Capstone is a unique and demanding challenge.

In completing it, what did you learn about your

I learned that I can accomplish anything I set my mind to. Even though this sounds simple and
rudimentary, the cookbook I made is something I am extremely proud about so the fact that I was able
to make a plan and follow through with it is something I learned about myself.

How is your project relevant to you, the school or the community at large?

My project is relevant to me and my life because to me food symbolizes a culmination of good memories
and happy times. My favorite memory of me and my parents is during quarantine last year when we
would try new recipes and cook together. I also show my love and appreciation for others by cooking for
them specifically my family which is why it was so important for me to create this cookbook. A physical
manifestation of all the good memories I have around making food

How did you demonstrate the six core competencies throughout this project?

Personal Awareness & Responsibility

Strengths

“I can express my needs and seek help when needed”

When I needed help or guidance for my capstone project I would ask my mentor Ms. Francis.

“I can set goals, regulate my emotions and persevere in difficult emotions”

In order to get my capstone done on time I set goals for myself and made a plan. I made sure to follow
the plan accordingly. This was really hard for me as some days I really did not want to work on my
capstone however I persevered.

Weakness

“I take personal responsibility for my choices and actions”

An area of improvement for me is taking personal responsibility for my choices and actions, especially
when it comes to procrastination surrounding homework or in this case not working on my capstone
when I had class time. These are the areas in which I must realize that all my actions affect the outcome
and quality of my work.

Social Responsibility

Strengths

“I have positive peer and intergenerational relationships”

“I can identify and appreciate different perspectives on issues and use and evaluate strategies to resolve
problems”

Even though I only made one copy of this cookbook I wanted to make the recipes in it appealing to
everyone. People who had zero cooking experience or people who had a lot of cooking experience so
that everyone would enjoy it. Meaning I identified and appreciated different perspectives when it comes
to food.

Weakness

“I am aware of my community and environment and work independently and collaboratively for the
benefit of others”

Being more aware and grateful for the community and environment I have is something I have been
working on as I do not do it enough now. This is important to do as my family helped a lot in terms of
helping me get groceries for the recipes and allowing me to occupy the kitchen for long periods of time.

Critical Thinking

Strengths

“I can analyze and make defensible judgments, draw conclusions and consider a variety of perspectives”

Once again when making the cookbook I wanted it to be appealing to a large group of people. Which
means I tried considering different perspectives and tried to include a recipe everyone would love.

“I can analyze and critique my work and my learning”

When making the actual cookbook on my computer I had to constantly critique and edit my work, so it
was the best quality, and I was proud of it.

Weakness

“I can explore and create new ways to represent my learning around a variety of problems, events,
issues and needs.”

I only represented my learning in one way, I could’ve also made video tutorials of the recipes to further
showcase my learning.

Creative Thinking

Strengths

“I can create new and unique ideas that may provide new perspectives that influence how people think
about topics”

When creating the cookbook I was hoping to introduce new recipes to people.

“I can take my ideas evaluate, develop, and refine them and make something productive out of them”
My cookbook is a physical representation of me refining my thoughts and ideas to make something
productive out of them.

Weakness

“I can persevere and realize that failure can be productive”

If a recipe did not turn out well, I would not add it to the cook rather than asking my self how I can make
the recipe better I would just scrap it. In the future I would like to understand that this can be a learning
opportunity.

Communication

Strengths

“I can work with other students to plan, inquire, and solve problems”

When coming up with an idea for my capstone I bounced off a lot of ideas from my peers and asked
them for advice in relation to my different ideas.

“I can engage in deep and meaningful inquiry for a variety of purposes and audiences”

When making the cookbook I also wanted to inquire about why people may villainize food and the
negative effects of the demonization of certain foods.

Weaknesses

“I can listen, learn to contribute meaningfully to discussion and debate, consider different perspectives
and build consensus”

When making the cookbook my friends and family would occasionally give me tips and critiques and I
had a hard time taking their advice constructively.

Personal & Cultural Identity

Strengths

“I know my strengths and what makes me unique”

When doing this capstone, I knew that making a cookbook was right for me because of my passion for
food.

“I understand what is important to me”

I know that cooking and food is extremely important in my life which is why I chose to make a cookbook.

Weaknesses

“I can define myself in terms of my relationship to others and to the world”

This cookbook not only represents my love for food but the memories I have with my loved one's friends
and family surrounding food.
What impact did your capstone have?

Recently I have been extremely busy balancing school, work and my personal life and making this
cookbook and all the recipes made me realize how much joy cooking brings me. The impact of this
realization in my life is the fact that I realized I have to make time for the things I love to do. For example
making time in day to cook something for me and my family.

Thinking about the whole process and your finished product, what are you most proud of?

I am most proud of the fact that I got everything done by the time I needed it to be done. For example,
making sure my cookbook was finished and completed by the due date.

What was a difficulty you encountered and how did you solve the problem?

A difficulty I encountered was the fact that I was procrastinating working on my capstone. I solved this
by making a plan and making sure I had certain things done by specific dates.

What is one thing about your finished product you wish you could change?

One thing I wish I could change about my finished product is the quality of the images, I am definitely
not good at photography more specifically food photography but this is a skill I wish I could improve.

What advice would you give to a student who will be completing their capstone project next year?

Some advice I would give to a student who will be completing their capstone project next year is to
choose something you are passionate about and do something you enjoy. Because if you like what you
are doing it won’t even seem like you are doing work.

What source from your research helped you the most or least?

The Cleveland Clinics article on the psychology of understanding eating behavior and eating habits
helped me the most within my research in understanding how the foods we eat have an immense impact on
how we feel affecting our emotions which then influence our actions in a negative/positive way

What is one thing about your approach to your project that you wish you could change?

One thing about my approach to my project that I wish I could change is maybe organize my cookbook
more, for example create three different sections of recipes like easy medium-hard and hard recipes.