Digital Commons Network^™

New Australia, Un Nuevo Mundo, Elizabeth Christensen

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

I focus on the diaspora of the Australian immigration to the South American colony known as New Australia. My project addresses the question of identity. I address questions such as: how much do the surviving descendants of the New Australia colony identify with the homeland of Australia or the hostland of South America? How has their identities influenced the way they raise their children

Accelerating An Opioid Safety Collaborative’S Efforts In Addressing Opioid Use And Misuse, Norma Cabriales Gutierrez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Opioid dependency has skyrocketed since the 1990’s. Today, there is roughly 1 opioid prescription written for every 2 Monterey County residents according to the California Department of Public Health (2018). Individualized efforts to address the opioid crisis must become a smooth-running process to rectify the damage of over-prescribing. The Prescribe Safe Monterey County Initiative has been a leader in alleviating some damages the epidemic has brought upon our community since their work began in 2014. Accelerating their efforts to combat opioid misuse and abuse by utilizing Monterey County Health Department’s strategy maps is the focus of this capstone. The recommendation …

No Senior Or Persons With Disabilities Left Behind, Elizabeth Lopez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The Monterey County Department of Social Services has been serving the community through the various programs to the community. The Aging and Adult Services unit of the department offers In-Home Supportive Services program which serves the senior population and people living with disabilities. This program unfortunately is not very known in the community and can serve a lot more people than it currently is. The problem being addressed is the lack of awareness that the program has among the community. The project implemented to remedy this lack of awareness is the creation of a county brochure that explains the program, …

Music Rehabilitation Programs In California State Prisons, Sarah Hanson

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

With 2.3 million people in the United States prison system, reducing recidivism rates in prison is crucial. One of the most prevalent ways California has been able to reduce recidivism and encourage less punitive measure on prisoners is through music rehabilitation programs. This research explores the current prison population, history of music rehabilitation in prisons, positive and negative psychological effects music can have on inmates, an active music rehabilitation program (Dance Kaiso), and how inmates have been utilizing these programs. By exploring the current prison population and how music rehabilitation began in the United States and California, there’s a clearer …

Foster Youth Mentorship Program, Adriana Anaya

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The San Benito County Probation Department (SBCPD) collaborated with San Benito High School to create a pilot program for at-risk foster youth high school students, “Foster Youth mentorship program”. The importance of the mentor-ship program was to help prevent at-risk foster youth students from falling into the probation system. The purpose of this educational intervention program was to increase foster youth students’ knowledge, academic achievements, and to help them reach their career and educational goals. The students worked closely with their mentor to create long lasting relationships and to complete desired goals of their choice. The program was implemented through …

Housing First In Monterey County, Maury Vasquez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The mission of The Coalition of Homeless Services Providers is to eliminate homelessness in Monterey and San Benito Counties by promoting interagency coordination to develop and sustain a comprehensive system of housing. The Housing Management Information System is the department where the project is implemented. Monterey County has an increasing number of chronically homeless who are suffering from a mental illness and need help. Drug use and lack of specialized services at agencies in Monterey County have contributed to the issue. Local agencies in Monterey County are unequipped to help this rising number of chronically homeless who suffer from a …

Let’S Talk About It: Special Education Communication Barriers With General Education Teachers, Edith Diaz

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The focus of this Capstone Project is on the communication barriers between Special Education and General Education educators, due to a lack of time for collaboration during the school year. Poor communication between teachers can negatively impact special education students’ academic achievement. Unfortunately, this issue has been around for decades, yet no effective solutions have been implemented. Solutions that have been considered include more teacher training, peer-mediated instruction, and co-teaching. Data was collected from interviews conducted with one administrator, two Special Education teachers and three General Education teachers from a local high school. Surveys were also taken from Special Education …

Getting Comfortable With Being Uncomfortable: Developing Students' Interpersonal Skills, Mariah Lambert

