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Final Reflection Questions

1. While writing your paper, what did you learn about the research process?

While writing the pride paper I learned quite a bit about the research process. One of the

most important things about the research process is making sure you collect a surplus of

information before writing the paper. Simply attempting to jump into the paper with little to no

background research will make the paper much harder to write. You will not meet the required

length which results in fluff writing and ultimately a weaker paper. Personally, I gathered a

significant amount of research which made the outline and paper a much smoother process.

2. How was the research related to your mentor hours?

My research consisted of the daily tasks of an architect, the career requirements, the

evolving technology, and the two major branches within the job field. During my mentor hours,

my mentor, Mr. Rob Heffner, explained to me what typically takes place during any given week

at his office. He informed me on how many hours he usually works per week and discussed how

crucial the ability to multitask is. Mr. Heffner showed me some of the virtual drawings and

models, in the office, that some of his co-workers had made. We talked about the technology

advances in the career field such as computer-aided-design, and the recent introduction of virtual

reality. A lot of the information that Mr. Heffner provided correlated with my research, however

I also learned a lot from visiting a real architect.

3. Summarize the mentor hours that you completed.

It was very challenging to work with my mentor, who had a very busy schedule. When I

was completing my mentor hours, Mr. Heffner was working over 60 hours per week. I did not

want to interrupt his work schedule and was very thankful for him taking time out of his day for
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me. When I first met Mr. Heffner, he gave me a detailed tour of the office and all of its

components. I was able to meet the project architects, interior designers, and even the

co-president of the company. He explained to me how everyone works as a large team to tackle

projects as efficiently as possible. Mr. Heffner and I also watched the movie, The Fountainhead,

a 1940s film portraying the life of an unorthodox architect trying to make a name for himself in

the industry. This was a very unique way to gain a better knowledge of how competitive and

rigorous the architecture career field can be at times.

4. How did working with your mentor affect your understanding of the topic area and /or

the professional world?a. If you mentor was not directly related to your topic, what did you

learn about the profession that can be translated to any future professional setting? b. If

your mentor contributed to the development of the product, how were they involved?

Working with my mentor made me realize that a career in architecture was a lot different

than I imagined. Personally, I pictured a typical day to mainly consist of sketching virtual

building models and meeting with clients. However, after meeting with Mr. Heffner I realized

that my representation greatly differed from reality. Mr. Heffner portrayed to me how stressful

and grueling the job can be when trying to manage multiple projects at a time, while pleasing

customers at the same time. He informed me how other RPA design competes with many other

architectural firms for projects, which leads to minimal profit. After completing my mentor

hours, I realized that I did not want to become an architect in the future. I personally do not think

that the relatively low salary supports the high intensity and stress that an architect must undergo

in the field.
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My mentor contributed to the development of my product by giving me some crucial

advice. When I told him I was to design and create a 3-dimensional model of a public building,

he recommended a doctors office to me. Mr. Heffner specializes in medical buildings and was

able to provide me with specific insight on how to design one. He showed me how to make

rough sketches, design a floor layout, and even gave me a few tips on working with foam core

modeling. My mentor really appreciated the fact that I was creating a physical model instead of a

virtual one, which would have been a lot faster and easier.

5. How did creating a product and completing the hours challenge you personally?

Creating the product and completing my mentor hours both challenged me in different

ways. The product challenged me because I had absolutely no prior knowledge to the

architectural design process. I had never designed a building, created floor plans, or crafted a

physical model of a building in my life. It was a very tedious process, and it took me multiple

drafts to reach a final design.

The mentor hours challenged me because it especially hard to find and communicate with

my mentor. I reached out to multiple architects, many who did not even respond to me. Mr.

Heffner agreed to be my mentor early on, however it was hard to get him to respond to my

emails. After he canceled on me over both Thanksgiving and Christmas break, I was really

discouraged and became impatient. Finally, after multiple unanswered emails, he agreed to meet

with me in his office on Thursday afternoons. The completion of my mentor hours really

challenged my patience, as I had multiple deadlines approaching.

6. Do you feel prepared academically and emotionally for the presentation?a. If not, why?

What challenges do you still face to feel prepared?

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I definitely feel academically prepared for the presentation, however I am still anxious

and nervous about presenting. I am confident with the information that I have provided in the

presentation, but I am apprehensive about presenting to a crowd. I find myself nervous to present

to both my public speaking class, and the board of judges that will be grading my presentation.

Sometimes when speaking in front of the class, I get nervous and begin to jumble my words

together. I believe that public speaking will help prepare me to successfully present my project to

the board of judges in the most professional manner.

7. How did the entire process stretch you as a learner and as an individual?

Throughout the entire pride project, I was greatly stretched as an individual. From the

start, writing a ten page paper was something I thought I would never be able to accomplish. The

paper alone challenged my writing skills and allowed me to gain more confidence in my personal

style of writing. Also, working with my mentor stretched me as an individual, as I dealt with

multiple communication issues. It was very hard for me to reach out to a complete stranger, and

ask them to be my mentor. My social skills were not the best, but the project allowed me to

improve them in a real job environment.

8. Other than time management, describe an obstacle you encountered and how you

overcame it.

The most substantial obstacle that I faced during the pride project, was my lack in social

skills. The most challenging part of the entire process for me was scheduling dates with my

mentor and actually meeting with him. I found it very challenging to communicate with a

stranger, and eventually travel to their office to visit them. It felt very awkward at first, but by

the end of my mentor hours I was comfortable around my mentor and his peers. Learning to
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develop solid social skills is crucial in almost any career field. I think this project helped me

realize what I need to work on as I transition from high school into college.

9. What life skills did you acquire and how will they help you in the future?

One life skill that I acquired during the project was being able to represent myself in an

office environment. While visiting my mentor, I was able to gain confidence within myself as I

met with many professionals that were much older and more educated than I was. At first, I

thought they would look down upon me and not treat me with respect, but I was very wrong. The

employees at RPA design treated me like family and helped me with whatever I needed for my

project.

10. If you had to go back and do parts of the project again, what would you do differently?

If I could go back and do the project again, I would have found my mentor long before

the hours were due. This allows for ample room, for both you and your mentor, to coordinate

with one another and schedule times to meet. Unfortunately, I met with Mr. Heffner last minute

and the completion of my mentor hours felt rushed and crammed. I felt like I might not have

gotten a full understanding of the career field because I was rushed to meet deadlines.

11. Based on the entire Pride Project experience, do you plan to pursue this field as a

career or college area of study? If so, why? If not, why? Please be specific

After completing the paper section of the Pride Project, I was still very interested in

pursuing the field of architecture as a career. However, after meeting with my mentor I

completely changed my mind. I did not enjoy the traditional office setting, as well as the stress

and intense competition that the job is comprised of. My mentor was not afraid to tell me both
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the pros and the cons of working as an architect, which I am thankful for. In the future, I plan to

pursue engineering as my college area of study at NC State University.