Capstone Project Proposal Draft

Name of student: Nadia Rebeca Rojas Sanchez

Date: February 27th, 2023
Teacher: Ms. Lacroix
Capstone strand I have chosen is Project
Proposed title for my project: Mex&Can

What is your inquiry question that interests you for further research? It should be a question that
connects with a purpose, passion or personalized area of interest for you. This is a question that
you cannot just google an answer for. Please see examples from your Capstone booklet.

My inquiry question is:

 What is the cultural significance of food for immigrants?

 How does food shape one’s memories and identity?

Rationale/context: Detail your reasons for choosing this inquiry question. Explain WHY you are
choosing to investigate this topic as a major area of focus. How does this area of inquiry connect
to your passion(s), purpose? Why is it of personal interest to you?

 Moving to Canada is the biggest challenge I have ever faced in my life. Upon moving, I
felt sad and lonely as I was not used to being away from my family and friends. The
nostalgia I felt eventually turned into homesickness because I missed speaking
Spanish, the weather, and most importantly Mexican food. Food is the connection I
have with my family and how we used to spend time together on birthdays, holidays,
and special occasions. Furthermore, cooking is the hobby I shared with my grandma
while growing up, and reminds me of all the memories we shared in the kitchen. Given
that I haven’t found a restaurant that sells authentic Mexican food, I want to write a
recipe book that helps others feel at home and remember their families while living
abroad. 

Background: What background knowledge/connections/prior learning do you have in this

area of inquiry?

 I lived in Mexico for 15 years.

 I have taken two cooking courses in my life.
 Cooking is my favorite hobby.
 Cooking is the connection I have with my family.

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  Every I know about Mexican food I learned from my grandmother.

Career connections: What is your intended career area at this point in time? What
connections does this inquiry question have to your life, academic and/ or career goals?

 My career goal is to become a Computer Scientist. However, my Capstone project is

related to my identity and how I embrace my culture abroad. By means of a cookbook,
I seek to embrace my roots, recreate the taste and smell of home, as well as offer
other cultures and insight of Mexican cuisine, traditions, and history. Moreover, as one
of my life goals is to build a home outside Mexico, I aim to find the ingredients and
techniques that allow me to recreate my favorite recipes despite the country I am living
in.  

Interdisciplinary and core competencies connections: What subject areas and core
competencies will be connected with your project? Outline and explain the connections.

Personal Awareness & Responsibility:

Strengths:

1. “I can set goals, regulate my emotions and persevere in difficult situations.”

Growing up I created a beautiful relationship with my family and got used to
spending quality time with them. Therefore, when I met my homestay family, I
hoped I could feel included and have their support during my stay. However, I was
forced to live in a cold basement deprived of food and communication with them.
As a 15-year-old, I was sad about calling that place my home. However, I tried not
to focus on the circumstances in which I was living, but rather on achieving my
goals and having good grades so I could apply for a scholarship. Although it was
not easy to avoid wanting to go back to Mexico, the immense support of my friends
and family helped me keep going. Nowadays, I no longer live in a cold basement,
and I have gained the resilience to fight for my dreams.

2. “I understand learning takes patience and time.”

During the first semester of my senior year, I took Physics 12 to complete a

university requirement. I thought it would be an easy class because I grasped math
well. However, I remember walking in the first day, and thinking the worst as soon
as the teacher started explaining vector addition. I was afraid because most people
in the class seemed to have previous knowledge of physics principles, while I was
a beginner. Although I started private tutoring, I failed the first few tests and
quizzes. Until one day I realized that hating physics was not going to help me be

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 successful in the class. Therefore, I started reaching out to the teacher and my
classmates for help, making flashcards, and watching as many YouTube videos as
I could to learn how to do physics. Accordingly, my grade improved noticeably. I
remember my teacher telling me that success is not a linear path and that I needed
to fail in order to learn. Hence, Physics 12 taught me that learning a new skill takes
patience and perseverance.

Weakness:

1. “I am learning to take care of myself.”

I was never taught how to love myself, neither at school nor at home. Instead, I
was taught that I should always prioritize school over my mental health. During my
first year studying in Canada, I met incredible people who always looked after me
and loved me more than I ever did. However, as they went back to their home
countries, I started feeling incomplete and alone. Thus, I would use my free time to
study more than I was supposed to, instead of doing things that I enjoyed or taking
care of myself. This year, as one of my resolutions, I have promised to learn how
to love myself. To prioritize my mental health without neglecting my studies. I have
promised to create a balance between my academic life and my personal life.
Today, I work out, read before going to bed, have a skin-care routine, eat healthy,
and write about my feelings. Today I am trying to take care of myself.

