hours will be through pictures of what I am doing and a Log where it displays my hours as well as a signature of my supervisor.

3. By being able to interact with people who are potential adopters I will be able to see what type of approach works for me, I will also be able to observe others who are there and see what they say and do when people are looking at an animal for adoption.
 

It's Not Bad to Choose Something New Right?

 

I finally got a mentorship, yay! However, it is not in my original choose boo. Even though I was not able to find a clinic that was willing to accept me I am still working with animals that are so cute. I am volunteering at the Upland Animal Shelter and even though I finish exhausted I love what I do because I am able to spend time with all types of animals. When I arrive at the shelter I usually head straight to the kitchen and dry some dishes, then I check on the laundry, and finally I look around the shelter saying hi to familiar furry faces and to new ones as well. Then I repeat, cleaning around the shelter on occasions as well. It might seem as a simple job however there is always the possibility to get bumps and scratches. One time I was helping a girl clean a rabbits cage and while I was holding the bunny it began to kick and it tore my gloves and it scratched my arms. Plus animals are not the only way to get hurt. I have received several shots now trying to fold blankets as I took them out of the dryer, this will be a long mentorship of dangerous work. I work on my EQ every time I go to the shelter because when visitors drop by I go up to them and ask if I can help them out in anything. Sometimes they just want to know what the kennel cards mean or they want to be able to interact with a puppy or cat. I have the ability to take out the animal of their choice and take them either outside or to a little cubicle so they can pet the animal and see if it is the one. Sometimes I encourage the visitors to take the pet home and sometimes I just watch, answering questions they might have. Either works because some visitors don't need a push to adopt the animal. I will continue to work hard and try new methods of how to promote adoption.


Starting from the top left corner moving to the right and around: A new kitty on display, the laundry room, the kitchen, a volunteer (I can't remember his name), Ed with Bernise (a cute giant schnauzer), same new kitty on display, Evelyn outside with Enano, Maria sweeping the cat isolation room, Timber enjoying the outdoors, Lollipop in her kennel, Ed shaking Bernise's paw, Timber making is way towards me. In the center is Timber looking majestic.



Blog 6: Second Interview Questions

 Content:
The purpose of the second interview is justify your mentor as an expert in the field.  Thus, you will be asking at least 5 questions about their background and/or the background of the organization or company where they work.

1.  Who is your mentor and where do they work?

      I have not been able to find a mentor so far, I am still asking clinics to see if they would accept me but no luck so far. I have looked with all the possible clinics in Upland, I am now looking in Ontario and Rancho and Claremont.

 2.  What five questions will ask them about their background?

• When did you decide to become a veterinarian?
• What University did you go to and what major did you graduate with?
• Was it hard to get to find a job once you graduated?
• What is you best tool to help you remember everything?
• Why did you choose this clinic?

 

Blog 5: Project Reflection and Working EQ

The Pentagon:
1.) Positive Statement: What positive thing happen as a result of what you have completed so far?

• A positive thing that has happened due to what I have completed so far is that I feel more confident in wanting to become a veterinarian in the future.

2.) EQ Content: Pick a piece of research or your interview. How has it helped you improve your understanding of your topic?

• "Origins and Early Development of the Veterinary Profession" has really helped me to understand when and how veterinarians began to emerge. I found it really interesting to read about the first veterinarians and see how they would develop over time.

3.) What has worked for you so far in the senior project?

• So far I feel like research is coming along nicely. When I think I wouldn't be able to find any more research I would find the perfect website.

4.) What hasn't worked so far?

• What hasn't worked for me so far is to be able to find a clinic where I can do my mentorship.

5.) Finding Value:

• What is a potential question you would like to study this year? (working EQ)

           What is the best patient care a veterinarian can provide?

• What do you plan to do for mentorship?

           I still haven't been able to find a mentor because most of the clinics do not let people go under 18. So far I have searched all of the clinics in Upland my next step is to look into neighboring cities and to try to talk to the vets at my local animal shelter.
         

Blog 4: Interview Preparation

1. Who do you plan to interview? Why?

• I plan to interview Courtney Pomeroy because she is the hospital manager of VCA animal hospital and I would like to have her point of view on the job however if I am not able to contact her I will have to find someone else to interview but she is my first choice.

