For my project, I decided to change the history of the Social Security Act. My main question was “What if the Social Security Act was not passed by Congress?” After researching about this topic, I found out that this act helped provide financial support to the homeless, unemployed, elderly, and disabled. It gave them a small income just so they were able to obtain the proper necessities of life. During the Great Depression, unemployment devastated the lives of individuals and had a critical effect on the economy. Older Americans as a group was particularly affected by this crisis even though improvements in medicine meant people were living longer. Yet many elderly Americans faced age discrimination that made it difficult to find employment. The Social Security Act basically provided unemployment insurance for workers, aid to needy children who had lost one or both parents, and disability insurance for workers who could not work on account of an injury.           

            The future that I envisioned resulting from my POD was that young adults were not gaining jobs due to the fact that older workers had first priority. Also, from this drastic change it left the sick and homeless with no hope to living a normal life. From all this, the unemployment rate would continue to increase and eventually leading to massive protests and riots against the government.

            The most challenging thing about this project was connecting actual primary sources to my new topic since they were completely different events. I was able to relate pictures to my POD because they are more flexible and can be changed easily. I really liked how I could choose my own idea and develop my own masterpiece. It was difficult at times to make something that did not have a drastic domino effect on society, but after several tries I was able to choose something I am proud of. If I could do this project all over again, I would probably add more fake primary sources because that is when you can add creativity to your final product. For example, I really wanted to make a video newscast of my POD so it was as if it was realistic. Overall, I am very satisfied with my final product, and it is something that I am really proud of.

This quarter I painted all of my drawings and just painted on what interested me most. Thorough out this quarter I painted 5 paints and drew a couple of abstracts. Because of the missed day of my teacher my art work was thrown out and pictures couldn't be taken of the first few of them. The first pictures I drew with pastels and the work was abstract art filled with many different colors. The next weeks work was a tree that was brown I painted it with pink and red flowers. The next week I painted a changing sunset in the valley with the blending  colors red orange yellow and colors in between that. The next week I painted a replica of the rap groups Odd Future's "OF" donut on a large piece of paper. The week after that I started a new painting and was going to paint the superman symbol. During that week those got thrown out and so I started and tried to recreate these projects. Through this quarter I completed my assignments in every class and enjoyed it as I was painting them.

• Describe your Point of Divergence.
  My point of divergence was, What if, Osama Bin Laden was killed in the Battle Of Jaji in May of 1987, during the Soviet War in Afghanistan.  I chose to focus on this because I thought it would be unique to imagine a world, as well as a life to some without Osama Bin Laden, of course I couldn't touch on the topic of 9/11, but since that's what most know Osama for, many would never know who Osama Bin Laden was.  
  
  
• What is the future you envisioned resulting from the POD? (short summary)
  I envisioned the future being a lot more peaceful.  Muslim's wouldn't be looked at as aliens or outsiders, they'd be accepted all across America.  Terrorism would be as common as well, Bin Laden was famous for his terroristic acts, and since him, terrorism has become more common.  I believe if he was killed in 1987, many terroristic acts that took place, wouldn't have happened.
• What did you like about this project? What was most challenging?
  I liked the fact that we got to choose what we wanted to look into and what we wanted to focus on.  Most projects are assigned, but this one was what ever we wanted it to be.  The most challenging part about my project, was not talking about 9/11.  9/11 was a big part of Osama Bin Laden and his image and how he became known to many people in America, and it's weird because if he was killed in 1987, many people wouldn't have ever know who he was, not only because 9/11 didn't happen but because around that time, he was just coming into the light and grasping power.
• Describe the most interesting fact or event that you investigated.
  I found it very interesting that Osama was a very wealthy man and that he helped fund a whole rebellion, it makes me wonder many different things.  One being that if he never inherited the money from his father and his family never became well known, would he have ever been involved in the battle of Jaji and would he have ever been any different from any other Saudi Arabian man born around around that time.
• How do the actions of individuals impact the historical record?
  Actions of individuals impact history A LOT.  Osama was one of the leaders in the War On Terror.  If he had died in 1987, there would've been no war.  Terrorism wouldn't have been as popular either.  As I said before people link Osama Bin Laden to terrorism, all the time, but with him dead, terrorism wouldn't be that popular and wouldn't be used as much world-wide.
• How do systemic changes impact the historical record?
  Systemic changes also affect history a lot.  Osama Bin Laden was a dictator and allowed people to believe in terrorism and that America was their enemy, and even though he has died, his ways live on.  Many of those in the Arabin Nation and Muslim nation see Americans as their enemies.
• How influential can one decision be in the historical landscape?
  One decision can be very influential, Osama bin Laden proved that, he chose to fund the revolt and with that one choice he began a full out war.  Without him funding the the soldiers and recruiting soldiers, there wouldn't have been a full out war, I believe that there would've been a couple of battles and fights here and there, but not a full blown war.
• How could this project be improved?
  I believe that I could've improved the project by researching the Battle Of Jajji a little more.  I think I could've been able to find a better and more interesting way for Osama to be killed.  
• If you had it to do over, what would you change about your process for the project?
  I would change the death of Osama, I would make it a lot more interesting and research it a lot more.

