Episode 3

A group of students called CAPS tubers talk about their experience with the Center for Advanced Professional Studies (CAPS). They discuss how they first heard about CAPS and the benefits they have gained from it, such as career exploration and real-world experiences. They also talk about the difference between last semester and this semester in terms of the group dynamic. They mention the projects they are currently working on and their goals for the future. Finally, they discuss their evaluation process and encourage others to take advantage of the CAPS program. Hello, this is the J-CAPS podcast. This is Izzy, your host. I have a few special guests with me today. They are CAPS tubers. My name is Bryce Smith. I'm Sabi Bain. And I'm Lily Dunlap. So how did you guys first hear about CAPS? I've been hearing about it since I was a freshman, probably. Like, upperclassmen friends would tell me, oh, yeah, you should definitely do CAPS. And so I was peer pressured, positively. Yeah, mine was the same thing. We started it when we were freshmen, while the program started in Jessup. So I've been hearing throughout high school. And then, especially, like, once it got up towards, like, grades closer to mine, definitely I heard a lot of different things about it. My mom really wanted me to do it, because she heard about it. And she just kept telling me to do it. Of your overall experience, what are you enjoying most about CAPS? And what are your favorite moments? I would definitely say that some of my favorite moments are, well, if you would have asked me in August what I plan to do after high school, I would have told you that's a great question, a.k.a. I had no clue. And then now I can tell you where I'm attending, what I plan to major in, that kind of stuff. So definitely the career exploration piece of it was very beneficial for me. And just the experiences I've been able to have this semester, because of the career exploration pieces of it, was definitely different. And very appreciative of that. I think I just really enjoy the aspect of getting to get out of school, and kind of be treated like an adult, and just have time to work on whatever you need to work on. And I just love being out of the classroom setting and into the professional business kind of setting. I really liked meeting all the new people, and building relationships, and getting out of school, and going to a gen-sub class. What would you do different if you went back in time and had to start CAPS all over again as a CAPS 1? I think I would do it exactly the same, honestly. I've learned so much. And even though I wasn't like, I think I've grown so much just by being in an environment that isn't in a classroom. And I don't think I'd change anything. I agree with that. There are definitely some things that I would not change about it. However, something I would do is jump in right away, because I know, especially for the first month or two, I was not reaching my full potential. So I was definitely reaching that. And that's something I tried to do when this semester started. And I feel like it also helped that pretty much the only new people other than you, Izzy, were a whole bunch of other deaf people that I already knew. I was the only new person that you've never met before. Yeah. I'd say the same thing about jumping in right away and just staying focused and working really hard. What's different from this semester compared to last semester? The group. Honestly, personalities are so different. Like, I really enjoyed the people last semester. But this semester is completely different and not in a bad way. It's just, you know what I mean? Yeah. And the biggest thing is the group dynamic each semester. So especially last semester, when the idea of having a tattoo course came into the picture, that was one big thing that we all knew was going to change. Not that we didn't like the people last semester. They're amazing people. Right. But it's just you have a completely different set of people coming in. And it just creates a different dynamic. I'd say the same thing. Like, the vibe is a lot different than from last semester. And the people in this semester are really open and nice. And they'll talk to anybody. I was going to say, how would you explain the difference between the two? Like, as in the vibe, as you were saying. They're both. I really like both of them. Honestly, like, pretty evenly. But last semester, it was more people would go out and work on their own projects. And we wouldn't see certain people as often. Yeah. Like, a lot of people definitely worked more independently on projects, whereas there's groups this semester where we not only connect more as a group, but there's also more projects that include more than one to two people. What other, like, during our trainings and stuff like that, what kind of activities did you guys do? I would definitely say pretty much the only training that it was clear to me, at least, that CAPS 2 did something different than the CAPS 1. Associates was the leadership training. We were all brought into a different room and did different trainings based on what we had done throughout the last semester and what we had learned, and gearing up with all the other different CAPS 2 associates from around the Cedar Valley, doing different activities. What would you say to somebody that didn't know what CAPS was? I would tell them that CAPS is the Center for Advanced Professional Studies, and hoping that a lot of high school students get out of the traditional classroom setting and complete projects for local businesses. Can't tell if we've practiced that. I know we haven't. You may not be the CAPS fit, but, yeah. The environment of CAPS is definitely something I feel is very beneficial for kids our age. Definitely juniors and seniors in high school starting to think about life after high school. It gets you geared up and working with different business professionals, whether it be in the industry you're looking into or not. It's just filled with a whole bunch of, like I said, business professionals that are willing to help you. It helps you get a little bit of that business, like, get your way. Yeah, it gives you the experience. I'd agree. It's really an awesome opportunity to, like, for me, I've always been, and I know you are too, like, school isn't necessarily the hardest thing for us. And you get into CAPS, and you're like, oh my god, like, what did I get myself into? It's a