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Last class, we prepared some of our final presentations. My group was able to get some feedback about how we should approach our presentation and how to actually achieve a truly “human-centered design”. We were able to go through some of the things we felt like fit in our project and some things we felt did not. We are starting to get to the end of the semester and I am starting to feel a little overwhelmed with all of the work I have to do, so it has been a little stressful with this project. We were missing one team member, so trying to come up with ideas felt like a lot of pressure. Originally, we thought we were going to have 2 people we were centering our project on. After further examination, that was not possible, so we sort of had to pivot our design a bit. To create an accurate design for our audience, we need to really focus on our best interview which was with Evonne. I think we need to really understand her and create a relatable persona to make a design that meets her needs. My group set up a time to meet before our final presentation and I hope we can finalize some of our ideas.

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In class, we did a practice run with virtual observers of our final projects. This was an interesting experience and really helpful to have someone give input on what we have prepared so far. This felt like the first time the project was really coming together. This was when we made a “prototype” of our flier and really created some ideas for what to focus on. It was nice to be able to present it to people who had no idea what it was about and really get raw feedback. Some of the suggestions were really helpful and we plan on using them in our final design. It was also really helpful to watch other groups present their projects and see what kinds of ideas they were thinking of. I got some inspiration from one of the group's ideas of making a park in the Temple Hills area. I feel like my group had been centered around advertisement and not thinking about adding things into the area. I felt like their approach was really innovative and would reach the community well. Overall, the zoom presentations were really helpful to practice and learn what we can do to better our projects.

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This week I was able to prototype my group’s project and we were able to come up with really great ideas. We decided to work on Farmer Roger’s urban garden and come up with ways to collaborate with the community while also fulfilling Farmer Roger’s goals. We were thinking of increasing more advertising of the garden and the activities that go on in the area. We said that we should be more active on social media like Facebook and Instagram. Additionally, we thought it might be helpful to engage with the local community and church through activities. We also came up with some new additions to the garden like a chicken coup. A chicken coup would supply the community with free eggs while the egg prices are high. We came to the conclusion of a community event of working on building the chicken coup all together, then they get to reap the benefits of the project they all worked together on. I think this would be a great way to interact with locals and also give back to the community in a fun way. We also thought it would be nice to start some weekly events on certain days. On the weekends we thought it would be fun to have some live music so people can come hangout and enjoy the space.

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This week’s class was in person and my whole group was present, so we were able to get a lot of material for our project. This was the first time I had seen an urban farm in Maryland. I used to go to school in Philadelphia and since it was such a big city, they had a lot of them around. My group was able to talk with Farmer Robert and we learned so much about the urban farm and his plans for developing it. He told us about how he got into agriculture and his eagerness to be outdoors. We came up with a lot of potential additions to his plans and I think we have a pretty solid foundation for what we would like to implement into the farm. We were also able to speak with a woman at the Aldi across the street. She is a life-long resident of the area and actually worked at another grocery store right down the street. She gave us really good ideas of what the customers would like to see at the Mona Center and advice on how to spread the word on the services.  We now have a lot of insight from someone who has knowledge of the area and is directly a part of the community. This was an essential part of class and gave us a lot of vital information on our future projects.

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After class, I was left with a lot to reflect on. Dr. Roberts was extremely powerful and the video that she showed to the class was heavy and touching. I feel like it evoked a lot of emotions and was a great depiction of the injustices that occur for the Black community. It revealed the circumstances in which black individuals were deemed threatening and attacked by police. It was a great way to send a message to any of the viewers of the reality of being black. She also talked about herself and how she achieved the things she has today. Hearing her story was empowering and inspiring. I really liked how she was vulnerable when answering any questions we had. It seemed like she was really comfortable sharing what it took to get to where she is and how she became successful in her profession. I have really enjoyed our guest speakers recently. It is helpful to see successful people practice in roles that I want to work in and understand what it takes to get there. I think Dr. Roberts’ speaking was particularly special since the topics she discussed were so impactful. I love how she highlights the disparities among the Black community in accessing care and I feel like it was relevant to our discussion later in class. Oftentimes Black bodies have been exploited and used to benefit white people. I believe it is essential that we are exposed to all the injustices that have occurred throughout history and continue to occur today- and I think that Dr. Roberts has done a wonderful job doing that and more.

