Final Reflection Questions

1. While writing your paper, what did you learn about the research process?
I learned how to find credible sources for my information using a database filled with
information on many different topics and how to effectively sort through and find
relevant data. I learned how to verify information from outside sources and how to
properly organize and setup an outline with facts.

2. How was the research related to your mentor hours?

My research was related to my mentor hours as I focused on the different types of civil
engineers and one of these included geotechnical engineering. My mentor hours were
spent working with my mentor on a job site and at the office with information that related
to geotechnical engineering.

3. Summarize the mentor hours that you completed.

I spent the first five of my mentor hours on the job site at Druid Hills Academy in
Charlotte where we took soil samples at several different drill points on the site and
determined the composition of the soil and decided what should be done to build the
addition to the school on that type of soil and location. The next three hours were spent at
the office where I was shone how concrete and asphalt are tested to determine strength
and durability. I got a tour of the office and got to learn about the different tests
performed like compression and density tests. The last two hours were spent with my
mentor guiding me through the process of writing a proposal and providing me with a
template that her company uses when writing a proposal.

4. How did working with your mentor affect your understanding of

the topic area and /or the professional world?
Working with my mentor affected my understanding of geotechnical engineering as I learned
about the different components that make up the soil and how this factors can make a difference
in constructing a structure.

a. If your mentor contributed to the development of the product, how were

they involved?
My mentor helped me with my product as she guided me with questions and
supplied me with knowledge that allowed me to complete the proposal without
being given the answers. My mentor provided me with a template that her
company uses and this was used to create my product with advice and guided
questions from my mentor that led to the completion of my product.

5. How did creating a product and completing the hours challenge you personally?
Creating a product and completing the hours challenged me personally because it was a
new area of knowledge that before my hours and product I would not have had any
understanding of. This caused a stretch of knowledge and it was challenged to me as I
had to be extremely flexible in my planning since completing the hours depended on the
weather since some of these hours were done outside.
 6. Do you feel prepared academically and emotionally for the presentation?
I feel prepared academically and emotionally for the presentation as I have been taught
what is going to be expected of me and I already have experience with performing a
similar interview for my Eagle Scout.

7. How did the entire process stretch you as a learner and as an individual?
The process stretched me as a learner and individual as I did not know anything about
how to build a structure before my project and had no idea of the importance of what
makes up the ground. It was more of a learning and knowledge stretch than an individual
stretch as I have done a project similar to the entire Pride Project process when I got my
Eagle Scout.

8. Other than time management, describe an obstacle you encountered and how
you overcame it.
An obstacle I encountered was getting my mentor hours set up as this was difficult due to
the nature of attending a job site that is affected by a different school schedule as well as
the weather.

9. What life skills did you acquire and how will they help you in the future?
The life skills I acquired are that I have real world experience of planning and seeing how
engineers work together and organize their projects. I have firsthand experience of what
goes into a project proposal for a engineering project and this combined with the skills I
already have in planning and management will help me to become a successful engineer.

10. If you had to go back and do parts of the project again, what would you do
differently?
If I had to go back and do parts of the project again the things that I would do differently
are that I would want to see more than one jobsite so I could have maybe done something
a little different with maybe rock samples and this way I could have seen the other ways
to determine what needs to be done.

11. Based on the entire Pride Project experience, do you plan to pursue this
field as a career or college area of study? If so, why? If not, why? Please be
specific.
Based on the entire Pride Project experience I plan to pursue this field as a career because this
was something that I enjoyed doing and could see myself being successful at in the future. I have
the skills needed to be able to effectively do this work in the future and it is something that I
actually enjoy. This field allows you to work inside but there are ways that you can get out into
the field so you are not at a desk all day.