Social Responsibility:

Strengths:

1. “I value diversity, defend human rights, advocate for others, and act ethically in
all my interactions, including online.”

In Mexico, it is often seen that retailers buy handicrafts from artisans at such low
prices that prevent them from making a profit. Thus, artisans are unable to pay for
housing and food, resulting in them living in extreme poverty. As a part of a school
project, my grade organized a fundraiser to transport artisans from a rural village
called Oaxaca to Mexico City. All students were supposed to cook a special dish
and sell it at a school event to raise the money needed. For one week, artisans
sold their crafts for a reasonable price at our school which allowed them to make a
profit and bring money to their families. This is how I advocated for artisans and
acted ethically to defend their work.

2. “I am aware of my community and environment and work independently and

collaboratively for the benefit of others.”

When I was 3 years old, my parents enrolled me and my sister in private math
classes. I started studying algebra and pre-calculus when my classmates were
learning basic arithmetic operations. Accordingly, math became my favorite class
as opposed to most of my friends who were struggling with it. Ever since grade 6, I
have volunteered to teach my friends math during lunch or outside of school.

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 Moreover, last semester I volunteered to teach math to international students at
R.E Mountain who were having a hard time understanding Pre-calculus 11 and
Foundations of Math 11. Teaching others helps me enhance my knowledge while
benefitting my community.

Weakness:

1. “I can identify and appreciate different perspectives on issues and use and
evaluate strategies to resolve problems.”
When there is a debate among my friends or family and I have to be the one
who settles it, I have a hard time evaluating different perspectives.
Furthermore, I often take the stance of the person I love the most although it
may be unfavorable or incorrect. However, I am working on not confusing
loyalty and justice and therefore being able to share an unbiased opinion and
solve a problem. As I have encountered complicated life situations, I have
realized that not giving an honest opinion on a problem and backing up
incorrect behaviors is more harmful than speaking the truth. Accordingly, I have
been trying to give my genuine opinion and being understanding when solving
a problem even though others may not like it.

Critical thinking:

Strengths:

1. “I can assess my progress.”

Given that grade 11 was my first year studying in Canada, I had to take
Composition 10 to be able to graduate. At first, it was difficult to express my
feelings and add a personal touch to my assignments because I was not used to
writing poems and short stories in English. I would take days to complete a simple
task and still, I was not being descriptive enough or my word choice was not
engaging at all. However, by the end of the semester, I had already learned how to
organize my ideas and word them effectively. Although I had chosen New Media
11, my class got switched at the last minute to Composition 11 with the same
teacher. Despite being frustrated by that change, I noticed how over the months I
had acquired a distinguishing touch in my writing and took less time to complete
assignments. By the time I finished Composition 11, I had further improved my
writing skills, as well as broadened my vocabulary. Moreover, I was able to assess
my progress by scoring 8.0 out of 9.0 on the IELTS.

2. “I can explore and create new ways to represent my learning around a variety
of problems, events, issues, and needs.”

Having the chance to choose classes has allowed me to discover multiple ways in
which I can demonstrate my knowledge of a subject, as well as new ways to study.
For instance, now that I am taking Foods 12 I have demonstrated my knowledge of
safety measured by following closely the rules when cooking a recipe. Likewise,

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 while taking English 12, I proved my understanding of a book or piece of writing by
making connections with my personal life through symbolisms such as songs and
drawings.

Weakness:

1. “I can analyze and critique my work and my learning.”

As a perfectionist, I am extremely demanding and hard on myself when evaluating

my work. Thus, I often doubt my abilities when handing in assignments or
performing a test. Likewise, I am afraid of having a bad grade or not doing my best
in a task. However, being a perfectionist was damaging my personal life since I
was too busy to sleep or eat well. When talking to my parents about it, I noticed my
lack of self-assurance and that I needed to start analyzing my work according to
reasonable standards. As a result, I have resume healthy practices and hobbies,
such as working out, without neglecting my studies.

Creative Thinking:

Strengths:
1. “I can persevere and understand that failure can be productive.”
Doing Pilates has been a personal challenge because, at first, I wasn’t able to
keep up with the pace of the class or do certain exercises due to my lack of
strength. During the first weeks, I was frustrated because it seemed that my body
was failing me. However, I needed to create a habit and turn my anger into
motivation to keep practicing until my body gained enough strength to hold more
seconds in plank or to do 10 more squats than before. Now, I understand that
being perseverant despite failing constantly helped me built the muscle to become
better at Pilates and gain personal power to not give up so easily.

