I decided to write, direct, and act in a short film for my senior capstone. In the film, titled Lost, I talk about my journey of attending Science Leadership Academy at Beeber for the first and last time, as it was my senior year. I felt overwhelmed by the new schoolwork, the unfamiliar environment, my job outside of school, and the pressure of preparing for life after high school. As I discovered a new passion for film through the friends I made, I felt this project wouldn’t only give me experience but also allow me to express my feelings of frustration and anxiety this year. It was quite the experience. Being a leader taught me how to bring together people who share the same passion, how quickly things can go wrong without proper preparation, and how important self-belief and confidence are. I had to start filming over three times due to unexpected challenges: actors being unavailable, not having the script on hand, or having to improvise. I relied on the help of many people from my new community at Beeber, people like Taylor, Mr. Joseph, Principal Johnson, Savannah, Tsega, Mariama, Vernon, and Rasheed. Although the final product didn’t turn out exactly as I imagined, I’m proud of what I created. It was a valuable learning experience that showed me what I’ll face in the film industry, what I’m getting myself into, and what I still need to learn to become the film director I want to be.

For my capstone, I decided to do an arts and crafts session with some younger kids. I decided on a butterfly theme and created a lesson plan, which revolved around teaching them about the importance of patience. I conducted my project at Martha Washington Elementary School.

Before the craft, I read the book, “From Caterpillar to Butterfly” by Deborah Helligman. For the actual arts and crafts portion, I led them through a craft of making caterpillars from pom poms and clothespins. An example is below.

Overall, this project is something I’m very proud of because I was able to go out of my comfort zone, and I also realized that I do like working with younger kids. Ironically enough, because of all the changes I endured with my project, it also taught me the importance of patience as well, and I feel it’s a lesson many people can identify with.