Blog 11: Lesson 1 Reflection

What are you most proud of in your lesson, and why?

• I am most proud of the fact that I still had a whole gallery of things to talk about after my presentation was over, I could have easily talked for 20 minutes. This makes me proud because it shows that I had a lot of research done for these couple of months.

What assessment would you give yourself on your lesson? Explain why you earned that grade using evidence from the component contract.

• As for myself I deserve a P. My presentation wasn't the most glamorous but it wasn't the weakest either. I feel like I nailed the all of the P requirements because I was speaking loud enough, using adequate gestures, eye contact, using diagrams, mentioned my mentor, and even mentioned a couple of sources.

 If you could go back, what would you change about your lesson?  How can you use that knowledge to give a better Lesson 2? 

•  If I could go back I would rearrange my content. For example I would take away the talk I did about how engines work and add something more valuable like why its important to let your car warm up in the mornings.

Title: Blog 10 - Interview 2 Reflection

Please explain how you are spending your mentorship time (Is it at a workplace or somewhere else?  Are you shadowing?  Are you able to do tasks that are meaningfully related to the topic?  If so, what?  Are there other people who are experts in the location?  Etc...)

• My mentor allows me to do hands on activities such as actual work myself under his supervision. I believe all tasks that I have done are valid because even the minor jobs shows me how bug of an impact they could have.

How did you find your mentor?  How did you convince this person to help you?  

• I was taking to a friend about the project and he guided me to his uncle. Fortunately his uncle liked the idea of spreading knowledge so he helped me out 

How would you rate your comfort level with your mentor at this point in your relationship?  How does this relate to the time you've spent so far at mentorship/with this person

• Since he is an older folk then their is that huge age barrier but other than this I can ask him any question I wan't without hesitating and he responds to the ones he can. Its a good thing he has confidence in me or else he wouldn't let me do some of the jobs.

What went well in this interview?  Why do you think so?  What do you still need to improve?  How do you know?  How will you go about it?

• This second interview was more in depth and I got many more information out of it, because we were both in a good mood and the chemistry allowed for a good interview. The only thing I wish is that I kept recording after the interview because we had a good conversation after the actual interview was over.

Interview voice

Title: Blog 9 - Advisory Prep 3

State whether or not you currently have a mentor, and what the status of your interview is with that person (I have completed the interview, I have scheduled the interview, I have not scheduled the interview, etc).  

• I currently have a mentor, however, I want to perhaps find a new one. One that is more familiar with modern cars so that I can apply that knowledge. I have not scheduled a meeting with him as he has been out of town for the last two days.   
  

At this point, your research is probably guiding your studies toward more specific areas within your topic.  Name the area or two you find most promising and explain your reasons.   

• The area I find most promising is that engines could be restored and fixed, but in reality they will just break down the road. Therefore, the owner should really think of putting up with maintenance cost or simply buying a new car 

 What kinds of sources do you think will help you in the next month to gain more research depth?  Where will you go to get them?

• I been meaning to read a book or two about automotive mechanics and such but I haven't got around doing so and paying a trip to the library.

Write down a possible EQ.  Please don't worry about wording other than ensuring that it provides the option for multiple correct answers.  At this point, the senior team is most interested in understanding your thought process.

• What is the best way you can have a car running optimally at all times or, what is the most efficient way to enforce that you have a vehicle that is always running in good condition  

Title: Blog 8: Independent Component 1 Proposal

Describe in detail what you plan to do for your 30 hours

• I plan to work on my moms car because it has been problematic for a while without hope. It has misfire issues meaning that the ignition part of the four cycles does not take place. The cause of this could be to various reasons; either the spark isn't receiving signal or the the spark plugs are old. What ever the case is it needs help because it shakes like an big old V8 which isn't normal because its just a 6 cylinder. What I plan to do is, with the guidance of my mentor, diagnose, and address what needs to be fixed. 

Discuss how or what you will do to meet the expectation of showing 30 hours of evidence.

