DaShaun Smith's Capstone

For my capstone project, I choose to create an essay researching the benefits and harms of school uniforms. In my essay, I focused on the research question, “Do uniforms teach students conformity or how to dress appropriately?” In my essay, I highlighted all of the benefits and harms of uniforms and possible solutions to them. I chose this topic because, for almost 10 years, I had to wear a uniform to school in the Philadelphia public school system along with many other children without an explanation. It was a mandatory requirement and most students that I've met hated them. I wanted to understand why uniforms exist when many students didn't like them and I wanted to research why they matter and their purpose. I knew that it would take time to write a good research essay, so I didn't start writing it until after months of research. During this entire process, I learned that I shouldn't fall on something that feels comfortable and push myself to be more open to new ideas. I also learned that I value creativity a lot more than I realized as it wasn't much in this project. However, I am proud of it because I was still genuinely curious about school uniforms and the harms and benefits of them.