     2.  You have to ask 5 questions. What additional questions do you plan to ask?

• On a scale from 1 through 10 how hard was it to get into vet school? Why?
• Do you love what you do? Why?
• Describe a normal work day.
• What was the craziest thing you have seen?
• What is your major? Why?
• Was veterinarian your first choice as a career?

So Far... Not so Good

At first I believed this interview would be so much easier to do but I guess it's because the person I want to interview is very busy. The person I would like to interview is Courtney Pomeroy and she is the hospital manager of VCA animal hospital. The reason I would like to interview her is because I would like to get her perspective on the job rather than a doctor for my first interview. In the meantime though I began to search for other veterinarians I can interview and I was able to get one! His name is Dr. Gabriel Flores and I was suppose to go to the clinic yesterday but he asked me if I could email the questions to him in advance so he could have the answers ready for me. When I checked my email later he had sent me all the answers so I couldn't meet him in person. My search will have to continue! As for my mentorship I would like to go back to the same clinic because after calling around eight other clinics they finally accepted me and all the staff members there were really nice to me. Fingers crossed!

Blog 3: Topic Choice and Semester 1 ESLR Goals

1.  My topic is veterinary medicine.
2.  I-poly citizen: To show growth as an I-poly citizen I plan to work harder with my mentor by being able to communicate clearly and easily with her and all of the patients. By changing my attitude a little more with my mentor I believe it would become easier for me to be able to communicate with my peers and to treat them with as much respect as my mentor.
    Effective communicator: I plan to be a much more outgoing volunteer at my public library. I have noticed I tend to look down when I am passing someone and now I would like to look up and smile whenever I pass by someone. Becoming more confident will help me share more willingly any ideas I may have or concerns with my peers and adults enabling me to become a better student.
     Effective learner: I plan to be more organized and to finish any work ahead of time. This was something that hurt my grades last year and I plan to do something about it. I will make sure to not procrastinate on any of my work which will cause less stress for myself and others around me and to be able to remember what is due. My hard work will be able to reflect on my grades.
     Effective User of Technology: I plan on gaining knowledge on how to use any technology that I will be using such as the blog. By knowing what is available for me I will be able to improve on my projects and school work.

Blog 2: Summer Mentorship Component

Literal:
1. Mentorship Log
2. Dr. Karen Lee
   (909)981-2855
3. What abilities should a doctor possess?
    What is the job of a Veterinary assistant? Technician?
    For a doctor what is the difference of working at a 24 hour emergency clinic and a regular clinic?
    What kind of paper work is needed to fill out for a patient?
    Is there a pay difference for working at an emergency clinic?

Interpretive:
4. I believe one of the most important thing I was able to gain from this experience would be how to be more interactive. Walking into rooms to go with the patient is not just going in there and doing what has to get done but also to put a smile on your face and being able to make the owners of the patient relax a little and make them a little more comfortable and that cannot be accomplished with a simple hello. I notice how Dr. Lee would strike up conversations with the owners and sometimes they would laugh together. That is something I would like to be working on from now on because it can be difficult for me sometimes to have a simple conversation with a stranger.

Applied:
5. I have always wanted to be a vet since I was little and being able to go here just showed me how I would love to be doing what Dr. Lee is doing when I am older. I saw the care the animals need and the different things that can be done to improve the health of the animal and seeing this makes me want to help them. I never like to see an animal hurt and I want to help them get better and that is what Dr. Lee does. She would perform surgery on animal to helping remove a nail all for the benefit of the animal and seeing this helped me choose my topic for my senior year.
   
   

Blog 1: 2 Hour Presentation Reflections

Content:

Literal:
      1. The presentations that I saw were consultation Pharmacist by Gina T., Special Needs Behavioral Consult by Clara A., Real Estate by Teo C., Web Design by Xavier A., Foresnic Photography by Nicole D., Dance Choreography by Valerie N., Firefighting by Joseph L., Scope Surgery by Taylor M., Deaf Culture by Rachel H., Independent Short Films by Yesenia R., Foley Art by Evan M., Teaching Algebra by Jesus A., and Violin by Alexa C.
  
       2. What do you have to do for the independent components? If your topic revolves animals is it possible to bring a dog to the school?

Interpretive:
      3. I believe the most important part would be all the research that has to be done as well as the mentorship because in part mentorship is like your research.

Applied:
      4. The topic I would like to do is Veterinarian because is might be possible career choice, with my mentorship in this topic it will be able to help me decide whether I really do want to do this as a future career.