Final Reflection
My goal with capstone was to get involved in the refugee crisis. Although my initial stance was focusing on Syria, I ended up getting in contact with a refugee family from Afghanistan. I helped them for the majority of the year by making sure they had clothing and shoes for the winter as well as food and money. In March, they made a sudden decision to move out of Hartford and go to Texas because there were more people of their background there. After they left, the focus of my capstone shifted back to Syria. With the 6th year of the Syrian Civil War passing, I decided to start raising awareness and money for Syria and its many civilians and refugees who needed help.
Throughout the school year, my capstone project taught me a lot. It made me see what was going on in the world with a much more personal lens. Up until I was put into contact with a real refugee and heard her stories in person and spent time with her children, I don’t think I had internalized the Syrian Conflict as much as I had preciously convinced myself. It is easy to be saddened by statistics or pictures or news headlines, but now I see that those people who make up the statistics are like me. I could have been in any one of their places. They are not only refugees or war victims, they are people. They are no less human than anyone else, no matter how safe or secure. Outside of the international conflict, my capstone changed my views on many people here in America as well. As I began raising money, I was worried about backlash I would be getting for openly supporting something as politically controversial as the refugee crisis and Syria. I live in a very conservative town, and I was worried my mom would have people bothering her about a donation box for Syria, but I ended up raising almost $50 from it. Even at SMSA, I knew there were some people who were conservative, and to see those people buying ribbons from me was very eye opening.
The instance that impacted me the most happened in Wal-Mart. I was walking with Sheeba, the oldest daughter in the Nazari family. She was only a few years younger than me. We had joked about the same topics and talked about some similar things we did, but the moment I realized how much Sheeba and I had in common actually happened after she told me she wanted a curling wand for her hair. I was surprised at first, thinking, she’s a refugee. There are so many more important things she needs right now than a curling wand. She told me that she was in high school, and everyone came to school with their hair styled and their makeup done every day, and she didn’t have the means to do any of that anymore. In Afghanistan she would work with her mother in a beauty salon, and now in America her classmates would say she looked “simple” for not coming to school with her hair and makeup done.
As rewarding as capstone felt, there were definitely some downhill moments. Juggling capstone without a capstone class was one of my biggest challenges, especially in regards to completing things on deadlines. As I watched my classmates get so far in capstone, I had to search for the time to be three paces behind them, still. Another very significant obstacle I had to encounter was transportation. The Nazari family was the closest refugee family I found to me, and even then they were about 35 minutes away. Since I don’t have my license, my mom had to take me back and forth. Therefore, although my mother became close to the family as I did, I could also only go to visit them on the days my mom didn’t have work—which only left the weekends. As if transportation wasn’t already an issue, my mom’s van broke down in December because of a transmission problem, and the mechanic couldn’t fix it for an entire month. That entire time, the only contact I was able to have with Kowki and her children was over the phone. Knowing what I know now, I think the most important change I would have made to how I did my capstone is how I managed my time. Although Calculus and my other classes did take up a significant portion of my time, there were occasions where I had extra time to myself and I didn’t take advantage of it. Secondly, if it were possible for me to have done this capstone over again with my license and a car, I would, but if not, I would try to think of some other transportation methods or ways to help the family without physically being there. I do wish I had spent more time with the Nazari family than I did, but I am glad with what I was able to do with what I had.
As I finish capstone, I do feel as though I have accomplished something important. I helped the Nazari family to the best of my ability settle into their new home in Hartford. Especially around winter, they needed warm clothing and shoes. Connecticut winters are nothing like the warm winters in Afghanistan or Pakistan, so making sure they were well prepared to brace the cold was very important. After winter passed, my mother and I were able to find the funds the Nazari family needed to move to Texas. Now, I hear from them how they are settled in well and are enjoying what Texas has to offer—except the mosquitoes. Afterwards, another result of my capstone became donating money to UNICEF to help refugee children. As of April 5, 2017, I have $320, but I am not done raising money yet. Serving my community in a form that I was passionate about has definitely inspired me. I hope to continue serving my community and the people who need help around the world for as long as I can.
Throughout the school year, my capstone project taught me a lot. It made me see what was going on in the world with a much more personal lens. Up until I was put into contact with a real refugee and heard her stories in person and spent time with her children, I don’t think I had internalized the Syrian Conflict as much as I had preciously convinced myself. It is easy to be saddened by statistics or pictures or news headlines, but now I see that those people who make up the statistics are like me. I could have been in any one of their places. They are not only refugees or war victims, they are people. They are no less human than anyone else, no matter how safe or secure. Outside of the international conflict, my capstone changed my views on many people here in America as well. As I began raising money, I was worried about backlash I would be getting for openly supporting something as politically controversial as the refugee crisis and Syria. I live in a very conservative town, and I was worried my mom would have people bothering her about a donation box for Syria, but I ended up raising almost $50 from it. Even at SMSA, I knew there were some people who were conservative, and to see those people buying ribbons from me was very eye opening.
The instance that impacted me the most happened in Wal-Mart. I was walking with Sheeba, the oldest daughter in the Nazari family. She was only a few years younger than me. We had joked about the same topics and talked about some similar things we did, but the moment I realized how much Sheeba and I had in common actually happened after she told me she wanted a curling wand for her hair. I was surprised at first, thinking, she’s a refugee. There are so many more important things she needs right now than a curling wand. She told me that she was in high school, and everyone came to school with their hair styled and their makeup done every day, and she didn’t have the means to do any of that anymore. In Afghanistan she would work with her mother in a beauty salon, and now in America her classmates would say she looked “simple” for not coming to school with her hair and makeup done.
As rewarding as capstone felt, there were definitely some downhill moments. Juggling capstone without a capstone class was one of my biggest challenges, especially in regards to completing things on deadlines. As I watched my classmates get so far in capstone, I had to search for the time to be three paces behind them, still. Another very significant obstacle I had to encounter was transportation. The Nazari family was the closest refugee family I found to me, and even then they were about 35 minutes away. Since I don’t have my license, my mom had to take me back and forth. Therefore, although my mother became close to the family as I did, I could also only go to visit them on the days my mom didn’t have work—which only left the weekends. As if transportation wasn’t already an issue, my mom’s van broke down in December because of a transmission problem, and the mechanic couldn’t fix it for an entire month. That entire time, the only contact I was able to have with Kowki and her children was over the phone. Knowing what I know now, I think the most important change I would have made to how I did my capstone is how I managed my time. Although Calculus and my other classes did take up a significant portion of my time, there were occasions where I had extra time to myself and I didn’t take advantage of it. Secondly, if it were possible for me to have done this capstone over again with my license and a car, I would, but if not, I would try to think of some other transportation methods or ways to help the family without physically being there. I do wish I had spent more time with the Nazari family than I did, but I am glad with what I was able to do with what I had.
As I finish capstone, I do feel as though I have accomplished something important. I helped the Nazari family to the best of my ability settle into their new home in Hartford. Especially around winter, they needed warm clothing and shoes. Connecticut winters are nothing like the warm winters in Afghanistan or Pakistan, so making sure they were well prepared to brace the cold was very important. After winter passed, my mother and I were able to find the funds the Nazari family needed to move to Texas. Now, I hear from them how they are settled in well and are enjoying what Texas has to offer—except the mosquitoes. Afterwards, another result of my capstone became donating money to UNICEF to help refugee children. As of April 5, 2017, I have $320, but I am not done raising money yet. Serving my community in a form that I was passionate about has definitely inspired me. I hope to continue serving my community and the people who need help around the world for as long as I can.