Blog 24: Last Presentation Reflection

          

(1) Positive Statement
-What are you most proud of in your block presentation and/or your senior project? Why?

•     What I'm most proud of about my senior project is the amount of time and effort I put into my project. I spent so much time on my research and watching cases to develop my answers. There was times that I struggled, like with finding a mentor but I put so much effort into this project. I am very proud of myself and it's a big accomplishment for me. It was a great experience all together and definitely taught me a lot about the career field that I want to pursue later on. 

(2) Questions to Consider
-a.     What assessment would you give yourself on your block presentation?  Use the component contract to defend that assessment.
AE       P          AP       CR       NC

• I would give myself a P. I presented myself well and knew a lot of information on my topic and presented that as well. I showed my intuition and tied in my answers to myself. Also, I met the talking time requirements and the overall time requirements. I brought posters props and everyone enjoyed my activity and said I did a wonderful job. In all honestly, I would give myself an AE but I feel a little insecure saying that I deserve an AE if I really don't.

b.     What assessment would you give yourself on your overall senior project? Use the component contract to defend that assessment.
AE       P          AP       CR       NC(3) What worked for you in your senior project?

• Again I would give myself a P because I spent a lot of time on my project and I had to go through three mentors so that was a bit of a struggle. I did my work, I missed a few assignments, not gonna lie, I definitely don't deserve an AE because of those assignments but I don't deserve a CR because of them either. I soent many hours on my independent components as well which were fun. So I think I did proficiently overall in my senior project. 

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

• I think what worked well for me was the areas I could explore within my topic. I got to look into different fields of law and how they related to my topic. Also the amount of things I could do for my independent components was cast as well. And being able to work on all these cases and take notes and sit in on meetings at my mentorship was so fun to me and made me like my topic even more. 

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

• If I had a time machine I would find a mentor that actually stuck with me. Having to keep finding new mentors was hard because each one I emailed had a different reason on why they couldn't be my mentor. I would also not procrastinate and keep up with my research checks and maybe taken a psychology class at Cal Poly because it played such a big role in my answer one and throughout my topic. 

(5) Finding Value
-How has the senior project been helpful to you in your future endeavors? Be specific and use examples.

• My project has taught me A LOT about criminal prosecution and the field of law in general. Law is a career I want to pursue so being able to get this experience before even going into study law will help me during school and after. Also, being able to build up my reputation in the law community opened up doors and opportunities for summer internships at law firms. My mentor said she would continue to be my mentor as long as I want. So this will help me in all my future endeavors in my career of law.

Blog 23: Exit Interview

Content:

(1) What is your essential question, and what are your answers?  What is your best answer and why?

My essential question is; What methods can a prosecutor use to ensure a successful court case? My three answers are based on personality types and what methods each personality type would use. My first answer is a Prosecutor who is more psychologically focused, they focus on reading the clients and how they act. Are able to act upon first judgement and interrogate the witnesses because they know if they are lying or not and can, in a sense, read their minds. These are the types of methods that they use. 

My second answer is Knowing how to utilize loopholes, site cases, how to work the system, and being "street smart" in a legal manner. Being able to find a loophole in any document or case file can help you win your case. 

My third answer is Logical, scientific, and fact based. Being able to think logically, use facts, and use hard evidence to your advantage. Analyzing evidence and using the evidence to prove your points is crucial in the case. 

(2) What process did you take to arrive at this answer? 

To arrive at my three answers I did a lot of research, read lots of transcripts and watched a lot of law televisions shows. I think my research has been the hardest because some of the things I was researching were redundant. There was more information out there I just didn’t know where to look. So I started researching different fields of law and how they correlate to my topic. This is how I came across Psychology and the study of the mind. I have also watched many trials on YouTube and saw what the prosecutors do and how they conduct themselves!

(3) What problems did you face?  How did you resolve them?

The only major problems I faced was within my research and my mentor. I felt like the information I was looking up was redundant and repetitive. So I started to look up different fields of law and how my answers could tie into those fields. My second problem was with my mentor. I had a mentor but then I was texting and calling her and emailing and she wasn't returning anything. So I had to start emailing and going and finding a new mentor. Which I did, and I share the same mentor as Paula.

(4) What are the two most significant sources you used to answer your essential question and why?

One of my big sources for my first answer was this article and it helped me come to the point of using psychology as a method.. Being able to read your clients and how to utilize the ability to see their mannerisms and kind of tell if they're lying or not. It helps you to interrogate them while on the stand. "Study of the Mind." Nature.com. Nature Publishing Group, n.d. Web. 08 May 2016.

Another big source was all of the cases I watched on YouTube. The Casey Anthony case and OJ Simpson case for example. I watched how the prosecutors conducted the case and how they each worked differently throughout the trial. I watched the OJ Simpson series and the actual case and how and what the prosecutors said and who they used as witnesses really helped me to come up with my other two answers. They're all based on how you conduct yourself and the case in a courtroom. 

Be prepared with evidence and specific examples to support any response.  It is also significant to cite sources as you explain.