• I will take pictures whenever I can and maybe record myself speaking, kind of the same Idea as famous YouTube vloggers.
• Also I will keep a log of all the hours I did that way I could use it as a reference when I talk about the pictures.

Explain how what you will be doing will help you explore your topic in more depth.

• Misfires are very common, not only with BMWs, but also any ordinary car. As they get old they start to develop carbon in the spark plugs which prevents them from misfiring. Another thing I will try is to try and prove the theory of some products that claim they clean your car. 

Blog 7 - Second Interview Preparation

Who is your mentor and where do they work?  If their workplace does not reflect their expertise, what makes them an expert?

• My mentor is Jose Estrada and he currently works as an independent mechanic in his own house. What makes him an expert is his wide spectrum of knowledge in the car maintenance world, not to mention his experience.

What five questions will you ask them about their background?

1. When did you start working on cars on your own?
2. What are some of the hardest jobs you have completed? What made them hard?
3. Have you ever left a customer unsatisfied? Why was this?
4. What is your favorite job to do on a car?( heads, clutch change, transmission rebuilt, etc.)
5. What is your most favorite car you have worked on?

Advisory Prep

What has worked well for you concerning senior project this year?  What has made it a positive experience for you?  

• What has worked well for me is the workload, it doesn't seem like the SENIOR PROJECT. Now it seems like the senior project. I have reason to believe that it is because of how we are taught to take off little bites at a time.

What are you finding difficult concerning senior project?  How can you adapt to make that portion work better for you?  How might the senior team help?

•  The service hours are pretty difficult in my situation. I have to balance between so many things; including sports, music, social life, school even has its own little segment besides senior project, not to mention the SAT. One way I could possibly adapt to this project is by making a schedule for these hours, that way, when it comes to the end I hopefully won't have to do 20 hours in one week.

Blog 5 - Interview 1 Reflection

1. What is the most important thing I learned from the interview?  Is there anything I would do differently for other interviews?

• The most important thing I learned is that my mentor isn't the most helpful outside of wrenching, book smart so to speak. Another thing I learned is that being a  "good" mechanic really does take time an effort, it's a learning processes that takes years. It takes years because like doctors, every patient they deal with is different. Why? because of the different design or rare case troubleshooting that isn't common so the mechanic has to walk through "unexplored  territory"
• This interview my interviewee just responded to the question and didn't have a conversation with me like I was expecting. Could be that he got stage fright when he saw that I was going to record the interview.  Next interview I will make sure my interviewee can give me a bigger pool of information alongside with the answers.    

2. Did I get additional resources and contacts?  What is the most useful?  Why?

• No specific numbers and contact information was given to me, however, my mentor did give me the advice to look for teachers and professors if I want to talk to someone else. He also refereed me to service manual when doing a job because I would then know what to do in case I stumble upon something strange. It is useful however the information is limited, because there's probably hundreds of certified mechanic teachers and technicians. I say limited because he didn't point me to a trusted one that I can speak  with.

3. What makes my interviewee qualified to help me? 

• My interview is qualified to help me because all of his answers seem reasonable from my point of view. 

Interview audio

Blog 4 - House Advisory Prep 1

What I hope to accomplish-

I hope to accomplish some things which include having my audience become more educated about cars during my presentation. As for myself I want to understand every little component of a car, so when I pursue my dream of becoming a car designer I will fully understand the topic. Designing cars has always felt like home, in other words, I can't picture myself doing anything else. I imagine that a designer needs to understand mechanics in order to put a car together. For example, the combination of a big car and a small four cylinder engine won't work out because you will always have a lot of stress on the engine. Therefore, I believe that understanding a cars mechanics can benefit me in getting a job as a designer and being a designer in itself.

Blog 3 - First Interview Preparation

Who do you plan to interview?  Why?

• I plan to interview my mentor because he has experience, which means he has seen it all. Unfortunately, nobody knows everything, but, my mentor Jose, also has many connections that tie in to the automotive world. For example, he has a machine shop on speed dial just in case he ever needs heads machined. 

