2022-2023 Capstone Award Winner

For this year’s capstone winner, taking a leap of faith really paid off. Senior Ryan Dell was not sure which topic he should choose at the beginning of the year but knew he wanted to do something related to gaming or technology. After many conversations and research, he chose to explore The Ethicality of Loot Boxes and Gacha Systems within the video game industry. This is a topic that many are not familiar with but most of us have encountered it at some point on our devices. Be sure to learn more about it by watching his presentation video!

The Capstone process would not be possible without the guidance and support of the mentors. Seniors selected a mentor in September and then worked throughout the school year with them to gain an in-depth look of their topic. Seniors then spent the last week of April with their mentor to gain first hand knowledge of their topic at the mentor’s worksite. Many seniors were able to find mentors locally and we also had two seniors travel for their implementation week. Ryan Dell traveled to Ohio State University to work with his mentor who is the eSports Manager there. Hannah Crawford traveled to Bob Jones University Press in South Carolina to work with her mentor (shout out to former SMCA teacher J.R. Remelgado!) to see the process involved with writing and designing textbooks which are used daily by SMCA students.

Here are just a few things the Seniors had to say about their Capstone experience:

Alexa Flores–“Capstone made me feel proud of myself. I was able to experience how God truly works in young kids’ lives during my implementation. Capstone helped me be more comfortable speaking in front of people.”

Clint Strader–“The capstone experience really helped me enhance my biblical worldview because you get to look through your implementation in a spiritual way. This course really helps to show that God works in many ways and he can help you through anything that you’re going through. I think this experience has helped me nurture, train, and equip. This is the school motto and I feel like this class has done just that. I have felt nurtured with the amount of help I’ve gotten. I’ve felt trained with the amount of examples that have been set and provided for us. I feel equipped for anything within this class because of Mrs. Gilroy.”

Judea Campbell–“The main thing I wanted to accomplish from this capstone project was to gain more knowledge on my topic and I feel like I definitely did. What really topped it off was my implementation where I got to talk with people within the cosmetics industry.”

Kennedy Johnson–“During my time researching this topic, I never thought that I would gain so much. I never thought that I would meet, speak with, and learn from such intelligent individuals who genuinely have the same love for my topic as I do. My passion for women in sports has strengthened and I wish individuals at the highest level could read and interpret my research. I have learned what it takes to complete a college level assignment and practiced determination and hard work to perform at the best of my ability. Regarding my future career, I gathered information and opinions on how to accomplish my goals and aspirations as I continue to strive to be a coach at the highest level. I will always be grateful for being able to partake in this Capstone project.”

Savannah Hall–“Capstone enhanced my biblical worldview in a way that no other project could have. It gave me the opportunity to connect the Bible to dance which is something I have never done before. Dance is something I have done my entire life, but I never once connected it to the Bible until capstone. It made me realize that we really can see the Lord through everything.”

The seniors did a fantastic job with their Capstone projects this year. Not only were they able to research a topic of their choice in depth but they grew personally and spiritually. It was amazing to watch as students explored their passions or delved into future career paths throughout the year. We worked hard together to develop projects that each of them should be proud of, congratulations on a job well done SMCA Class of 2023!