2. “I can create new and unique ideas that may provide new perspectives that
influence how people think about topics.”

As an international student, I have encountered several positive and negative

opinions about my home country. On one hand, some people share with me their
experiences traveling to Cancun or Cabo. However, there are also people who fall
into harmful stereotypes that social media has created concerning Mexicans.
Unfortunately, some people assume that we are a bad influence or have
something to do with drug trafficking. Thus, when I hear people being offensive
towards Mexico, I try to fix their stereotypes by sharing my experiences and
stories. Moreover, I enjoy talking about my country’s history, traditions, and values
so people know Mexico not only for their beaches, but also for their amazing
culture. Accordingly, I can share with other new perspectives that influence how
they think about my country.

Weakness:

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 1. “I can take my ideas evaluate, develop, and refine them and make something
productive out of them.”

Several times I have come up with a business idea to gain money or work
experience but failed to implement it due to fear. During summer, my sister would
encourage me to sell candy to friends and family so we could save for an
upcoming trip or a new toy however, I was too afraid of losing my money that I
would never agree to do it. I was afraid of stepping out of my comfort zone and
trying new things because I knew I would probably take failure too personally and it
would affect my stability. However, life experiences have proven me that a good
idea can improve your life significantly. For instance, the idea of moving to Canada
came up in my kitchen and changed my life for the best only because I was bold
enough to go after it.

Communication:

Strengths:
1. “I can listen, learn to contribute meaningfully to discussions and debate,
consider different perspective, and build consensus.”

Sharing stories with my international friends about their cultures and perspectives
of their home countries helped me broaden my knowledge of world affairs and
therefore become a more literate person. Furthermore, their stories helped me be
successful in social classes as I was able to determine how culture influences a
person’s behavior and apply it to analyze historical figures or events. Moreover, I
improved my performance in class discussions by offering an educated opinion
when speaking about a country. For instance, in my history 12 class, I befriended a
girl from Iran who helped me understand the story of her country and the influence
of religion in today’s war. Likewise, she shared with me how her family was having
a hard time living peacefully because of the unfair rules that oppress women.

2. “I can work with other students to plan, inquire, and solve problems.”

Building a support network that helps you understand a class makes school life
quite easier. In my physics class, I met a girl who seemed to understand physics
well and who would take the time to teach me how to do problems. As a way of
paying her back, I would explain psychology to her so she could understand the
class. For instance, I would proofread her essays while she helped me design my
labs. Therefore, we created a positive friendship as we both helped each other to
be successful in school. Even now that we no longer share classes, we still work
as a team to solve our problems and make our lives less complicated.

Weakness:

1. “I can engage in deep and meaningful inquiry for a variety of purposes and
audiences.”

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 I am not passionate about gathering information from multiple sources, as it takes
a reasonable amount of time to analyze it and then present it in front of an
audience. Moreover, what I enjoyed the least about my history class was drawing a
conclusion based on multiple texts because information is constantly changing,
and it requires previous knowledge of the subject to create accurate arguments.
Nonetheless, I would like to improve my research skills as gathering information is
required not only in school but also in real life, when making important decisions
such as buying a house, signing a contract, or filling in legal documents.

Personal & Cultural Identity:

Strengths:
1. “I understand that culture is a broad concept that includes things like my
geographic region, nationality, sex/gender, age, ethnicity, sexuality, language,
and religion.”

When I moved to Canada, I realized that culture is unique and has the power to
shape one’s personal identity. Likewise, I learned that it doesn’t really matter
where you are at, culture is lived within you. Therefore, despite I am not in Mexico,
I still speak Spanish and cook Mexican food. Furthermore, I have combined
Mexican and Canadian practices to adapt to my surroundings while embracing my
roots. For instance, I enjoy celebrating Halloween but also celebrating the Day of
the Dead and making an altar for my loved ones.

2. “I understand what is important to me.”

When given the choice of what classes to take, I considered what was important to
my career goals and therefore take the courses needed as university requirements
and not only the “fun” ones. Moreover, when deciding which universities to apply I
considered my family because it is important for me to be close to my sister and
support each other when necessary. Therefore, I applied to UVIC and took all the
courses required to get accepted into the Faculty of Computer Science.

Weakness:

1. “I know my strengths and what makes me unique.”