whole different world, but it's kind of the same at the same time. But it's the real world. Yeah. You're not going to spend the rest of your life in a classroom like you do in high school. Like, you've got to figure out kind of how to work, like network, and work with people, and make phone calls, as hard as that is. Yeah, I definitely agree. It allows you to get out of the classroom, and instead of doing tests and stuff, or emailing your teacher, you're emailing business professionals, and talking with them, and doing projects with them. Yeah, that's one thing. It's like, if you were to ask my dad how much I got, he could tell you that he feels that I've opened up more after taking the program. And I feel like it does that to a lot of people. You're more comfortable talking with certain people than you are with other people. It's definitely a different environment than it is in the classroom. It's something you don't see, like, for a good majority. And then you take this class, and it's like kind of an insight of what the real world is. And you're not necessarily ready for it, but just not expecting it. What project are you guys working on at the moment? So I am currently working on two different projects. One is for the Beckett-Kaufman No Learning Day that the preschool through sixth graders are doing at JumpUp. My main priority in that is just trying to organize high school volunteers and other help throughout that. And then I am also doing classroom placement to help me complete my level one field experience through UNRI before I'm graduated. I am organizing a color run for the Justice Splash Pad. So I have written. Nobody tells you how much work goes into planning a 5K, but it's a lot of work, actually. I had to write out sponsorship letters to send to local businesses for their donations to it. I had to kind of market it a little bit, make sure it was out there, make sure we're getting people signed up. I had to design a shirt. I had to go collect the data that people are getting signed up and make sure things are getting ordered on time. And yeah, you don't think about that when you're running a 5K, but no, it's kind of a lot to do, actually. But yeah. I am working on creating a website with the Dunkerdon Booster Club. I am also working on creating a slideshow to present to Dunkerdon students to get them to join CAPS. What is your guys' progress so far within your projects? I am kind of at a waiting point with the 5K being next, I think, Saturday. I kind of am just waiting until next week to make sure everything's where it is, because our registration's kind of closed. Currently, right now, with my placements, I just started a new one up at Wapsie Valley with their K through 6 special ed teachers. So that has been definitely different compared to my last placement in Southdale at Cedar Falls. But then for the No Learning Day, I am currently working on putting together a volunteer form to send out to students and all of that other stuff. I don't know. We have a meeting after school today, so we're going to see how that goes. But yeah, other than that, it's basically getting the form sent out, making sure everybody's doing what they're supposed to do with that. I am working on touching up the website and scheduling a meeting where I can meet with Kim, who's the leader of the Booster Club, and seeing if she wants any changes with the website. What is your goal for the next evaluations, and what were your goals, and did you meet them during this week's evaluations? I don't really know. My goal was to journal, because I'm really bad at thinking and acting on the spot. So definitely finding different ways, finding different classroom management strategies that some work for certain groups of kids and some others don't. So finding different strategies for that. My goal was to be more social in the group and actually interact with people. I feel like I've gotten better, though. You have, maybe. I don't know, you were an introvert when we took the first one out. I'm a hardcore introvert. My goal was to work outside of class time, and I did schedule some meetings, but I'm still working on that. My goal this month is to be more independent and not talk to Riley as much. I think I've done that a little bit, but still working on that, too. I agree, I think you have done much better. Yeah, I feel like, compared to last semester, I feel like you've definitely broken out of your shell. I mean, you do talk a lot more than you did. Yeah, absolutely. It was quite a shock for me, if anything. I don't think I heard Bryce talk. I felt like maybe it was a showcase. I barely heard him talk, and I've known him since third grade. But what is your goal for the next time, for our last stint of evaluation? I feel like my goal throughout this whole thing was to just kind of network, grow, be able to have this experience, jump right in. Because one thing we're told from the beginning is that you get out what you put into it. So doing that kind of stuff. And I guess that's it. What makes your evaluations different than last semester's? So we decided to do a peer evaluation. We don't have to write papers. Yes, we all know. Meet up and share what we think each other's strengths are, what some growth areas need to be. And it's really kind of interesting to see what other people perceive you as. And most of the time, it's all the same thing that everyone's saying. So I like it a lot, honestly. I feel like it's very beneficial to know what not only our instructor thinks, but what everybody else is getting to. Even if they are disdainful or not. So your peers' opinions matter a lot, obviously. Yeah. I hope nobody's too brutal. Not really. We're all pretty much open to constructive criticism. That's what we're all open to. We try not to be very defensive about it. We hold each other accountable very well, I think. Yeah, anything to add? No. Your last final thoughts on CAPS? If you're debating on taking it, do it. Remember to get out of it what you put into it. It's definitely a good program that a lot of people should take. It's not really talked about a lot. I mean, Bryce is the only guy. We all appreciate him. I know. I just wanted to say that thing. He's the only guy. Has this been going on since last semester, correct? Yep. Uh-huh. Poor Bryce. We had Ryan there for a hot second. A day. And then Savvy came back. Couldn't do normal school. OK. Well, thank you for listening. This is Izzy from the Joseph Podcast. Bye.