CAPSTONE INTERVIEW WITHTANGKWA

Interviewed by: Natasha S

Otspac Necapstoneca Enotsp

Hi, my name is Tangkwa, and for my Capstone project, I taught my neighborhood's staff, the security guards and gardeners, about proper safety protocols when dealing with snakes

WHAT COMMUNITY MAPPING LED YOU TO FIND OUT THE PROBLEM?

So the idea first came up when I encountered a cobra in my house garden. Luckily, nothing happened to me, but the anxious feelings lingered. Then, I talked to my parents about the sudden increase in snake presence in my neighborhood. I learned that the way the movies have presented the treatment for snake bites, the tourniquet method, was a misconception. I was surprised to hear that fact, so I went around to ask my neighbors, the security guards and the gardeners if they also had the same misunderstandings, which most of them did as well. A lot of them were also feeling anxious about the rise in snake presence. Thus, I decided that I wanted to look out for the guards and gardeners so they would have the tools to protect themselves and others from snakes.

IN ONE SENTENCE, HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR FEELINGS THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE CAPSTONE PROJECT?

I guess…nervous beginning with a blissful ending.

DID THE PROJECT GO AS PLANNED? WERE THERE ANY MISHAPS OR STRUGGLES?

Well, the part that I didn’t plan on happening was a positive thing where the staff actually got to use the lessons and tools I provided them to help protect themselves and others. There was a security guard that texted me to thank me for my project and he mentioned that he shared the knowledge with his relatives in the rural areas where it is more common for snakes to appear. They felt more at ease having the correct information for them to use in case of an emergency. This made me feel really happy because I experienced an emotional struggle at the beginning where I was afraid of communicating with the adults in my neighborhood because I had never worked with any adults for my previous community services

FROM PLANNING TO ACTION TO PRESENTING, WHICH PART OF THIS PROJECT WAS THE EASIEST AND WHICH WAS THE HARDEST?

The hardest part was probably planning because as I have mentioned, I had never worked with adults before so

I had to research the best methods on how to teach adults and also make sure my information was all accurate and up-to-date. The easiest would be presenting since I have all of my resources ready and a tip that I got from previous seniors is jotting down small notes during my planning, actions, etc. processes so I have a reminder of what it felt like or what specific events happened.

DO YOU THINK THAT ICS SHOULD CONTINUE TO REQUIRE CAPSTONE TO GRADUATE?

Man, this feels like a trap question… but in all honesty, I feel like it’s a good opportunity for students to explore the process of critical thinking to innovatively serve their own community. I won’t make any comments on what ICS should do with Capstone in the future (to avoid any drama), but all that I will say is that making it a requirement may not be very beneficial for the learning experience since students may feel burdened and view it as an assignment that they need to complete instead of embracing the opportunity to learn from the project.

WHAT'S A CAPSTONE IDEA THAT YOU COULD PASS DOWN TO AN UNDERCLASSMAN?

Well, my initial project idea that I had in mind was dealing with head lice for kindergarten kids because it's a problem that can affect a large number of people. Another one deals with sorting out trash because some areas in Thailand still have problems with properly separating types of trash/waste.

ANY LAST WORDS?