For our Junior Documentary Project, our goal was to portray an intriguing person and gather both primary and secondary research sources to develop a distinct perspective on the significance of our subject in the community and world. The research-based paper we created in English serves as a copy of the Imagine article in Design. Overall, this unit focused on narrative-style journalism.

English

Something I valued from this project which spanned English, Digital Media, and Design, was being able to choose the topic that I wished to talk about and get to know more about someone I have known for most of my life. I am so grateful to have been able to work with Junko Aoki on this project.

Due to the original Japanese Teacher leaving on maternity leave, I had learned Junko Aoki would act as her replacement at Mountain View High School, and with her vast experience of being a teacher, I thought that she would be an exciting subject. Throughout her life of being a teacher, and mother, as well as moving across the world multiple times, I saw an opportunity to explore new perspectives I would have never thought of before. Despite knowing her since my first day in Japanese School in first grade, I felt like I was able to learn more about her and her background, seeing her not only as an educator but as a role model. Throughout this book, I aspire to capture her vibrant personality and unwavering passion for teaching.

Digital Media

Once we finished our English Documentary Essay, in Digital Media we produced a short article. We had to include photos as well as format our article to fit within six pages to create a short article.

Design

In Design, our assignment was to create a book about our Profile.

When I first received the Documentary project, I was quite worried. It was unlike anything I had ever tackled before, and my lack of experience in interviewing and profile writing left me feeling uncertain. Additionally, I questioned my ability to create a cohesive design for the book. However, as the project unfolded, I was able to overcome this fear, and instead see the freedom I had. Though it was tough to narrow down what I specifically wanted to research, the power to make choices ultimately alleviated much of the pressure I had been feeling. 

This project has served as my introduction to Adobe InDesign, which I used for the layout. At first glance, this software can seem daunting, but soon I found myself navigating it with ease and feeling excited to bring my ideas to life. I can see myself using the same skills like managing layers in InDesign, and creating graphic design elements in Illustrator, and am very happy with the new skills that I learned and can apply to other future projects.

(Click photos for a larger version)

For our book, we were required to make graphic design elements that could visually communicate the theme of our book. Since my profile documentary is about education as well as culture, I decided to add pencils and Japanese dolls to visually communicate my ideas.

Throughout the creation of this project, I worked through numerous obstacles to reach an outcome I am proud of. Being able to hold this book in my own hands fills me with excitement, knowing the countless hours of hard work that went into its creation. I know that I can look back to this in the future, and not only see how much I’ve improved but to also showcase how special it was to be able to create something like this.  I hope that I can help spread hope and excitement for future students through her story, and to show that even though learning can be a hard challenge, you should never give up, and that there’s always something or someone there for you. 

Throughout the creation of this project, I worked through numerous obstacles to reach an outcome I am proud of. Being able to hold this book in my own hands fills me with excitement, knowing the countless hours of hard work that went into its creation. I know that I can look back to this in the future, and not only see how much I’ve improved but to also showcase how special it was to be able to create something like this.  I hope that I can help spread hope and excitement for future students through her story, and to show that even though learning can be a hard challenge, you should never give up, and that there’s always something or someone there for you.