Final Reflection
My capstone project was something not only special to me but also my brother John. During the
pandemic life was extra hard for my family. My brother John who is autistic (nonverbal)had a hard time
understanding why he was staying home and not going to school, which was his routine for the last 15
years. My brother John has had many struggles with school being remote and I’m just glad that I was
there to support him. It wasn't easy for me either. There were times where I had to help him with online
school while doing my online work and there were also times where I wanted to give up because I felt
like he wasn’t actually learning anything. During this time it taught me perseverance. Perseverance to
finish my senior year strong but also perseverance to help John adjust to the change. John works well
with positive reinforcement and rewards such as snacks. That is when I started to see progress, not
only was I seeing him pickup on habits like brushing his teeth and cleaning his spot after eating, but I
also received good feedback from his teacher as well. This positive reinforcement was helping John with
his self confidence and enjoying staying home. Another thing I struggled with during capstone was my
artifacts because helping my brother with his school work or just in general was not that big of a deal
to me it was more like something had to do because that everyone else was to busy. I noticed that other
children like me don’t have this same responsibility. John is more than my brother, he is my best
friend. We have struggled together and I know how hard life can be for him because he is not like
everyone else. My aunt and family try to make his life as normal as possible and take him to do as many
things, but this capstone has taught me that no matter how much we try to do things with him, his life
will always be harder. This time during capstone has helped me grow better as a student and as a
person. It has taught me not to give up and to just keep working for what you want.