Monthly October Extra Post

What I've Done

•  Prepared for my 1st lesson
• Completed Research Articles up to 24th Entry
• Turned in 1st draft of Working Bibliography
• Went to City Hall Meetings as part of Mentorship
• Conducted Second Interview with Upland 
• Worked on Independent Component

What I Will Do

•  Continue Work on Mentorship
• Continue Independent Component
• Continue attending City hall Meetings
• Refine Independent Component

Summary of this Month: 
Although this month has been exceedingly stressful, the combination of writing college applications and balancing three college classes with regular school work contributing, I feel that this month has been generally good in regards to the senior project. This Month I completed more work related to the senior project, was assigned the impending tasks of the first component, and continued my mentorship. I've been considering revising my first component project by updating it into a more comprehensive academic essay, but I am unsure as to how to do so. This is a question I will be attending to in the future.

Blog 8 - Research and Working EQ

1.  What is your working EQ?

Working EQ: What is the best way to get involved in Local California Politics i.e. City Councils, Mayors, etc?

2.  What is a possible answer to your working EQ? Please write the answer in thesis format. 

• Attend local meetings to get more involved in the political process and establish rapport with politically motivated individuals
• Create a network of contacts to both support and inform you on topics

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

      My most important source of info in regards to this topic without a doubt been The Dynamics of Political Participation as it is one of the most in depth research articles that I have found, utilizes the psychological definition of political skill which is one of the best definitions of the term which I have found in my research (A definition which has influenced my answer as networking is one of the skills included by that definition), and a solidly researched article with multiple citations and academic backing.

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

 

     Current mentor is El Monte City Councilwoman Victoria Martinez and my mentorship largely consists of attending local city council meetings and talking with people in regards to the issues raised, the political process, and the essentials of politics.  This relates to my topic as the one on one conversations with my mentor are excellent sources of info on local politics given that it is the direct level that I am experiencing and also provides new insight on how to focus my project further.

Blog 7: Independent Component 1 Approval

Component Idea: Graphic Organizer of My Multiple Mentor's Musings on Politics

Description: A visual representation of the individual responses my mentors will have to a standard survey (Included Below), this series of flow chart will allow a viewer to easily see the diversity of responses which they have to the survey, and allow a reader to see the actual results of this data. These responses will be further analyzed and interpreted in the context of the psychological definition of political skill, and scrutinized to see if there are further links between responses. If a substantial link is to be found, then a second survey will be published and sent that will expand upon those similarities to further derive commonalities which can have application to normal life e.g. if there are resonant attributes which recur among those who are politically successful. These results will then be further scrutinized and compiled into chart format before being summarized in an academic paper of undetermined length.

For Details on possible flowchart ideas, please refer to September extra post

Survey Questions
1. Why did you decide to enter politics?
2. What are your future ambitions in this field?
3. Which of the following skills would you say are applied most in your profession? Check all that apply?
Networking-
Personal Influence-
Social Astuteness-
Genuine Sincerity-
4. Of these skills, list the one which you make the most use of in your profession. If favored skill is absent, then write it in and list basis for decision.
5. Check any activity which you were involved in during  educational years. If any absent, check other and write in what you participated in.
Debate
AP Classes
Student Government
College Classes
Volunteer Groups
Social Activities
Employment
Other

Justification:

Expected Results: It is my hope that the result of my data collection will reveal multiple commonalities which will make it possible to predict future political potential or be applied to general life.

Content:
(1) 3-5 Page Academic Paper, MLA Format, w/Sources Cited on outcome of surveys I administered
(1) Collection of Survey Results Collected in easily readable flowchart form
(1) Copy of Survey Forms
(1) Collection of Charts of Data Collected

1. Describe in Detail what you plan to do for your 30 Hours
   For the bulk of my 30 hours of work, I intend to spend that time interviewing my mentors in person and online depending upon their availability. The vast majority of my other work will be actually creating graphs of the data, revising charts, revising surveys, emailing my correspondents for updates, and writing the academic paper.

2. Discuss how or what you will do to meet the expectation of showing 30 hours of evidence.
 For my academic paper, I intend to include with my regular updates on my blog the status of my essay including published drafts in order to demonstrate a logical progression and series of edits of it to ensure that it is known that is not a sudden job. As for my interviews, I intend to include snapshots of my e-mails, charts, and survey results to ensure that nothing was fabricated. I will also include photos of me interacting with my mentors in person to show how we met.

3. And explain how what you will be doing will help you explore your topic in more depth.
    As referred to in my justification, this process should help me to better understand the type of work and ideals which it takes to enter into California Politics, and should provide valid data on what experts in the field believe that entails. Furthermore, the actual process of conducting this survey mirrors actual work in the field of Political Science, a subject I intend to major in and conduct similar research when I go to college, and this should provide actual experience on what data gathering should consist of. Finally, the actual results of seeing what drives these individuals towards their goals should allow me to fulfill a subgoal of this project by allowing me to see if there are any common links these individuals share. By finding these links, potential application can be found by encouraging the development of those attributes in others given the strong correlation between an individual's political skill and their corresponding success in life. This final issue is important to me as it allows me to find a potential way of relating this subject which I care very much about to my audience in the senior presentation as the application may have direct resonance with their lives.

