Chandler Day

EDU 220-1005
PEPSI Screening
8 May 2017

Biography

Connelly Day is my little sister and is 18 years old. She was born in Las Vegas, Nevada

on November 25, 1998. Connelly is a Senior in high school and attends Foothill High School.

She stands about 5 foot tall and weighs approximately 160 lbs. Connelly comes from a big
family. She has 5 brothers and sisters. She is used to always being around family, and enjoys

their company. Con’s parents are both remarried. She lives with her step dad and mother. Her

step dad, Dave, has no children, but he treats her like his own. Con loves to hang out with her

friends, but would much rather spend time with her siblings, parents, nieces, and nephews. For

short, her family and friends call her, Con. Con is a dancer and has danced since she was 5. She

dances competitively, and also at her school, dance is her passion. Con works at a clothing store,

as fashion is also one of her favorite hobbies. School has always been a struggle for Connelly,

especially math and science. Con is an exceptional human being with many great qualities. She

is caring, strong, and hilarious. Since middle school, Con has been bullied because of her weight

and has always struggled with her body image. She has never let anyone affect her too

drastically, and has remained as positive and confident as she can. Along with bullying, Con has

also had to go through other obstacles throughout her life. Her parents are divorced, which has

had a huge impact on her emotions. Con plans on going to Paul Mitchell, which is a hair school,

when she graduates, and is super excited for the next stage of her life. Between juggling school,

work, dance, family time, and trying to fit in a social life, Connelly has learned to find a good

balance and is in a routine.

Physical Development

At the age of 18, females for the most part are fully developed. 18 years old can be a

tough age when it comes to physical development, especially for girls. According to the

Michigan State University website, “ Avoid comments that criticize or compare stature, size, or

shape, and encourage healthy activities that provide exercise but not competition” (Stewart,

Janelle, 2013). Con has had comments made to her about her weight and it has only discouraged

her. Connelly was bullied throughout middle school and high school for her physical
appearance, specifically, her weight. She has always struggled with her weight and has never

been fully comfortable with her body. She has always danced and been active, which has made it

even more difficult for her, because she is constantly trying to get down to a weight she is

content with. Connelly has never been interested in extreme workouts, going to the gym, or

running. She has always been active through dance, light weight lifting, and yoga. Recently,

Connelly has gotten a gym membership and has made it a point to go at least 4 to 5 times a week.

As she has gotten older she has started to become more mindful of both her diet, and exercise.

When Connelly was younger, she cared what everyone thought about her appearance, and as she

has gotten older she has focused less on what others think and more about what makes her

happy. A study published in The Journal of Adolescents states, “Results suggest that as girls

grow older, they display a poorer physical self-perception and a reduction in their enjoyment of

physical activity and motivation”(Russell, Pate, 2013). Connelly has done the opposite and has

become more comfortable as she has grown up. Connelly is always on social media and thinks

that if she had less distractions on her phone, TV, and computer, she would workout and go to

the gym more often. According to a study done by Procedia, “The times we are living in bring

along changes in life style mainly among the younger generation who, due to the achievements

of modern technology, perform much fewer activities involving exercise than their parents used

to” ( Jaromir, 2014). This study can relate to Connelly because instead of her working out, she

easily gets distracted and sucked into her technology devices.

Emotional

Connelly is the baby of the family. With that, comes her always being treated as such.

Her parents both try and spoil her and are always the most worried about her she feels. Even

though she is still babied by her parents, at the age of 18, Connelly is slowly learning to become
more and more emotionally independent. She got her first job last year, she goes to the gym on

her own, she got a car, and has opened a bank account with the hopes to save money. She is not

letting her parents emotions of how they baby her get in her way. Connelly has not had a serious

eating disorder, but since she has always struggled with her weight, she has always held back a

little, and sometimes will not eat as much as she would like. Connelly is emotionally drained

from being in school and constantly feeling self-conscious in her own skin. According to our

textbook, chapter 3 states, “Eating disorders are much more common in females than in males.

Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by a preoccupation with body weight and

food, behavior directed towards losing weight, peculiar patterns of handling food, weight loss,

intense fear of gaining weight, and a distorted perception of one’s body” (Snowman, McCown,

2015). She does not feel that she has suffered from this disorder to an extreme extent, but she

definitely thinks that she shows some of these characteristics from time to time, and that it does

affect her. Connelly’s parents getting divorced has really affected her. She has never had a close

relationship with her dad, which has made her sad at times. In chapter 3, our text states, “ The

most common type of emotional disorder during adolescence is depression. The most common

forms of depression, from least to most serious, are depressed mood, depressive syndrome, and

clinical depression. Depressed mood is usually characterized by feelings of sadness or

unhappiness” (Snowman, McCown, 2015). Connelly has felt depressed at times, but mostly

when her parents got divorced. These feelings did not last long and were not severe. At times,

Con is angry and can often get overwhelmed with everything she has going on in her life. A

study done by Harvard, states that, “ It is a time of life when a person takes life’s possibilities

more seriously. Emerging adults know that responsible choices matter. But they are still young

enough that they aren’t ready to make lasting commitments” (Miller, Michael, 2015). Connelly
went from having hardly any responsibilities, to having multiple, and having to grow up. She is

slowly learning to become more independent. Overall, Con is a very pleasant, fun, and outgoing

person to be around.

Philosophical

Connelly is the weakest in her philosophical development. Con has little to no interest in

becoming familiar and figuring out what her own beliefs are. She also is not very interested in

understanding reasoning and usually just accepts things how they are. Con never seems to really

question life or its ideas. Con was raised Mormon, but does not attend church or practice

anymore. According to Studies in Philosophy and Education, “Curiosity, seen as a motive to do

exploration within definite and generally accepted frames, is to be distinguished from wonder,

where doubt about the frames themselves is the underlying factor. Granted this distinction, it will

be argued that educational institutions need to build on both notions, i.e. wonder as well as

curiosity” (Opdal, Paul, 2001). Con lacks curiosity, which could potentially hold her back.

Social

Social development has always been one of Connelly’s strong area’s of development. She

has many friends and is a very outgoing. She used to dance competitively and has made the

majority of her friends through dance class and recital. She also has a lot of friends on her dance

team at school. When it comes to peer pressure, Con has never followed what her friends were

doing just to fit it. She is very strong and persistent when it comes to saying no, and doesn’t

mind saying it. According to the Cleveland Clinic, “As children grow, they begin to spend more

time with their friends and less time with their parents. As a result, friends can influence a child's

thinking and behavior. This is the essence of peer pressure. Peer pressure can be a positive

influence—for example, when it motivates your child to do well in school, or to become

involved in sports or other activities. On the other hand, peer pressure can be a negative

influence—for example, when it prompts your child to try smoking, drinking, using drugs, or to

practice unsafe sex or other risky behaviors” ( Cleveland Clinic, 2017). Most of her friends only

peer pressure her in a positive way.

Intellectual

When it comes to the way that Connelly organizes her ideas and thoughts to understand

what is going on around her, she usually doesn’t think too far in advance about things. Con is a

good problem solver and remains calm about most situations. According to an article on

Introduction to Intellectual development, “Intellectual development is all about learning. It is

about how individuals organise their minds, ideas and thoughts to make sense of the world they

live in. Here is are some of the many ways that individuals learn. Trial and error, copying,

exploring, repeating, questioning, doing, experimenting, talking, experiencing, looking, role

play, listening, playing”. (Intro to Intellectual development). One way that Con learns best is by

observing, participating, and listening.

Recommendations

The only recommendations I would have for Connelly’s teachers would be to make sure

she is being taught in the ways that she knows best. I would also recommend that she maybe see

a counselor about body image and confidence. I would recommend to her parents that she

participates in physical activity at least 3 times a week to stay healthy. Another recommendation

would be that she become more open to life ideas, ways to view the world, and different beliefs.
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 References

Stewart, J. (2013, January 14). 18- to 19-year-olds: Ages and stages of youth

development. Retrieved May 13, 2017, from

http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/18_to_19_year_olds_ages_and_stages_of_youth_development

Pate, R. (2013, February 4). Journal of Adolescent Health. Retrieved May 14, 2017, from

https://www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-adolescent-health/

Jaromir, S. (2014, March 19). Physical Development and General Motor Performance of

Bratislava University Students☆. Retrieved May 14, 2017, from

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042814018229

Snowman, J., & McCown, R. R. (2015). Psychology applied to teaching. Australia:

Cengage Learning.

Miller, M. M. (2015, October 29). The angry adolescent - a phase or depression?

Retrieved May 14, 2017, from http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/the-angry-adolescent-a-

phase-or-depression-201209105272

Opdal, P. M. (2001, July). Curiosity, Wonder and Education seen as Perspective

Development. Retrieved May 15, 2017, from

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/A:1011851211125

Social & Teenage Development Information. (n.d.). Retrieved May 15, 2017, from

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/adolescent-social-development
 Introduction to Intellectual development. (n.d.). Retrieved May 15, 2017, from

http://resources.hwb.wales.gov.uk/VTC/2012-

13/22032013/hsc/eng/unit_2/hsc_u2_hgd/hsc_u2_intellectual-dev.htm