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Interpersonal skills are an imperative part of a child’s development. Strategies can be developed by educators to help students build these skills in a productive and positive manner. Based on an analysis of the program director and teacher interview data, students’ interpersonal skills can be enhanced by creating Social Development lessons, creating an interactive learning environment, and exemplifying the importance of properly developed communication skills. It is important for educators to understand how to help their students find the right way to convey their emotions. It is not our job, as teachers, to solve the issue for the students, but, …

Bullying Prevention Through Kindness, Anissa Childers

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The capstone project promotes awareness of childhood bullying and methods of prevention. Bullying is a major issue throughout the United States (US) and bullying rates need to drastically drop. The project teaches students the meaning of kindness, emotions, and treating people with respect to help our future generation start eliminating bullying. The kindness project provides hands on activities for children giving them empathetic and practical ways to focus on being kind to their peers. The expected outcomes were to bring awareness to the classroom and after the post-survey have students feel more confident, have better relationships with friends, and feel …

Increasing Parent Volunteers In Head Start Classrooms, Anali Fuentes

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The Head Start Program in Monterey County serves children from birth to 5 years of age and their families. In 2015, a senate bill was passed by California stating, parents who volunteer in a public school must be fully immunized against various diseases, including measles, pertussis, influenza and tuberculosis. The new policy rapidly became a barrier to many Head Start parents who desire to volunteer in their child’s classroom, creating additional obstacles for accessibility to receive the required immunizations. The purpose of this capstone is to support parents in overcoming the challenges to volunteering by connecting parents to appropriate clinics …

Lending A Helping Paw: Streamlining A Volunteer Handbook, Andrew Donati

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Peace of Mind Dog Rescue (POMDR) relies heavily on its volunteers to carry out important operational needs that allow them to fulfill their mission of being a resource and advocate for local senior dogs and senior citizens. From overseeing adoption events to foster care to administrative duties, volunteers serve as the arms-and-legs of the organization. Despite having a volunteer base of over 700 individuals, POMDR faces a challenge in preparing new volunteers for their role within the organization. To address this organizational concern, a digital volunteer handbook was created to provide current and prospective volunteers with an easily accessible resource …

Students On Truancy, Gabriela Garcia

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Truancy is an issue that is affecting the overall success of school districts, and in particular the King City High School District. A study was conducted to provide the school evidence on the leading factor of truancy. A survey was distributed to about thirty students who are currently truant to discover the leading cause of truancy, which was lack of motivation. Additionally, a workshop was developed for truant students who lack motivation. A guest speaker was invited to the school to give a motivational speech to promote future success. Several factors have led students to become truant such as lack …

Community Outreach For Diabetes Awareness, Brendan Greer Louthen

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The Community Awareness for Diabetes Awareness Program has been implemented by the Central Coast YMCA Corporate office through outreach events highlighting the Diabetes Prevention Program. The rates of prediabetes are shockingly high not only in the United States, but here in Monterey County where the rate of prediabetic citizens is 18 percent higher than the rest of the country. When considering the major factors that contribute to creating this problem, the lack of education surrounding prediabetes and its effects, low levels of physical activity and lack of access to affordable fruits and vegetables are at the top of the list. …

Diversification Of Resources In Rural King City, Laura Martinez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Lack of resources in rural King City has become a barrier for access to mental health treatment. Monterey County Behavioral Health (MCBH) provides mental health services but diverse programs like Interim Inc. are in the Salinas area. External mental health resources are difficult to obtain for some of the clients. Therefore, the ACCESS team for MCBH King City made the decision to implement a support group that would serve as a new resource for local adult clients.

