Blog 5: Project Reflection and Working EQ (Revised)

The Pentagon: 
(1) Positive Statement: What positive thing happen as a result of what you have completed so far?

• Something positive would be that I have a lot of new people that I generally would like to know more and that are willing to help me with my project.

(2) EQ Content:  Pick a piece of research or your interview.  How has it helped you improve your understanding of your topic?

• A piece of research, titled The Role of the Pubic Prosecutor in the Court, has helped me with the basic understanding of what public prosecutors do, besides what media and television series portray them as. It gives the different point of view of what I am studying. 

(3) What has worked for you so far in the senior project?

• What has worked so far in my project is that I have a mentor that is willing to let me work and shadow under him.

(4) What hasn't worked so far?  

• The only thing that hasn't worked so far is finding a time where I am able to go into the office when my mentor is there at the same time. 

(5) Finding Value:  

•  What is a potential question you would like to study this year?  (working EQ)
• What is the most important factor for a public defender to win a case?
•  What do you plan to do for mentorship?  If you haven't found a mentor yet, then discuss where you are currently looking and who you are talking to to find it.  
• For my mentorship, I am doing to work under Ramiro Cisnero at the Pomona Court Building. As far as I know, I will be helping with filing and taking notes. I will be granted more responsibilities as time passes.

Blog 4: Interview Preparation (Revised)

1.  Who do you plan to interview?  Why?

• I plan on interviewing Ramiro Cisneros because he is my mentor.

2.  You have to ask 5 questions.  What additional questions do you plan to ask? 

• I am interested in studying something akin to public defending. What can you tell me about it, or in other words, how would you describe it to someone?
• Is there a difference with public defending and just defending?
• From your perspective, what else could I study that would benefit me in on my Senior Topic? 
• What do you find interesting or exciting about your job? 
• What are some stressful moments that come with the job? 
• How would you deal with unruly clients? 
• What do you do when you don't agree with the point of view of a client? 
• Who else would you recommend I talk to? 
• What books should I read in this field?
• My last question is, what other kinds of activities should I do for experience?

Second Interview Questions

1.  I Have yet to find a mentor since my summer one has just informed me that he would not be able to help me during the school year.  A new potential mentor would be my first interviewee, Don Halili, who owns his own business.

2.  If I did currently have a mentor, I would ask him or her: 

• What experiences helped you prepare you for the work you have now?
• What qualities were your employers looking for when you applied to work there?
• What were some of the most significant courses you took in college?
• Was there anyone to help guide or mentor you through your own path to become an accountant?
• What made you want to become an accountant?

Blog 5 Project Reflection and Working EQ

The Pentagon: 
(1) Positive Statement: What positive thing happen as a result of what you have completed so far?

• A positive result so far would be finding out more different types of accountancies that I would be interested in joining. 

(2) EQ Content:  Pick a piece of research or your interview.  How has it helped you improve your understanding of your topic?

• From my interview, it has helped me understand the busy schedule accountants may have and what work life may be in the future. For example, few weeks a year, some accountants have to work 18 hours a day to get all the work done before the deadline. 

(3) What has worked for you so far in the senior project?

• What has worked so far in the senior project would be finally finding an accountant to interview, Don Halili.

(4) What hasn't worked so far?  

• What hasn't worked so far for me would be focusing more on what about accounting am I more interested in. Thus, I find it a little more difficult to find research through the internet. Searching for information in books would only we beneficial if I narrowed down my search.

(5) Finding Value:  

•  What is a potential question you would like to study this year?  (working EQ)

• What is the most important skill or factor to be considered a successful accountant?

•  What do you plan to do for mentorship?  If you haven't found a mentor yet, then discuss where you are currently looking and who you are talking to to find it.  

• I plan to ask a few accounting agencies if I could help work under an accountant (CPA). I have asked friends and relatives if they would know an accountant that would be willing to take me under their wing, but so far it hasn't been so good. 

Surprise, surprise!

It was a few days before the first Research Check was due, when I started looking for any articles I could find. I was actually surprised that I found more than I thought I would. The most surprising moment would be when I started reading said article. Halfway through the first article, I was shocked that there would be more than two types of accountants. I knew there would be one who dealt with showing figures to important parties outside the organization and another that shares facts within the organization to discuss what direction the organization should go. There are at least 4 other types of accountants, including governmental and forensic accounting. Forensic accounting interested me the most only because it deals with white-collar crimes. More specifically, it relates to an old show I used to watch with my family that enraptured me with fraud, embezzlement, and other illegal activities and the protagonist's attempt to solve them.

Blog 4: Interview Preperation

1. I plan to interview Don Halili because he is the accountant my parents meet up with. I plan on interviewing him because he would have a lot of experience in the field and it would help me start trying to talk to others professionally than relying on a relative. Interviewing him would connect me to other potential interview and a potential mentor.

2. Additional Questions: 

• What are some of the stressful moments that come with the job?
• How would someone handle an unruly client? 
• If a potential client was worried about fraud and other scams, how would you comfort and gain their trust? 

Blog 3: Topic Choice and Semester 1 ESLR Goals

1.  List your topic here:   Accounting/Business
2.  What do you plan to do this year to show growth in each of the ESLRs?  Be specific and use an example.  Examples can come from senior project, model assembly, core, and/or participation in senior class ASB or other organizations on campus (clubs etc).

• iPoly Citizen  -  I wish to be more involved with the community, thus, I am currently part of the Muffin Committee. I will also do my best to attend classes on time and complete work sheets to the best of my ability. 
• Effective Learner  -  I will be more involved within the classroom environment, so I will do my best to show my creative side when I complete the 2-hour presentation at the end of the year.
• Effective User of Technology  -  I will ask my fellow classmates to help assist me and use credible research for both Model Assembly and my Senior Project.
• Effective Communicator  -  Through Model Assembly, I can learn how to be more professional and persuasive in presentations and promote harmony within groups.