A certain buzz filled the senior hallways and classrooms as they returned from their April breaks. Everyone quickly realized that there were fewer than seven days until senior project presentations were due.
For presentations each senior gets to pick something that they are interested in and turn it into a fun and creative project; whether that be a food review, an internship in a field you are interested in, a video that showcases who you are, or a variety of other things. Each senior gets to pick something truly unique and show it to a judge as part of a requirement to graduate. 

These projects are meant to help them learn something about themselves and for them to be able to demonstrate skills, passion and creativity. But doesn’t this sound like a lot of pressure? 

Well, take it from the expert Jodie D’Alexander senior project advisor, she says the key thing for students to remember is to be prepared. 

“A week out from presentation day, projects should definitely be completed or in the very last stages of completion,” advised D’Alexander. “Being prepared and having run through your presentation is really important, just making sure you are comfortable presenting the material.” 

Students also have to remember to meet all of the requirements in order to pass this project. D’Alexander explains that students must have a presentation as one of their visuals, and either a poster, video, or photos as their second visual. She also says that students should do their best to fill the about 8- to 10-minute window that they have to present, and to make sure that they dress to impress. 

“You should look presentable,” D’Alexander said. “But something like wearing scrubs if you’ve done a medical internship or an apron if you’ve done a project associated with cooking is appropriate as well.” 

Some students took advantage of the opportunity to present their senior projects early during the week of midterms to get it out of the way. These students had pretty similar advice to their senior project advisor, be prepared. 

Emma DeGeorge, who already completed a video presentation for her senior project said that confidence was key for her. 

 “Being confident and prepared was definitely the most important part of my presentation,” said DeGeorge. “Knowing that I’d worked so hard on something made it easy to present.” 

DeGeorge also recognizes some flaws that she had the week leading up to her presentation as well and describes what she would do differently if she could go back and do it again. 

“I would’ve spent more time picking a piece of my video that showcased more of my editing work,” DeGeorge explained. “I would also have practiced my presentation aloud more so that I could have perfected the way that things went.” 

As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. So remember to best, hit all the requirements, and showcase what you made or what you’ve done in the most creative way possible. Senior project presentations are on Monday, April 20, so be sure to have your projects completed.