While completing this assignment, I have noticed that I hardly know my strengths
and that it is difficult for me to define what set me apart from others. Since I have
focused most of my academic life on exact sciences, I haven’t had the chance to
get to myself better and embrace my strengths or acknowledge my weaknesses.
Although I know the classes I am good at or those that I struggle with, I need to
explore my social and personal skills so I can learn more about myself before
starting university.

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Capstone Presentation medium: select one or more project mediums you wish to use to
present your project. Outline and give details about how you will present your project once
completed. You may use a combination of mediums.
o Electronic portfolio: Prezi or PPT
o Physical portfolio
o Website
o iMovie presentation
o YouTube channel

 Electronic portfolio: The recipe book will be created digitally through Canva and
other design platforms. The book will have a cover, brief introduction, table of contents
and the recipes (including facts or how was the recipe created). The final presentation
of the digital book will be uploaded to Paperturn so the document has an interactive
flipbook animation.

Description of my Capstone project. Specific Project Details of the Capstone Project: what
will you research, create, study, produce, solve, investigate? What product will be produced
at the end of this project for evaluation. Write a one-page description outlining your
proposal.

 For my capstone project, I will be writing and designing a recipe book named
“Mex&Can” with 15 traditional Mexican recipes. The cover will have an anchor image
relating to Mexican food, and my experiences as an immigrant living in Canada.
Likewise, the book will include a brief introduction to Mexico, a table of contents, and
the recipes. 

The chosen recipes will be divided into 5 categories:

- Breakfast/ Lunch: Chilaquiles, green tomato enchiladas, black
beans enfrijoladas, traditional guacamole
- Dinner: Nachos, carne en su jugo, Azteca pie, red mole, Mexican rice, mole de
olla
- Dessert: Cinnamon churros, vanilla & chocolate conchas, day of the
death breath
- Beverages: Horchata water, jamaica refresher

The recipe book will be designed in Canva. Each recipe will include preparation time,
servings, ingredients (with measurements), and step-by-step instructions (+photos).
Likewise, I will include some of the stories of how the recipe was created. The recipes
will only use ingredients available in Canada, and I will include the name of the brand
used and where to find them so the flavor is guaranteed.

Throughout the book, several images will be attached of both the step-by-step
instructions and the final product so that the reader can follow the directions closely
and obtain better results. Furthermore, I will explain how to modify the recipes to

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 control the spiciness of food according to the reader's preference. I will take all the
pictures using a school camera.

At the end of the project, I will be presenting a digital recipe book including the step by
step process for all recipes.

Resources/ Technology/Skills: Make an assessment of the resources, technology and

skills you will need to be able to complete this project. What is your plan to be able to
access/learn all of the resources necessary to achieve completion of this project? Detail
your plans.

 In terms of technological resources, I need to borrow a camera from school to take the
pictures that I will be adding to my cookbook. In addition, I’ll be using my computer and
my iPad to design the book.

For the recipes, I need a kitchen with an electric oven, blender, electric stove, and food
utensils such as bowls, knives, spatulas, etc. I have access to all appliances and
utensils needed in my kitchen.

Thanks to my food class, I have already acquired the culinary skills needed for my
project. For instance, I know how to use an oven, handle meat safely, use knives
carefully, and prevent accidents.

Mentors/Community Connections: What types of mentor(s)/community connections will

you need to help you complete your capstone project? How will your mentor(s) help you?
What is your plan to access the mentorship/community connections necessary for this
project?

 For my capstone project, my mentors need to be experienced cooks knowledgeable in

Mexican food. Likewise, I need English mentors experienced in book design and
creative writing.

On one hand, the experienced cooks can help me modify the recipes based on the
ingredients available in Canada so the flavor doesn’t change and the final product in
authentic. On the other hand, my English mentors can guide me in the process of
writing engaging texts and organizing my book, so it is eye-catching and appealing.

For my food mentors, I will contact Mexican chefs and Food Influencers via email and
social media. For my English mentors, I will ask some English teachers for help via
email and Teams messages.

Project limitations: What are some project limitations and potential obstacles that you foresee
that might affect progress with your Capstone Project?

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  I may not find certain essential ingredients needed for the recipes and replacing them
with other similar ingredients may alter the taste of the food. Accordingly, I would have
to change the recipe for another dish.

 The experienced Mexican cooks may not reply to my emails and therefore I would
have to search for alternative mentors.

Other considerations: List and detail any other related information/ considerations about
your project that you feel should be included in your project proposal.

 For spring break, I am travelling to Mexico to spend time with my family. During that
time, I want to take several pictures for my recipe book, as well as to investigate more
about Mexican cuisine for the purpose of my project.

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