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Over the break I went to visit family in Connecticut which was nice. I was able to see some family members that I haven’t seen in a long time. I contacted my group members about class, but similar to my situation they were not able to attend class as well. I was on a train while class was happening and had the chance to have time to think and contemplate a lot. I thought a lot about class and school and was reminded that one of my cousins is looking at universities to go to. They just graduated, but prior to graduation they were in a program specifically for LGBTQ youth. They spent time in Utah where they had very little opportunity to be on their phone or talk to family. This seemed so beneficial and really helped them with recovery from some struggles they were going through. Resources to support and being able to find the means to advocate for yourself have become more available these days. Obviously it is only available to those with the money and financial support, but nonetheless it is more common than it was previously. I feel like this is really relevant to my classes and what I want to do in the future. It is essential that healthcare become more accessible, available, and accepted for all communities. Mental health is so often stigmatized and it makes it difficult to get the help one needs.

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It was nice to engage with my peers during this week’s class. I was able to connect with my group members more and discuss our interviews from the previous week. Since I was not there during the last in-person meeting, my group members discussed some of what they did. They did interviews with a few more people, but we decided to stick to discussing the interviews that we did when we were together last. We discussed in-depth with one of the students we spoke to about the food options around the area. He was a freshman at UMD so it was really interesting getting the perspective of a fellow student who grew up in the area. We talked about the improvements that the Riverdale area is in need of. He talked about how getting closer to campus there are nicer food options like Whole Foods and healthier fast food options. In one of my other classes we have talked about gentrification in the PG county area and especially college park. The most recent addition being the Trader Joes in our area is another example of gentrification happening in our area. Clearly there are a lot of needs that are not being met in the Riverdale area, but College Park is making sure the area is attracting a specific demographic. The student highlighted the state of the parking lot and how it was not in the best condition which reflects the conditions of the overall area.

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For class this week, I was unable to attend due to being sick. Similar to when I missed a class before while I was sick, I was given more time to reflect on what we do in our class. On Friday, I actually went to the health center here on campus and was able to be treated. Additionally, I was able to get food rich in vitamins and nutrients that I knew would help me feel better. This made me think of Sarvis and available resources in the community. Accessing healthcare is not the only aspect of having a healthy life- food is a huge factor in healing and recovering from illnesses. I had a realization that health is multifaceted and has many different aspects that contribute to a healthy individual. After my visit to the health center, I went back to my home to be with my family while I got better. I told my parents about going to the health center and getting antibiotics and how easy it was. My dad explained how that was not an option when he was in college and even if it did exist, it was not a helpful or practical option for students. He was really grateful that I had the opportunity to easily access care for myself. Him living without proper care options made me think about our class and how lacking access to quality care is a prevalent issue today. My dad is referring to when he was growing up in the 70s and 80s and it's been over 30 years since then and there are still people struggling at larger scales than ever before. This conversation just further emphasized the importance of increasing access to care and reconstructing the healthcare system to be more supportive for underserved communities.

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During this week’s class, we talked about our interviews that we did last week and really examined the ways we can help them. We interviewed a latino man named Eric. In class, we were able to articulate some solutions and what we thought would be beneficial for Eric and his family. Something we came up with was identified after the interview was increasing access to healthy foods. He revealed that it was difficult for him to eat healthy, so we thought that Sarvis would be a good resource for him. I think it was really helpful to discuss the other aspects of his identity such as him being a father. This is a major factor in considering how to support him and his needs in accessing food and supplies. Something that I really enjoyed in class was looking at the TedTalk about the “warm embrace” which is one of my favorite TedTalks. I find this invention to be super innovative and I think the processes that went into creating it are essential when thinking of how to support a community. The Warm Embrace project used Design Thinking framework which is super helpful and accurately identifies the best way to create a useful tool for a group in need. This process of thinking is something that I hope to continue to work with and use in the future.

