At the start of my senior project, I was lost as to what I should do. I saw that many people were doing their projects based off of what they would pursue in the future, like medicine or animation, or what they were already good at, like music. I think from the start, I wanted to do something related to psychology and so I chose stress because I thought the relationship between health and stress was interesting. But throughout the project, especially at the start, I wished I had chosen something else. I wish I had chosen something that would have focused more on me, even if that sounds a bit selfish. I thought, what if I had picked something where I learned a new skill? I could have written a book, or at least tried to write a book. I could have tried learning another language, like Cantonese. I could have tried playing the piano. There were many things I could have done, and sometimes I wish I had picked one of those.
In the end, where I am now, I think going with stress and health turned out fine. It was gratifying to give out stress packages to staff, teachers, and faculty at Northgate even if it is such a minor gesture, and through this project, I was able to practice my researching and speaking skills, particularly when it came to recording for my podcast. I've never been fond of public speaking and I probably never will, but making the podcast and simply enunciating when reading the script gave me some confidence in my speaking ability. If I were to do this project again, I think I would mostly repeat what I had done. I researched, I wrote, and I did my project. I would, however, have liked to research a bit more into stress and health because there were so many topics that I wasn't able to cover, like PTSD, and there were times I felt that my research was too shallow and needed more evidence. My mentor, Shannon Brueckner, was extremely helpful though. She was understanding, supportive, and always willing to give me a hand when I asked her for help. Jonathan Parker, the other person I interviewed, was also very helpful and I am thankful that I was able to speak with him. I don't think I ever had an encounter with anyone who was unhelpful throughout the entirety of this project. Not my friends, not my family, and especially not my teacher, Mrs. O'Neil.
As this project comes to a close, I reflect back on my journey with some final comments. I learned that people will help you if you ask them. Whether for clarification or advice, they are there for you, so you shouldn't be afraid to ask them. I have seen myself grow as an individual in the academic sense, researching a topic so thoroughly that I actually felt alright when giving a presentation about it in front of a class. Practicing public speaking, or speaking in general for me, is the greatest outcome on a personal level because it will be something important in the future and you have to start somewhere. I think, with the knowledge that I can give a fairly decent presentation, this will give me confidence for my future whenever I have to present something to other people. I wouldn't say I've changed dramatically as a result of this project, but I will say that it has made me a slightly better person, if not for the world, then for myself. I've learned how acute stress and chronic stress affects the brain and body, and I can use this to remind friends and family that their health is important too. I will not stand to see anyone around me wither away because of chronic stress, and I know I have the research to back me up. Senior project started out as nothing more than a question, but I can conclude that it has taught me a lot about myself and given me skills that I will need in the future.
Thank you,
Candice Au-Yeung
In the end, where I am now, I think going with stress and health turned out fine. It was gratifying to give out stress packages to staff, teachers, and faculty at Northgate even if it is such a minor gesture, and through this project, I was able to practice my researching and speaking skills, particularly when it came to recording for my podcast. I've never been fond of public speaking and I probably never will, but making the podcast and simply enunciating when reading the script gave me some confidence in my speaking ability. If I were to do this project again, I think I would mostly repeat what I had done. I researched, I wrote, and I did my project. I would, however, have liked to research a bit more into stress and health because there were so many topics that I wasn't able to cover, like PTSD, and there were times I felt that my research was too shallow and needed more evidence. My mentor, Shannon Brueckner, was extremely helpful though. She was understanding, supportive, and always willing to give me a hand when I asked her for help. Jonathan Parker, the other person I interviewed, was also very helpful and I am thankful that I was able to speak with him. I don't think I ever had an encounter with anyone who was unhelpful throughout the entirety of this project. Not my friends, not my family, and especially not my teacher, Mrs. O'Neil.
As this project comes to a close, I reflect back on my journey with some final comments. I learned that people will help you if you ask them. Whether for clarification or advice, they are there for you, so you shouldn't be afraid to ask them. I have seen myself grow as an individual in the academic sense, researching a topic so thoroughly that I actually felt alright when giving a presentation about it in front of a class. Practicing public speaking, or speaking in general for me, is the greatest outcome on a personal level because it will be something important in the future and you have to start somewhere. I think, with the knowledge that I can give a fairly decent presentation, this will give me confidence for my future whenever I have to present something to other people. I wouldn't say I've changed dramatically as a result of this project, but I will say that it has made me a slightly better person, if not for the world, then for myself. I've learned how acute stress and chronic stress affects the brain and body, and I can use this to remind friends and family that their health is important too. I will not stand to see anyone around me wither away because of chronic stress, and I know I have the research to back me up. Senior project started out as nothing more than a question, but I can conclude that it has taught me a lot about myself and given me skills that I will need in the future.
Thank you,
Candice Au-Yeung