What additional questions do you plan to ask? 

• Tell me about your history about becoming a mechanic?
• Why, if so. would you say that it is important for everyone to understand basic mechanics?
• Why do you think people put a bad connotation with repair shops, and dealers?
• Why do you feel a lot of people are afraid to wrench on their own cars?

Blog 2 - Summer Mentorship

1.List the contact name, phone number, and organization of the person with whom you volunteered.

• Jose Estrada, (909) 525- 3651, Jose Mecanico- Electrico

2. What qualified this person as an expert in your topic choice?   

• He is qualified in my book because he has many years of experience, pretty much born into a being a mechanic. He knows his way around every common malfunction the old school way, without the help of computer diagnostic. 

3.List three questions for further exploration now that you've completed your summer hours.    

• How can one keep their vehicle in the best mechanical condition possible without servicing it in the dealer?
• What long/short term investments can be made on a vehicle to expand life time?
• What can one do without spending money to extend the lifetime of their vehicles?

4. What is the most important thing you gained from this experience? Why? 

• I've always wanted to be a prestigious and respected mechanic in the racing world. However, this experience has crushed my dreams because when wrenching, you get dirty, sweaty, potential to injury, and lets not even mention the frustrating part.

5.What is your senior project topic going to be?  How did mentorship help you make your decision?  Please explain. 

• My senior topic is going to be about cars and what the owner can do to keep them mechanically strong, and visually appealing. 
• My mentorship helped me make my decision by providing a place where I could stand on and expand my knowledge from there. For example, where to jack up a car and where not to, to let the car run for 6-8 minutes before changing the oil, and why its important to wax a car. When I completed my summer mentorship I felt like I learned a lot that needed to be passed on to every vehicle owner. That is why I'm still continuing my dream of doing the senior project on automotive maintenance.

Log of mentorship hours

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1JL8Sx99_TAFKScbWBYbJydHOt9JNlGt6Ni1-uLkj5WU/edit?usp=sharing   

Blog 1 – Senior Final Lesson/Interview Reflection

I really enjoy researching and learning about modified cars. 

What three lessons were most helpful for you to see, and why?

1. Hockey coaching with Slade Susuki was an interesting one presentation for me to attend to because it showed me how I could do soccer as a presentation topic. One other helpful memo that I mentally wrote down was to pring as many props as you can so you can constantly refer to them during the presentation.
2. I disliked a Business presentation with someone because I felt like his presentation had no point, it was just talking about the different types of bossing  styles and how they affect your workers. Also, I felt like the power point and himself weren't working in unison. Overall, this presentation was helpful because I hope I now will progress upon what Humberto did wrong and avoid his mistakes.
3. Drag Racing with Victor Gamboa was my favorite because it was my favorite topic. I, thanks to Mr. Gamboa , know have ideas on how to implement the automotive industry into the senior presentation if I do pick that topic.

List one thing that you learned about the senior project in interviews that will help you get off to a good start?

1. Thanks to Ana Nieto, I now know I need to get a mentor that is compatible with myself and vise versa. This is because a big part of the project will be coming out of your mentor ship.

What topic(s) are you considering, and why?

1. Soccer: I have played soccer since I was about seven and I currently play. Not to mention my passion for the sport in incredible. 
2. Automotive industry: Almost the same situation as soccer, I have deep roots and passion for the topic. All the mechanical work my car has needed I have executed myself.

What EQ do you think might be interesting to consider in guiding a project like this?

1. Soccer: What is the most effective way one could keep themselves in best shape for physical contact sports?
2. Automotive: What is the cheapest yet most efficient way of modifying your cars mechanical features (engine, drivetrain, etc.)?

What are some ideas you have about finding summer mentorship?

1. There is a general mechanic shop not to far from where I live and I'm sure they are willing to let me intern there.
2. As for soccer, I have plenty of old coaches numbers and even Mr. Hanke at school that might be willing to help me attain a mentor.