Thesis? Research? Apprentice Teaching? Internship? How do you decide which capstone is right for you? Dr. Dustin Stoltz led a panel discussion on the requirements and benefits of each type, which students who have done them giving their perspective. Here is a link to the video of the session: Capstone Info Session
Four students share their experiences with majors, and answered their questions.
Hannah Hegley spoke about her supervised research project with Dr Casagrande, researching the impact of climate change on the coffee industry. She is starting a Ph.D. program after graduation in May and will build upon the research is she is doing now.
Anna Sullivan spoke about the 3 years she has invested in her thesis - she took part in an experiential learning opportunity in Uganda as a sophomore that allowed her to collect data. She transcribed and coded her data in her junior year. Now, in her senior year, she is doing the actual writing of the thesis. She gave a good overview of what is involved in the entire process and what to expect.
TiShaya DaSilva described the Apprentice Teacher capstone. This helped her develop leadership skills, improve her knowledge of the subject, and gave her the opportunity to present review sessions. Her presentation skills improved, and revisiting the course (Intro to Soc) reminded her of why she loved sociology as a field to begin with.
Samantha Santana, who graduated last year and is now in a Master's program, chose the internship option. She worked with MIRA Resources, a group that helps immigrants. Her organizational and Spanish language skills proved to be a great benefit to MIRA, and a good experience in a social justice organization. She also did some supervised research for another professor.
All reported that their experience will help them in the next stage, after graduation from Lehigh. The examples also show that it is never to early to start thinking about your capstone!