4. Update Your Senior Hours Blog
--Done--

Monthly September Extra Post

September, a real month of work within our project, and one that has already seen the impending absence of two senior teachers. To summarize my efforts for this month, I've been involved in attempting to acquire more contacts than just  just my primary mentor. The reason for this renewed interest rests in my proposal for my independent component which is an online graphic organizer of the mentors I've been talking to linked to several similar questions which I have asked them. (See possible designs below evidence) The impetus for this proposal rests in a particular subset of my research unrelated to my main topic, the applicability of political skill to every day life, . For my research, I'm using the psychological definition of political skill (i.e. networking, genuine sincerity, communication skills ,etc...). It is a vested interest of mine to have my research be useful beyond an academic capacity, and it is for this reason that I particularly want to place an emphasis upon what prompted my mentors into pursuing their careers. By understanding what prompted their ambition, the results may be used to engineer programs designed to push others into this career path or help those already on this path. Looking at the body of research, I would like to utilize this year as a sort of prototype for the type of research I would like to further pursue in my college career in Political Science. Although the specific design of this proposal are relatively simplistic for a research opportunity, they should suffice as a graphic representation of the data collected.

What I've accomplished

•  Attended my first meeting/interview with primary mentor Victoria Martinez
• Observed the firsthand local political process and observed multiple proposals be submitted
• Collected a body of research to support my senior question
• Collected more contacts than before (see business cards below).
• Completed blog entries 5-6
• Modified Mentorship Hours
• Currently in the middle of contacting several other sources

Things I'm looking into

• Contacting former associates and other connections for this topic
• Attempting to get a variety of political types in order to have better diversity of sources (Concerned citizens active in political process, business leaders involved with politics, active politicians, aides to politicians, other government workers, etc...)  
• Continue to refine research and begin to selectively select for subjects closer to my independent component
• Independent component proposal needs to be refined. Visual design for graphic organizer, array of questions to be questioned on, and number of sources to be surveyed all need to be solidified before proposal can  be approved.

 

 

Business Cards of Contacts/ Potential designs of Graphic Organizers

Blog 6 - Second Interview Preparation

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

My main mentor is currently Victoria Martinez who currently serves as a city council member for the city of El Monte

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

1.  Were there any obstacles you found to entering your current position? 
2. What was it like running an election campaign?
3. How do you feel your college years prepare you for your current job?
4. What causes have you advocated for or actions pushed recently?
5. In your own words, how would you describe your current position?

Blog 5-Mentorship and Research Reflection

First Blog Post after my meeting with my mentor, and I am excited for my future prospects . This Tuesday on September 9th, 2014 I  attended the El Monte City Council Open Meeting and met with my mentor, Victoria Martinez, while there. I also got the privilege of meeting with several potential mentors as well including city clerk Jonathan Hawes and Municipal Specialist Jerry Moreno who I'm looking into contacting currently. Overall, I had some questions answered and enjoyed seeing how the meeting actually functioned which is a major gain for me in regards to firsthand experience. 

1. Mentorship question: Describe your experience in how you found your mentorship?  If you haven't found one yet, describe your experience so far in the search of a mentor.
       Actually finding my mentor was surprisingly stress given that she was actually a family member who I could easily get into contact with. I had been referred to her by my mother when I offhandedly mentioned that I needed to locate a mentor, and I then proceeded to send her an email to see if she would be willing to become my mentor due to her current employment on the city council of El Monte. We arranged phone meeting wherein I explained the nature of the senior project, what interested me in regards to the subject, and what would be required of her before she agreed to be my mentor.

2. Research question: What has been your most important article you have read so far and why?

 

       To date, the most important article I have read has been the article "Career Success Implications of Political Skill" as it directly relates to application. It's conclusion, that networking ranks as the highest indicator of individual success in a company structure ranks true given my own observations and logical conclusions. Acting in a genuinely appealing way to others and making connections to draw upon is a trait that has success in any field warranting interpersonal interaction. This is the kind of evidence that I feel is helpful to my overall project as this is the type of information that can be applied by people who listen to my presentation in a capacity beyond my subject alone. Genuinely useful info such as this illustrates the importance of my subject and hopefully allows it to remain in the minds of those I intend to teach moreso than other information would have.

Monthly August Extra Post

As the month of August comes to a close, the first step towards the completion of senior project has ended, and events have proceeded swimmingly. Thanks to the guidance of my teachers and mentors, I feel that my senior project has a stable foundation to build upon as we proceed into the future. A brief summary of what has been accomplished this month.

• Established Blog 
• Created Working Bibliography
•  Began Research on Sources
• Got into Contact with Former I-poly Alumni Angel Diaz
• Arranged Meeting With Mentor and Councilwoman Victoria Martinez on September 9th
• Arranged Volunteer Work After School assisting Mrs. Martinez
• New Research Source at Cal Poly Library
• Completed Blog Entries 1-4 (Established Topic, Established Interview Questions, and Detailed Summer Mentorship)

Objectives going into the future

• Continue Research and Compiling Sources
• Edit Blog for Maximum Visual Appeal
•  Meet with Mentor Victoria Martinez on September 9th.
• Continue Correspondence with Mentor and Former Alumni Angel Diaz
• Continue Looking for Mentors to ensure a variety of Sources and Perspectives on Topic