REFLECTION 1
I’m writing mainly for the residents of Cahokia Heights, Illinois so that their voices and experiences with the water crisis can be heard. Many people outside of the community included me do not really see or not aware how serious and long lasting this problem is. By focusing on residents my goal is to spread awareness and help others better understand how unsafe water has affected their daily lives. Keeping this audience in mind will guide my revisions because I need to think about how the residents feel and what information matters most to them.
I plan to look at more secondary sources to strengthen my research. More news articles, interviews with residents, and public records or archives that explain how the water crisis started and how it has continued over time. Using these sources will help me add more facts, examples, and real stories to support my ideas. I also want to learn more about what the state and local government are doing to fix the problem and whether their actions have been effective.
I want to polish my website page so that every section has a clear purpose and answers the questions I asked. These questions i asked and want to answer is “how long the water crisis has been going on, how it has affected the health and trust of residents, and what steps are being taken to solve the issue?”. I hope my website page helps give Cahokia Heights residents the attention and support they deserve.
REFLECTION 2
For my research project on Cahokia Heights water crisis I want my website page and research to reach the people who are living through it and the people who have the power to fix it. The most important audience to me is the residents of Cahokia Height. They deal with the flooding, sewage problems , unsafe water and poor houses everyday. They are often ignored so i wanted to share their experiences and make sure they are being notice and heard. I also want my work to reach the government, public health workers and organizations that can help bring money, resources and a long term solution to fix the problem. I want more people in the world to learn about this issue to show others in different cities that have no idea that this is an issue.
The stakeholders are the residents, city officials, state governments agencies and groups that focus on environmental justice. Cahokia Heights is a low-income, mostly Black community and because of this the problem hasn’t gotten the attention it deserves which led it to be a problem for over 50 years. This should shape my work by me going deeper not just looking at this as water crisis but a social justice and equality problem.
My research will focus on how long this problem been happening, what the government been doing to fix or not doing, and how does these conditions affects the residents everyday life . By focusing on the residents experiences and connecting them to bigger problems I believe my work can bring more attention to Cahokia Heights.
REFLECTION 3
Giving and receiving feedback to me is a way for people to share helpful suggestions and improve work. Giving feedback means giving respectful comments about what someone did well and what they can do better giving examples of what they can do better and how they can. When Receiving feedback you must listen and keep an open mind, and using the suggestions to make improvements on your work. This process is important because it helps people communicate and improve work or performances. Giving and receiving feedback means being honest but respectful like not putting no one down when sharing advice and willing to listen and improve when others give me advice. To give better feedback I should try to be clear and helpful. Instead of saying something is just “good” or “bad,” I can explain what works and what could be improved. I should be more respectful and focus on the work and not the person. When I receive feedback I will listen more keeping an open mind even if I don’t agree at all and asking questions also helps.
REFLECTION 4
My recent interactions with my research team, community partner, and CODE320 mentors have helped me improve how I work and think about my project. My independent project is about doing archival and online research to find how long and the cause of the flooding in Cahokia Heights, IL. Since I came semester late I mainly focused mostly on my own work but these experiences helped me see the bigger picture of the project and how my work and group members research connects.
Working with my research team taught me how important collaboration is. For example, during the scrollytelling , we had to combine 5–6 individual different research into one big project. This showed me how everyone’s ideas can come together to make something stronger. In future when working with a team I will work more with others and make sure my work connects to the group’s goals and not just being shy or scared to challenge people ideas or even just being wrong myself.
My community partner and CODES MENTORS helped me understand why my project matters and how to stay organized with a lot of research. I learned that my research is not just for a grade but it can help people in the Cahokia Heights community and to even shed a light on this for the people to help them get a solutions for they water crisis.
REFLECTION 5
My biggest takeaway from this semester is accountability and collaboration. I say that because working on a group project while also having independent parts really showed me how important it is to stay responsible for your own work. You have to make sure you are getting your research done on time and actually contributing, because if you fall behind, it doesn’t just affect you. It affects your whole group. That made me realize that if you do mess up or fall behind, you have to take accountability for it and try to fix it as soon as possible. You can’t just ignore it or hope it works itself out, because other people are depending on you and their grades are involved too. Overall, this experience pushed me to be more aware of how my actions impact others, not just myself.
Another big thing I learned and gained from this experience is how to work with others and their ideas. At first, it can be hard to find that balance. Sometimes you might feel like just staying quiet and going along with whatever everyone else says, even if you have your own ideas, or you might feel like trying to take over and make sure everything is done your way. But throughout this semester, I learned that neither of those approaches really works. Instead, I learned how to communicate better, listen to others, and still speak up when I have something to contribute. It’s important to respect different opinions and be open to ideas that aren’t your own while also making sure your voice is heard.