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After class on Friday I was left with a lot to reflect on. Going out into the community was very helpful in understanding how we can improve people’s lives. We were able to talk to people from different backgrounds and they explained what they believe would be the most helpful out of food accessibility. Throughout the morning, I felt like I was invading people’s space and time while interviewing them, but those who were willing and attentive made it easier. It was interesting to approach people and then be rejected. Rejection definitely builds character. It was interesting to observe the different types of people around the area and what they believed would be the most helpful to add to Sarvis. A common theme was healthy options and making healthy foods accessible. A lot of the people we interviewed were Latino and a common theme among them was accessibility to fruits and vegetables. They explained that in their countries they were able to have delicious and healthy food that was within their price limit, but after moving to America they were no longer able to have that same experience. This stood out to me because in low-income areas, there are only fast-food options or unhealthy options. Unhealthy food is the cheapest food. This is a major problem and contributes to a lot of diseases and illnesses that the low-income population face. By implementing more healthy options and affordable healthy food, we can overcome these challenges.

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During this week’s class, I found our group activities to be particularly valuable. I enjoyed engaging with my peers in the breakout rooms and being able to connect and learn from each other. I was able to build better connections with the people in my group and learn more about them. I learned about the people they interviewed last class which was interesting. I wasn’t able to make it to the in-person class before so they had to update me on what they did during that class. I found it really easy to interact with my group members which made the class fun. I also enjoyed hearing what other groups did during their interviews and who they interviewed. I particularly enjoyed the one group that interviewed the older woman. It was really nice to hear their suggestions for making her days more fun for her. Additionally, this week’s assignment to interview a stranger was fun. I interviewed my neighbor who is also a student here and we were able to discuss what health means to her. I tried my best to refrain from giving context or assisting her in answering the question, so her answers were fairly vague. I think I got enough information from her. This week’s assignments were engaging and helped me build better connections with my peers and I am excited for what the next class holds.

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This week, I had a lot of free time. I was sick with COVID which gave me a lot of time to reflect on this class and my expectations for the semester. While feeling sick, I came to understand a new appreciation for being healthy. I also realized the privilege I have for being able to call out of work and school without any trouble. Additionally, if anything were to go wrong I would easily be able to emergency care or visit a physician. This is not the case for everyone and I think that is what attracted me to this course. This course will hopefully help me expand my understanding of the healthcare system and the role I can play in advocating for those who are unable to access the same opportunities that I have. I want to take advantage of the educational opportunities that I have been provided through my higher education. I think that I am doing myself a favor by taking this class and I think it will assist me in developing myself as a professional and scholar. After I graduate I want to be a social worker and work with communities who are disadvantaged and unable to advocate for themselves. With this class, I hope to learn from people experienced professionals and gain better insight on what my career might look like.

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Based on today’s class, I valued the activity we did during the breakout rooms. It was really helpful in practicing empathy and understanding the different perspectives of people’s good and bad days. It was very enlightening to hear what other people had to say about what makes their day better. Learning more about my peers is really helpful in gauging where I “belong” in the classroom and whether I share experiences with people. It is a great way to connect and develop relationships outside of the classroom. Something that didn’t work as well for me was probably having to find a photo that represents how I was feeling. I think it is hard for me to identify specific feelings in the moment of something because I feel a lot of emotions at once. Something I learned that I didn’t know before was that I give off the vibe of a therapist. During our activity in the breakout rooms, my partner said that I seem like a therapist which was pretty nice to hear. My aspirations for my career is to be a social worker, so hearing that I have therapist qualities was comforting to know. I think the way the class functions stood out to me. As an individual, the class felt really empowering and exciting. The collaborations between the students felt comforting and an environment that I could see myself flourishing in.