For our last quarter in art we were given 6 similar but different art projects. 3 of which were under the topic of abstract and the other 3 were observation drawings. At first I was confused as to how I should go about my abstract drawings. After researching different paintings and drawings I was able to get an idea of what I would do. My favorite abstract projects were the photographs I feel that my drawings don't show the same emotion as my photographs do, they speak more to me. During the time that I would draw I would need to find inspiration and I found little of it. While on the other hand I would be able to find paint and mix it and find so much uniqueness with in the mixture. For my observation drawings I found that I was able to use lessons from our 9th grade year and put it to work. My favorite art piece would have to be the landscape drawing in which I was able to see more artistic ability with in me that I thought I didn't have. I was able to capture details from the view of a window and show a sections of Philadelphia's center city. Through out the time that I drew the landscape drawing I was able to connect with a different aspect of life and leave reality. If I were to enhance this art piece I would draw what I saw and not what was there. 

English Journal #15: 

I want to write about colors. Green trees, blue skies, white clouds, my pink shirt. Colors. I want to write about sunshine and happiness. We shouldn't think about yesterday, or 3 days from now. We should be thinking about this moment and the wonderful things we can make out of today. I want to write about now. Sometimes things are too stressful that we get caught up in that. I do that too, benchmarks, softball, and relationships. I want to write about taking a step back and enjoying life for what it's worth. 

English Journal #26: 

My own poem: 

We don't know what we get ourselves into 

So we have to kids the mistakes we wish we 

never made. 

Tomorrow's a brand new day. 

A new day of insecurities, worries, and 

mistaken identity.

A new day of fear that people will

find out who we really are inside.

We don't know what we get ourselves into. 

The fake smiles, and constant agony of already of 

trying to be "better" than we

already are. 

We all have something to hide. 

English Journal #43:

"One boy told me" write 3 lines that stand out.

- We're all poets when were little 

- Oatmeal cookies make my throat gallop.

- I do and don't love you, isn't that happiness?

Write a story incorporating one of the lines: 

Oatmeal cookies make my throat gallop. The crunchy taste, gets richer with each bite. The coarse texture, bumpy but fragile. But if broken, crumbs everywhere. On your favorite shirt, stuck to the corner of your mouth, and all over the table. Then comes mom, sponge in left, paper towel in right. She cleans you up just right. Just so you can enjoy your favorite cookie, with a cold glass of milk by its side. 

Mentor: Mr. Mark Miles

Summary: 

For my senior capstone I co-directed and managed the stage design for a play written by Julia Boyer.

Abstract: 

My role comprised of rehearsing with Julia and the cast of the play, blacking out the windows in the drama studio, moving the stages from the school cafeteria to the third floor drama studio, hanging up curtains, and managing the stage lighting. My responsibilities differed from Julia’s as I worked behind the scenes while she managed the actors and the props. Originally, Julia and I planned to sell tickets to the play, titled Office 309, but in the end chose to make the three performances free to the SLA community during two Friday lunch periods and one final performance after school on the same day.

"How To Direct a Play." Squidoo. Home Entertainment and Theater, 2010. Web. 1 Feb 2012

This website gives helpful insight on how to direct one’s first play. Helpful ideas include finding the cast as soon as possible, hiring a crew of at least three people, depending on how large the set is, and creating a production concept. The most important piece of information I received from this website is the importance of a production concept. To do so, the director or writer needs to think of a piece of artwork or writing piece that ties to the core of the entire play and explain it to the cast and crew. This artwork or writing piece should make everyone understand the ideas behind the play and what types of feelings to create during the production.

"Martenson Edward." Theater Management. Yale School of Drama, 2010. Web.

This website incorporates the idea of audience involvement with the characters’ points of view. It gives the example of giving a brief survey to the audience in advance, before completion of the writing of the play so the writing is relatable and draws people in.

Chaikelson, Steven. "Theater Management and Production Concentration." . Columbia University: School of the Arts , 24 September 2010. Web.

