We Were Together. I Forget the Rest: The End, Together, and Without Forgetting (Week 12)

We Were Together. I Forget the Rest: The End, Together, and Without Forgetting (Week 12)

Hi everyone, welcome back to my blog for the last time! Today I’ll be discussing how my presentation went this past Saturday and general findings throughout this project!

Presentation

I think my presentation went generally well, although I had to speed up certain parts due to the very limited time frame offered. I received a very interesting question in the Q&A section—a parent asked if I had considered the smaller Canadian labor force in conjunction with the point system as a reason as an explanation for the relatively higher naturalization rate, something which I had not investigated. Still, based on the trends I’ve seen over the course of my research, the affirmative nature of the Canadian naturalization system would most likely be of greater impact as reflected in the rates.

General Findings

I’ve learned a multitude of things through this project, not only limited to research findings.

First, research is a process. I faced significant challenges in certain portions along the way, largely in the ACS data analysis section, but it was a completely normal occurrence. Research goalposts often change widely; what you are determined to investigate at the beginning of your project may not be what you actually investigate, and that is fine.

Second, pacing is important. I wasn’t able to work on my project as much in April due to focusing on ensuring that I committed to a college that I would be happiest at. Whereas I heavily prioritized my Senior Project in February and March, other things took importance in the later weeks of April especially. However, because I was pretty ahead of schedule in the first half, I was able to compensate for the lost time easily later on. I wouldn’t have been able to explore naturalization law this in-depth if I hadn’t planned my schedule to account for that exception ahead of time.

Third, I love writing. The initial literature review portion of the project was a bit of a drag (albeit still interesting!!!), but I was very very invested during the writing portion. Seeing the immediate product of writing just offers an unparalleled level of satisfaction. I was able to write my entire paper in five days without feeling tired or uninterested at any point, which I would not be able to say about the literature review process.

Conclusions

While I was a little unsure during the fall whether or not I wanted to commit to doing a Senior Project because of the requirements in the busiest time of the year, I am so so happy to have ultimately elected to complete this. At no other point in my high school journey was I able to have three months dedicated to solely exploring the field I am most passionate about. Thank you to everyone who has helped me along the way—Dr. Parson for his unwavering support, Janna for providing me with field-specific advice, and Mr. Cunningham for facilitating this entire process. I’ve been able to further develop these core skills that will aid me through my college journey and beyond.

And with that, today’s blog post comes to an end. Thanks for reading—I hope I was able to teach you something about naturalization law and the underlying inequalities, or maybe inspired you to complete a Senior Project of your own.

Until next time,

Stephanie 🤠