The New Technology High School senior project is a journey where we are asked to chase a passion. It is a way to challenge ourselves and achieve incredible goals. This final project of our high school career is meant to be a very personal experience. It is not considered a traditional project at Tech, but is still quite rigorous. In order to successfully complete it, we are to develop a project with significant personal challenge, find a mentor who is a relative expert, try our best to achieve high set goals, and present our journey to a panel of judges. According to our senior project introduction one huge objective of it is for us to “…demonstrate that we can set ambitious goals and find the knowledge, support, and resources needed to complete them.”
          When senior project was introduced I had very few ideas about what I wanted to focus on. I slowly began to formulate a few topics for the biggest project of my high school career. I wanted to use my physical work-out plan but I had already committed myself to that for the past two years. I sought for someway to step out of my comfort zone, but still be interested in my topic. I thought about rock climbing because I had never done it and I wanted to overcome my fear of heights. As I began taking a class through Napa Valley College called Sports Nutrition and Weight Management, I thought of writing about my nutrition plan, but it would not be much of a challenge for me. In the end, I sat down with Ms. Tutera and Ms. Berger to brainstorm ideas. We came up with a nutrition topic that would keep me interested but also be a challenge.
          I decided to help develop a nutritional plan for someone who had many bad habits and choices in their current diet. I wanted to help them learn to make healthier choices that fit their lifestyle. I had known all along that if I stayed within the exercise and nutrition field that I would have a mentor available. A long time family friend, Art Javar, a certified personal trainer and nutritionist, became my mentor. From there, it was a challenge to find someone who was willing to become aware of what they were actually eating and have the desire to change. Many people are oblivious to what they have eaten and how much healthier they can be with the right choices. At first, a few people volunteered but, most were already healthy eaters and physically fit. Finally, a friend I will call John*, volunteered. He was a rather big guy and could definitely afford to lose weight. I was proud of him for stepping up and wanting to change.
          We began our journey by having John record absolutely everything he ate and all of his exercise for a week straight. Once I received the information at first glance it was obvious that Art and I had a lot to discuss; there were many evident areas that needed improvement. Art and I talked about the areas in need of dire modifications. The biggest thing stood out to both of us was the lack of exercise and the fact that no water was being consumed. John was also eating a lot of prepackaged food which is often highly processed and contains added preservatives. Through the duration of this eating plan, Art and I incorporated two new dishes to try each week ranging from breakfast to dinner and snacks. We added tips for the next week and ways to slowly integrate better habits and choices. After Art and I discussed and finalized plans, I would sit with John and carefully explain it and the things we planned on changing that week.
          Week after week John brought me his eating and exercise plans. Since Art and I are both incredibly busy people, we often had to hold discussions on the phone or through emails. We continued to help John become healthier and it seemed he was listening to our advice. Towards the end of the project, my mentor provided fewer suggestions and agreed to mine more readily since I had picked up so much knowledge. I was able to use information I had learned through my class, Art, books, and the internet, to help me to create plans. I checked with Art, he would look over my comments and plans but usually they were right on track.
          By the end of this project, John was walking four times a week for an hour at a time. He was drinking a lot of water rather than sugary-filled drinks and was experimenting with healthy foods that he had never tried before. It helped that he was not a picky eater; enjoying fish and a wide variety of vegetables. He found that he even grew to like tofu and could go without eating candy for weeks at a time. All of these things became vital in his nutrition plan; new and exciting recipes also became a significant part of this process. The most important thing that I was able to teach John is that it does not matter how much weight you are really losing, how much better you begin to feel about yourself. To date, I believe John has lost between ten and fifteen pounds and continues to be conscious of what he eats. He is aware of what, when, why, and how much he eats. He took my plans to heart and trusted them.
          This project was a definite struggle for both of us but we came out better people in the end. It gave me great satisfaction to know that I was able to help someone else while learning so much about the body and human mentalities. I took all of the information that I had compiled throughout this assignment and presented my findings to my softball team. It has, of course, proven to be vital to athletes to maintain healthy eating habits. Many of us are off to college next year and these nutritional practices will only become more important.
          My goal from the very beginning was not only to gain as much knowledge in the field of nutrition but to aid someone else in making healthier choices. I want to help people become healthier whether it is by complete overhauls of their diet and exercise plans or simply cutting back on a few extras. This project has opened my eyes to the differences people have and how health can affect you emotionally. Society puts so much pressure on everyone to be super skinny which often causes the worst kind of eating habits. In reality, it is not about how much weight you lose or what you look like but how you feel about yourself.
          At the start of this project, I never realized it would lead me down a path to self-confidence. Throughout my high school career, I have struggled with believing in myself as do millions of others. As I was helping another person to become more confident, I was able to learn from it as well. There is a well-known proverb that says, “Self-assurance is two-thirds of success.” My senior project has helped me to realize, through aiding of others, that self-confidence and being happy with yourself can in itself make you the most successful.

*Student/Subject’s real name is not John but wanted identity to remain anonymous.