This website talks about process goals needed during the production of a musical or play. A key concept that is mentioned several times in the document is the importance of collaboration. The writers explain that collaboration is important because directing a play takes an ample amount of time and the work should be split in half to avoid stress. Also, more than one opinion tends to be helpful when working on a play or musical because theoretically “Two heads work better than one.”

Brookes, Fran. "The Production Manager." Theater Education. Education Theater Association, 27 December 2009. Web

The article, “The Production Manager” is a detailed step by step process on everything from set crews, characters, to guidelines for directors and writers of play productions. The article also tells the story of two people who work together to make scripts and produce them in front of a live audience. One of the writers also works as the manager while the second doubles as the stage manager. Together they have created an amazing duo that produces up to six plays a year. The two are interviewed by Fran Brookes where they talk about their strengths and weaknesses while working together.

"Behind The Scenes: Production Management." . Shakespeare Production Management, January 2012. Web.

This source is a brief explanation and step by step guide book on how to produce the greatest theater production possible. The first step is to hire and work with people you trust and can rely on. The second step is to find a space that is cost effective and that will also gain valuable customers and audience members. The third and final step is to create something concrete that you are proud of and want to share with the world.

Artist Statement: Abstracty Motion. 

I choose to use very vibrant colors for this piece. I found that to me abstract meant bright and for that I used the brightest charcoal pastels I could. I started off with a simple drawing that I did not know where I was going with. It was simply just some circles and swirls never ending in pencil. That was my goal at first. I wanted the piece to at first show some sort of motion happening, without the traditional circle, black and white wheel that looks like is moving. Then I wound up taking those swirls and coloring them with black charcoal pastel. I did not like that very much, so the next time I tackled the project I had used black paint, turns out that came out very good. Some how a very brilliant idea came to my head and I just thought of vibrant, bright, and appealing. I realized that abstract meant vibrant, and striking to me so that is just what I did. This is my final piece. 

An abstract piece that shows motion in a very odd way. 

Artist Statement: Dandelion Dreams

I decided to freely draw something I just came across on Google when I was looking up flowers randomly. I studied a picture of a dandelion, it took my attention and I  tried to replicate it the best way that I could. I concentrated on the dandelion and on a 8 x 11 sheet of paper I drew it on paper. It turned out to be a simple drawing of a dandelion in pencil on a piece of brown construction paper. I know if I would of pushed my artistic thinking I could of been dead on with the dandelion and add color to the flower but all in all I still end up being very content with what I came up with. 

Artist Statement: Leaves

During class one day, I doodled in my book. Excuse me, I found a project I could turn in for Advanced Art however. I drew a leaf. A very pretty leaf, one that is of elegance. Haha. This leaf then bloomed into flowers of leaves. In my notebook I tried doing this in pencil and in pen. I personally felt more connected to the leaves drawn in pencil. That started this piece right here. I first started with one leaf and started making bunches of flowers all over the page with them. I loved the pencil so much I kept it just like this. Because I had chosen a yellow flimsy piece of paper to work on I wanted to add a touch of shading and smudging of pencil to fill in such openings. The piece turned out to be very good in my opinion. I loved even more how it came about just by the boredom of a class for me. 

Artist Statement: Leaves Part II

Apparently I like leaves, and as a fan of nature, I then turned this project into a project dealing with leaves as well. However I have also received this idea from a formally drawn sketch of leaves. I wanted to replicate my own version and this is what I came out with. It took me about two hours, a few differently sharpened pencils and a huge eraser to finish this.  I wanted the leaves to look like the ones you would pick up on the ground just walking by to school. I examined the photo, and took a mental note of the curves, crevices, and gentle lines and strokes. There is always room for improvement however I can say that this piece did come out the best of my ability. I say this because I was so focused on the leaves, that I forgot to really examine the stem that connected each of the leaves. I figured that if I was also to even attempt to color this in I would deter the image and be unpleased with the turnout. I like simple, modern, and plain - straight to the point things so this was a challenge studying the littlest details but on a good note this was a piece made by me and even has my very own signature. 

