Capstone Topics, Mentors and the Pandemic

 Alexarae Pomaro, Verrazzano Class of 2021, completed major in Nursing 

My capstone project was something I had been anxious about since I first learned about the requirement in my freshman year. I wasn’t necessarily worried about the workload, I was more worried about how I was going to narrow down a topic. I was consistently drawn to pediatrics until my last semester in the Nursing program in my junior year. That was when I was introduced to neonatology.

I originally wanted to conduct a study in my place of work in the CSI Library. I wanted to develop a survey surrounding a chosen topic because as someone with a science degree who had never participated in research, I wanted to experience that process. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic the idea of doing research on a subject as intense as neonatology and conducting a study felt too overwhelming to do without in-person assistance from my faculty mentor.

It was time to shift gears. I was disappointed, but considering that I completed the Nursing program early and already took my boards, I had to cut myself some slack. Luckily, because of my love for pediatrics, I came up with an interesting topic. I emailed my former pediatrics professor requesting her to be my mentor, and typed up my proposal and sent that over as well.

A few days went by… and then a few weeks, and I started to get worried that my mentor was not going to be available. The deadline for the proposal submission arrived and I had to explain to Cheryl that I needed to switch to another instructor. She was awesome (as usual), and I was able to switch to Professor Lama. Professor Lama was so kind and easy going and a wonderful professor to work with, and I decided to join in her research group as well for the International Virtual Exchange Program. I was now involved in two bodies of work for the Undergraduate Research Conference.

Despite this not being the ideal situation for my senior year, I learned so much from this research and how to be a professional person online. I am grateful for this program and for the responsibility it taught me as a student.