A Mindfulness Group was developed to help clients who suffer from anxiety and depression. The group contained content that educated clients on how …

Homework Without Barriers, Hailey Edwards

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Assigning equitable homework to students from low socioeconomic status (SES) families is a challenge for elementary school teachers. Often, teachers assign traditional homework activities such as weekly packets, projects, and research. Unfortunately, research indicates that students often do not have access to materials, parental help, and/or other resources which their SES advantaged peers may have. This study is important because students should have the opportunity to continue their learning outside of the classroom, and involve their families in their learning. After interviewing teachers at Sand Dune Elementary School, I have used what I have learned to identify action options to …

Midi: A Standard For Music In The Ever Changing Digital Age, Taylor Romo

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is the technology that allows synthesizers and controllers to communicate and manipulate other pieces of gear as well as computer software. This technology has permanently changed the way music is produced and performed. This paper will explore the importance of MIDI technology as a tool for music production as well as for music performance. This will be done by first examining the history and development of MIDI technology, including the reasons why it was created. Many examples will be given of how MIDI is a crucial component in recording studios, music production studios, and live …

Ready, Set, Involved: The Power Of Parents, Maria Chavez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Parental involvement can be highly beneficial to students’ educational success. However, involvement is an issue for English Language Learning (ELL) students, as well as for their parents. Many of these parents want to be involved, but there are many factors that get in the way. School faculty need to be more proactive on informing parents about resources available to them and other ways they can become more involved in their child’s education. The purpose of this research is to understand what schools are doing today to involve parents and how they are reaching out to them. After interviewing teachers and …

Increasing Technology Skills For Head Start Staff In Monterey County, Jasmin Lopez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

MCOE Head Start has been transitioning from pen and paper to a new software, ChildPlus. This software provides the ability for staff and administrators to quickly and efficiently track all of the data required by the program so that the agency staff can focus on serving families and children to the best of their ability. When the requirement to use ChildPlus was implemented, teachers were resistant and unprepared. As a consequence, the programs funding and efficiency opportunities and its data input was impacted. A twenty- four question survey of thirty- eight staff members was developed to help determine the greatest …

Life Through Different Lenses, Teresa Morales

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

For this capstone project, my partner and I were able to explore the lack of affordable housing for low-income families and the demonstrable effect on students academic achievement. Children whose families have a difficult time finding adequate housing, live in poor conditions that limits them to acquire their learning skills and abilities to succeed. The community partner we worked with was a local Family Resource Center that provides housing assistance and other social determinants. The purpose of this research was understand how low-income families deal with inadequate living conditions and the impacts of student academic success. Based on an analysis …

Core Advocate Training Information, Paola Sauceda

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

CASA of Santa Cruz County is a non-profit 501(c) 3 agency that trains and supports court appointed special advocates for foster children from newborn to 18 years of age. Advocates are volunteers who are required to go through thirty-five hours of core service training, and CASA offers four core trainings throughout the year. Volunteers are required to commit to seeing the child for two to four hours a week, for up to two years. However, every case varies in length, and at times a case may require additional hours per week and may go on longer than two years. There …

Conozca Sus Derechos Como Rentero, Maria Melgoza-Gaytan

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Building Healthy Communities- East Salinas is funded by The California Endowment, which is a statewide nonprofit foundation. The BHC’s main goal is to work alongside residents and community-based organizations to work on community participation and leadership to create a healthier community for the residents of East Salinas. Currently, East Salinas tenants are victims of illegal rental practices. Conozca sus derechos como rentero booklet created, an educational booklet and flyer highlighting tenants’ rights. Factors that contribute to the victimization of the residents include the language barrier, lack of knowledge on laws and their legal status. The goal is to educate tenants …

The Universal Language Of Music: Why Music Is Important In Education, Carron Prudhon

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This capstone project focused on the need for increasing music opportunities in schools and the ways in which it increases literacy, particularly in an English Language Learners (ELL) classroom, where increasing English literacy is so vital. After interviewing a district music director, a high school English language development director, and a high school ELL teacher, three action options emerged as ways to provide more music in high school ELL classrooms. Based on the findings, an action was undertaken to help secondary teachers incorporate more music into their daily curriculum.

