Portfolio Check!

In the beginning of Senior Project Mrs. Hall had pasted out to each student a plain white three-ring binder that we would later use as your portfolios. Tomorrow will be the first check on how we have organized our binders in a  professionalize manner. I personally have organized my portfolio by the progression we have had within this course. By inserting the Senior Project Timeline as the very first page acts as if it is a Table of Contents, allowing anyone who views my binder the opportunity to know what to expect. I found this choice to be an informative gesture. Being able to categorize my portfolio does not only keep me organized but in addition allows me to present my topic in a professional style.

Working on the Research Paper.

Within this past week a portion of our research page was due. Yes I was really anxious and had nerves towards this due date but having created a detailed outline had really helped me through this bumpy process. Although I did not have the actually paper finalize Mrs.Hall is willingly helping me create a paper through the highly detailed outline that I have created. This is going to be very helpful and I could not be more grateful for this amount of help I have been receiving from all of my senior project coaches. Along with the extended help I feel that I will be able to develop an actual paper in no time!

Meeting the Mentor(s).

Today, I was able to meet my mentor(s) and was that an experience. I had the mixed feelings of  enthusiasm and nerves. I could not be more excited that I was able to be given an opportunity such as this one. Although at the same time my nerves where there as well, I even developed the rosy cheeks. Once I reached the Plymouth County Sheriff's Department where my mentor(s) the Major of the Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) and the Deputy Sheriff of the BCI where awaiting my arrival. It could have not been a more relaxed environment. The best part was to see the enthusiasm not only in myself about this soon to be experience but the excitement my mentor(s) Scott and Paul displayed.  As we were going over a few things they were very impressed with how much I actually knew about the forensic field. They could tell how intrigued I was about this learning experience and that I am more than eager to be able to get into the lab and continue forth with this mentor-ship.

My Thanks to Officer Reimer

First off for this post, I would like to say my thank yous to Officer Reimer for not only helping me figure out what direction I wanted to go in with this mentor-ship but actually arranging me to my mentor. I honestly don't know where I would be at this point if Officer Reimer did not assist me in this extremely important step. Officer Reimer even warmed up the idea to my mentor about what exactly was going on, so that when I made my first initial phone call I did not have to stress. What a huge help that was! When I started talking to my mentor he had already got the jists of  what was going on with Senior Project, I just had to explain in more detail what I myself expected to do with it. I can not thank him enough for all the help he's provided for me, but thank you once again Officer Reimer.

Creating the Cover Letter.

As I mentioned in my previous blog, I was able to create the first draft of my cover letter. When I first heard we had to write a cover letter I had no clue what so ever on what to do with it. Luckily my Senior Project coach had wrote up a layout for us students to copy, only having to change that parts that affected us and our topic. This was a terrific amount of help for me because I then knew what was expected for this cover letter.  The only thing that was a challenge, well I thought was going to be a challenge was having to fill in the mentor portion because I did not have a definite one at the time. However, as I stated early and with speak more of in my next post Officer Reimer was a huge help in appointing me to my mentor. So the mentor portion of my cover letter became easier to fill out once I had established, well the mentor himself.

The Process of the Annotated Bibliography.

The process of my annotated bibliography was no doubt a challenge in the beginning. I was worried that I would not be able to finish it and find the fifteen sources that were required, but once I got started I found it easier and easier. This was able to be accomplished with the help of my Senior Project coaches directing me into a more specific search. I found many online sources that focused on my research topic which was fantastic, but what else helped me in a great way was that I found numerous books and even a documentary from the Plymouth Public Library on Forensic Science and the techniques used in the field. 

A Lot Has Happened.

Hello again, it has been awhile since the last time I've posted a blog. A lot has actually happened within this time. I was able to finished my annotated bibliography, write a thesis statement for my research paper, created my first draft of my cover letter, find a mentor, and even started my research for my paper. Wow, that's seems like a lot now that I think about it! However, it did not seem like it when I was in the process of completely it. So I would like to tell you a little about my mentor. He was actually appointed to me with the help of Officer Reimer. His is known for being the head of the Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) at the Plymouth Country Sheriff's Department. I am thrilled to be able to shadow him.