SENIOR PROJECT

REFLECTION, SPEECH NOTES DOCUMENT

FORM C

STUDENT INFORMATION
Last Name Vargas First Name Antonio

Core Advisor Signature Date

Type responses - 2 paragraphs per question, 200-250 word minimum.

The areas below (1-6) correspond to scoring criteria as shown on the scoring example in the Senior Project Packet.

1) REASONS FOR PROJECT SELECTION

I chose this project because it provides me with the opportunity to help people with physical disabilities and their goal to
enhance their physical performance. I was inspired by Physical Therapist Kelly Starrett's visit to the Exercise Science Core where
we learned about the importance of correct functional movement and the impact that it has on our body overtime. That experience
coupled with my participation in the Special Olympics Program got me interested in the field of Adaptive Physical Education
because it brings correct functional movement to people with physical disabilities.

Asides from that, there have been many experiences in life which have influenced me to pursue a career in health care, yet
the one which has had the most impact on my decision is my family and their dedication to helping others. Every day, I am
surrounded by a close group of people who have showed me what it means to be a part of something that is bigger than myself,
whether it be through my career choice or community service. I have cousins in my family who are teachers, nurses, and aspiring
artists, uncles who are educators, aunts who are nurses, educators, and day care managers, sisters who are registered dental
assistants and aspiring speech and language pathologists, but the one person who has inspired me the most to take on a career in
health care is my Mother. Such inspiration, not only from my mother but from my family as a whole, peaked my interest in wanting
to help others, eventually leading me to find interest in Physical Therapy as a career path.

2) MENTOR ROLE
Acting as my mentor throughout the course of my project was David Sereni, a Kaiser Permanente Physical Therapist for
twenty five years, and an Adaptive Physical Education teacher at the SRJC for three years. Mr. Sereni specifically works in both the
Outpatient Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine departments at Kaiser Permanente. Not only that but he plans on becoming
Director of the Adaptive Physical Education Program at the SRJC once current Director, Kathryn Bell, retires this summer.
Originally interested in Nutrition, David received a Bachelor’s Degree in Food Science. Later changing his career interest to
Physical Therapy, David attended San Francisco State and eventually Samuel Merritt University, where he graduated with a Master
in Physical Therapy.

Asides from his educational and professional background as a Physical Therapist, David provided me with the ins and outs
of how to work efficiently in a Physical Therapy setting. This consisted of him guiding me through how to analyze a student's
physical goals and needs in order to come up with the best exercise regimen, keeping me updated with any new information
concerning a student’s conditions and limitations on any given day, and explaining to me the importance of teaching a balanced
workout. However, what I appreciated most about David as a mentor, was how he allowed me to work with students on my own,
which not only showed his trust, but also his confidence in my abilities.
3) SENIOR PROJECT DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PROCESS AND TIMECARD
For the duration of four weeks, during the summer of 2019, I decided to spend my time volunteering for an Adaptive
Physical Education Class, which was taught at the Santa Rosa Junior College. I primarily volunteered on Mondays and
Wednesdays, from 9 am to 1 pm, in both a weight room and aquatics setting. During my time spent volunteering, I would provide
assistance and information on proper mechanics to students who required it. With that being said, in the weight room setting, I
found myself spending a lot of time with relatively newer students who didn't know what exercises they should be completing.
Fortunately enough, I had one of the teachers and mentor of mine, David Sereni PT, guide me through how to analyze a student's
physical goals and needs in order to come up with the best exercise regimen. Once I had come to the conclusion of my analysis,
concerning the student’s physical goals and needs, I would keep track of which exercises the individual students performed
everyday on a workout sheet.

As for the timecards, I would, more often than not, have my mentor sign off on my hours the day I completed them, and it
would normally be right after the last aquatics unit of the day. From there, I would go home and journal what I hadn’t got the
chance to write down throughout the day. My notes usually consisted of the amount of people which were at class that given day,
the students I provided assistance to, information concerning students physical conditions and capabilities, challenges that presented
themselves, and any improvements that were made to a student’s exercise regimen. Following that, I would log what I found to be
most important in my timecard as a representation that I had completed the hours that were listed.

4) INCIDENTS OF CHALLENGES, INSIGHT AND SUCCESS

Whenever you find yourself in a new environment, there are bound to be challenges that present themselves, for which
you must overcome in order to flourish in said environment. With that being said, throughout my time working with and as a part of
the Adaptive Physical Education Program at the Santa Rosa Junior, I was challenged in a way that would not only force me out of
my comfort zone, but also allow me to grow outside of it. In simpler terms, I was able to develop certain skills of mine which are
required in the field of Physical Therapy.

Taking that into consideration, I feel as if my patience was challenged the most throughout the entirety of my Senior
Project. For example, there would be moments in the weight room where a majority of the students would happen to be very
independent in completing their workouts, which only left me with the opportunity to evaluate their progression throughout the
semester. Despite this, having to be patient with students actually provided me with insight into figuring out the right type of
workout for each individual student and the scale of which to perform them. With the assistance of my mentor, I was able to
educate myself on the specific physical conditions of students that participated in the program, and use such information to build an
exercise regimen that would accommodate the student’s conditions. For example, while working with students who are confined to
mobility via a wheelchair, which often require the person to perform constant pushing motions, it is important to counteract the tone
in the tricep muscle by performing pulling exercises which enact the bicep muscle.

5) PERSONAL GROWTH/SKILLS ACQUIRED/LESSONS LEARNED

When it comes to personal growth, during my senior project, the first thing that comes to mind was the growth in my
ability to work efficiently with students on my own. I will admit that at first there was a period of comfort that I had to establish
with some of the students. For example, there would be times where I would find myself struggling with students who had high
muscle tone in certain parts of their body, for I was so fixated on the possibility of me accidentally hurting them. However, as my
time and experience in the program went on, I was able to see how patience with certain students was an adversary turned ally.

Before starting this senior project, my mentor told me an analogy concerning physical therapy and how as a physical
therapist you must operate similarly to a detective, which requires an immense amount of patience. He also explained to me the
importance of understanding every student’s story, concerning their disabilities, for it’ll provide you with more information on
where they are struggling rather than why they are struggling. Knowing the where rather than the why allows us to build a
structured regimen for each student, further providing us with the tools to build confidence in our students one step at a time.
6) OVERALL CONCLUSION
In summary, for my senior project I volunteered for the Adaptive Physical Education Program at the Santa Rosa Junior
College and I couldn’t be any happier with the experience that I had as a part of the program. Adaptive Physical Education not only
opened my eyes to an aspect of Physical Therapy, but it also allowed me to connect more with people of the disabled community,
which is why I believe I enjoyed it so much. Being able to show up every Monday and Wednesday and see what my being there
meant to those students, is what really solidified Physical Therapy as my career of choice.

All in all, I am proud of each moment where I am able to be a part of something bigger than myself, for if I can be a
beaming light of love and compassion for someone else, then I know that all my hard work and dedication in the early stages of life
have served their purpose. I am more than grateful to have been given the opportunity to experience this field of work because as a
young Hispanic/ Latino male, I aspire to become a Physical Therapist, where I can provide care to those who are in need. With that
said, I am currently committed to San Jose State University, under the major of Kinesiology, and am looking forward to the journey
ahead of me.