Free Trade And Corporate Social Responsibility: Ethical Dilemmas In Global Economic Development, Sarah Papion

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Through the lens of the free-trade-optimist, it is black and white: corporations bring jobs, and jobs equal a happy and healthy economy. A major oversight in this neoliberal Utopian ideology is that corporations are not in the business of building communities, nor do they have an interest in keeping their operations stationary enough to allow economic growth to occur over a span of years. Corporations abandon communities as quickly as they arrive to find their next cheap labor hub. Quite contradictory to the original purpose of free trade, economic growth in Free Trade Zones is not long term or secure. …

Child Neglect Awareness Educational Workshop, Lizette Escobar, Courtney R. Mccrary

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

CASA of Monterey County provides advocates to the foster children who are in the CASA program. The number of children ending up in foster care is increasing, and neglect was found to be one of the top reasons that children are placed into foster care. CASA of Monterey County recognizes this issue and implemented the “Child Neglect Awareness Educational Workshop.” This workshop taught parents about child neglect, in order to prevent them from neglecting their children. This educational workshop was held at University Park Elementary School and participants were a group of Hispanic parents, since Hispanics/Latinos have the highest rate …

College & Career Exploration, Karina Medina

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Taylor Farms Center for Learning was developed by the Future Citizens Foundation who is a California non-profit organization that provides programs throughout Monterey County. The rate of high school dropouts in Monterey County is extremely high. The purpose of the capstone project was to empower and promote youth to obtain a higher education and to simply allow youth to define success in their own terms. The empowerment process consisted of four educational workshops that focused on educating and informing youth of different postsecondary education and careers opportunities available. The results increased youth’s knowledge and awareness about postsecondary education and career …

School Based Flu Clinics, Jessica Sanchez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The Visiting Nurse Association & Hospice provides health care in an ethically responsible, affordable, caring, and professional manner. The department of Community Services, focuses on providing traveling clinics to maintain a community healthy. School Based Flu Clinics were implemented under the Community Services department. These clinics address the excessive number of Monterey County residents becoming ill from influenza (flu) each flu season. The project was an event that immunized the community as well as provided education, about the importance of the flu shot. The four clinics, were open to the public, targeting students, parents, friends, and district employees. Flu vaccine …

Building A Recording-Specific Amplifier Cabinet, John Livingston

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Recording electric guitar has become a major component of any professional recording environment over the last 50 years, and recognizing the parameters that generate a quality recording is essential in getting the desired tonality and sound. The author examines the characteristics of amplifier cabinets desirable in studio use, and documents the process of building one from scratch for recording purposes based off of research parameters- as well as personal studio experience. This project compares the build of a custom amplifier cabinet against that of a store-bought cabinet from a reputable manufacturer (Fender) with emphasis on build materials, power handling, and …

Implementing Mindfulness Into Schools, Kristen Gonzales

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Learning for Life Charter School located in Marina, CA. serves students in grades 7-12. The student at Learning for Life had challenges in traditional school settings and deals with a variety of social, emotional and academic challenges. Mindfulness seminars were implemented to help provide a toolkit to manage these challenges. The project with help from the guidance counselor and school director was a series of mindfulness seminars. Mental Health and well being are not discussed enough in our school system and children at a young age need to know that their emotions are validated and they have methods to work …

A Healthy Body, A Healthy Mind, Marlen Bonilla Amador

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The prevalence of chronic health problems among youth has nearly doubled in current years. Due to the lack of knowledge on chronic illnesses rising among youth, many teenagers find themselves uninformed and suffering the aftermath of these illnesses. Consequences such as obesity, asthma, learning disabilities, physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health are significant as they grow into young adults. To raise awareness among youth at Learning for Life Charter School, we have implemented the program A Healthy Body, A Healthy Mind. The program A Healthy Body, A Healthy Mind is an educational outreach program that promotes resources, healthy eating …

Barriers From Youth Participation In Monterey County, Erika Ramirez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Monterey County Behavioral Health (MCBH) aims to serve residents who suffer from mental illnesses in the Monterey County area to help them live a healthy and productive life. Currently there are low service participation rates from the youth population with mental health issues in Monterey County. The purpose of this research project was to develop and distribute a survey to identify different service acquisitions to increase youth participation in overall services offered. Data from the Monterey County website showed that 12,154 youth that are eligible for services, yet only 779 actually went in for one or more visits for mental …