Artist Statement: Culinary Arts; Baking and Art

Even though, I was not marked off for the 25th of May for my Advanced Art Assignment, I still manage to create and whip up some art. I love baking. Baking is what I love. It is that simple. My Capstone Mentor, Ms. Carmen Castro allowed me to work with her on one of her cake orders for a regular customer of hers. Ultimately, the cake was a fisher man that was in his boat sleeping, not even realizing that he is fishing out the lake a whole car! The theme of the cake was just beautiful. As far as it pertains to art, I helped create the decor of the cake. I made a bucket, an S.O.S. life saver wheel, some worms, and the fishnet. I also made a fish that managed to not end up on the cake but that was okay. In order to do such things I used rolled out white fondant that I had to sculpture and mold into these various things. This indeed was a challenge, however I still managed to create artwork. For the bucket, I rolled the fondant into a ball and then simply stuck my finger in the middle of it to create an opening. I then shaped the fondant into a nicely shaped bucket. I then rolled an extra piece of fondant to create a handle to my bucket. Once that was finished I took some black food coloring and water and created the color gray to paint the bucket with the paintbrush. I did this thing with all of the things I created. For the S.O.S life saver wheel I simply rolled out a piece of fondant and took some red dye and place 8 strokes on it. Very simple and easy. The worms had to be my favorite to make. I ended up with five small pieces of fondant and I just rolled it, then swirl them to form the worms. Then I took the brown food coloring dye and brush some on the worms. I placed the worms in the bucket. AHHHH! Awesomeness. For the fishnet, I simply just flattened a piece of fondant and took a necklace of "Jerry Springer Beads" and embedded them into the fondant to make the print. Lastly, I have a fish. It didn't make out to be apart of the cake but I did make one. It is shown below as well. This had to be my favorite art project of the year. It included the elements of art and baking. Two things that are inevitably added to the career of my dreams... 

• 
  
  
  
  My point of Divergence was for George W. Bush to never become president.

For the fourth quarter benchmark for American History we had to choose a Point of Divergence(POD) in America and envision how the US would be different today due to this change. For my POD I chose to make Ulysses S. Grant die in the Mexican American War. This would eventually cause the Union to lose the Civil War because he could not be a leader in the war. Many changes occurred from this loss by the US; the Confederate states seceded, the United States completely cut itself from the outside world, offered no help in WWII, the axis powers won WWII, Germany gained control of all of Europe and North America, The US and CSA rebelled against the German power, and only became the US again in 2007. The United States in 2012 is a country rebuilding itself, reestablishing it's government and global reputation. It consists of 18 states and is not known for luxury. It is only similar to the real 2012 in that the citizens are free people. 

This project showed how important one event can be in history. The smallest change can affect so much. One man's death, in my scenario, changed an entire world's history. There were also small decisions that I envisioned for the project that I could have changed, and then a completely new America could have been created. Every decision made by someone could effect everyone else on the planet and no one has any idea what will happen. This project taught me a lot about why it's important to make the right decisions because it could affect everyone, everywhere. 

The project, in it's entirety, I am very happy with. The project guidelines allowed us to be very created and do almost anything we wanted with American history. I love the timeline I created in my project. I created a very different and dramatic story for America. There are only a few things I would change if given the chance. I would make it look more professional by keeping the design consistent through all on the pages and documents. I also would have added for detail to my historical events. Overall, though, I am very proud of my end product. 

__________________________________________________________________

One change made by one individual can change the lives of many. If Columbus hadn’t colonized Puerto Rico, then there would be no Spanish on the island of many skins.

I believed that if Columbus had not discovered the Caribbean Islands then others during the time would have. For example, it the alternate past I made, John Cabot, and English sailor, would have gone in a similar direction. John Cabot was the explorer that I had put toward finding Puerto Rico. This would lead to Puerto Rico being an English colonized settlement. Since Englishmen would have discovered Puerto Rico, the name that was given would have been in English and the main language learned would have been also been English. Some of the most significant points would have been Puerto Rico being named St. John’s Island after Saint John the Baptist. _­

My favorite part was researching and learning new facts that I didn’t know, such as John Cabot’s expeditions. Also I enjoyed creating Primary Source documents. The hardest part was finding Primary Sources about such old topics, many were websites announced that the documents had disappeared or been ruined.

The most interesting facts I researched were the reasoning behind why Puerto Rico wasn’t a state, and about the Spanish- American War. During the Spanish American war Puerto Rico was used as a military base for the Spanish and French. If Englishmen had colonized Puerto Rico it would have been used as a beneficial military base for America due to its position in-between North and South America. This would have lead to Puerto Rico being acknowledge at a higher priority rather than a territory of America, similar to the situation with Hawaii. In this alternate past, Puerto Rico or St John’s Island would have become a state because of recognition of its position during the war.

To improve this project I would have enjoyed turning this into a television interview. I could have asked questions about how Puerto Ricans thought that the change would have affected their land, and staged actors talking about the alternative past and future. I would have used both videos and shown how life would have been different for both cultures.