Capstone was a rollercoaster that I wouldn’t have changed for the world. Going into senior year, capstone didn’t seem like a priority or something that I would grow attached to. I was extremely wrong. I can remember during Senior Seminar, pretty much everyone had some idea or had already started their project, yet I was still in the shadows. Moving into November, I discussed either a sitting volleyball game or wheelchair basketball game with Mrs. Zamorski. Although, Oak Hill Adaptive Sports and Fitness (the facility I interned at) was closed due to their transition into their new building. At this point I felt like I was at a loss because everyone was moving forward, yet I haven’t started. 

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           Finally January came around and so did my capstone experience. I can still vividly recall my first conversation with Paul Weiland, my mentor, and how welcoming and helpful he was while guiding me throughout the event process. Not only was I able to volunteer, but he offered me an internship at the facility because he could, “see the passion in my eyes.”. No one in my life has ever said something like this to me and this was one of the many aha moments during capstone. Once I started regularly going to Oak Hill every Tuesday and Thursday for their Boot Camp class, I was able to interact and observe those who aren’t able bodied. One thing that I truly feared and was by far the most challenging part of capstone was simply creating a comfortable environment for these people that I was meeting. The last thing I ever wanted to do was to offend or target anyone. In order to gain some confidence in myself, I learned that there is a certain dialect that those who aren't able bodied prefer while conversing with them. For example, wheelchair-bound is highly offensive, therefore you would say a person in a wheelchair or in a chair because by using the word bound it creates a derogatory and negative meaning. 

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           For my actual project, I organized and hosted sitting volleyball matches in the field house with the help of Mrs. Portal. Volleyball has been a part of my life since I was little and because I already had this interest in this sport, I realized by incorporating it into my capstone that it would make it more meaningful. Originally, Paul was supposed to come to SMSA and help me host the sitting volleyball games. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic his tournament got pushed forward therefore he was unable to make it. Luckily, Mrs. Boutelier was able to stop my head from spinning and made me realize that I can handle the pressure. It was at this point that I realized that I am independent and determined enough to manage everything by myself. Even though I might have been running up and down the hallways, I was able to incorporate our capstone class, Portal’s Fundamentals of PE class, Zamorski’s block 2 class, and Adrian, who played both sitting and in his chair. I was able to observe and participate in my event and witnessed students being competitive, driven, and most importantly having fun. By the end of the block, I believe every student realized how adaptive sports can still be challenging, but fun like any other sport. 

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             I believe capstone is the most self-fulfilling thing I have ever done, but it doesn’t mean it was easy. It was challenging to organize my event, especially because I had to make sure that Mrs. Portal, Mrs. Boutelier, and Paul were informed during this whole process. However, at the end of the day I felt every proud and accomplished with myself for putting everything together, while making it an enjoyable experience. One of the most valuable things I learned throughout my capstone experience is that everyone is different, but they're still human. It doesn’t matter if someone is able bodied or not because they are still people who want your respect, not your pity. It was the exposure I gained during capstone that made me aware of how passionate and driven I am toward this topic. Therefore, when I attend Uconn this fall, I will also be majoring in disability studies along with mechanical engineering. During capstone, I was able to see myself manage my own problems, seek better alternatives for the comfort of others, and show others how fortunate we are for our functioning bodies. Mrs. Boutelier on the first day of class said her goal was to get everyone’s feet out of SMSA. After this whole entire process, I can proudly say that both my feet are out.