Capstone projects put bow on years of Global growth, individual maturation

West students continue to make a global impact from their tiny Midwestern town. Global Academy, offered at West for grades 9-12, allows students the opportunity to learn about global issues, different cultures, and take advanced English and Spanish all in one. By the end of their time in global, students can receive a Certificate of Global competence (CGC) given by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, along with a medal at graduation. In order to receive the certificate, students must complete a number of components before starting their final step, the Global capstone project, according to Spanish teacher Marissa Karll, who oversees the capstone course.  

“The certificate is a recognition for students who have done eight cultural literacy components, meaning that throughout their course time here at West, they’ve read books, seen films, and listened to podcasts that deal with global themes and topics, then write a reflection on it,” she said.  “On top of that, they also have four cultural activities that students need to complete by senior year where they can go out into the community to festivals and talks that reflect on different cultures.”

Once students complete these components, they can focus on their chosen capstone project, the final step to getting their CGC medal. These projects aim to bring awareness to local and global issues, as well as make a small difference in the community. Karll hopes students dig deeper than just receiving their certificate but also have a sense of excitement for their chosen issue. 

“Global capstone is basically a culminating project where students get to pursue what I hope is a passion of theirs that has a global them,” she said “Students can create a project alone or with a partner, collect donations, and then it all goes towards a cause that's near and dear to them and also raises awareness about global issues,”

Students do have the choice to continue global through senior year or stop at junior year with three years of global, however Karll believes that Global capstone is worth the extra work. After putting three whole years into global, students might as well finish it off strong to get that certificate and do a little good along the way, according to the adviser. 

On the other hand, Karll does understand senior year can be a stressful time. 

“I always say it’s the cherry on top of global; if students have gone through all four years and there is something that they are truly passionate about, want to make a difference, and want that title of being a Global Scholar, then it's something you can do,” she said. “But I understand that kids are busy and they don't necessarily have the time to take that on as seniors and also those other components take some time.” 

Students outside of Global Academy can still receive a CGC certificate, but it requires far more outside work when done outside the umbrella of the academy. 

“We have actually had students outside of Global receive their Certificate of Global competence. Global definitely helps students get a head start but students can still take all of the needed course requirements, they just have to do everything outside on their own time,” she said. “If a student is interested in this they just have to reach out to me and I will assign them a person that they can go to for questions, and we would help them with their journey.” 

Lucy Whitcomb, a senior and Global capstone student, decided to push through with the culminating event. Whitcomb did a project with fellow senior Jazmine Blustin, hoping to help the refugee population in Oshkosh. 

“We have clothing bins at West and Traeger, and we’re collecting any type of clothing to donate to the refugees at the literacy council. Those are people that live in our community that come from another country who don't have what they need,” she said. “Our goal is kind of twofold, so we’re trying to help refugees get the resources they need and also keep clothes out of landfills, which helps our environment.” 

Whitcomb and Blustin were inspired by the literacy council speaking to their junior Global class as well as their shared passion for environmental conservation.

“The literacy council came to talk to us last year, and taught us why the refugees are coming and what they need; that’s kind of what inspired us originally, also environmental consciousness is really important to me and Jazmine, so we thought it would be a good idea to tackle two issues with one project,” she said.

Seniors Emma Otradovec, Haniya Mecci, and Emma Toney were also inspired by the literacy council. The three started a similar project, collecting hygiene products to donate to the refugees, according to Otradovec. 

“We met with the literacy council to see what the refugees needed, and they brought up a lot of hygiene products, like shampoo, conditioner, things like that. We didn't really realize how little the government provided after they were settled, so we wanted to start a drive to help out a bit,” she said. 

While creating their project, they also learned things they may have never known about refugees if they hadn't picked this specific project. Otradovec hopes to carry her knowledge to other students and people within the community. 

“We really just want to bring more awareness to the issue and educate more people, because personally going into the project, I didn't know that they did not have access to a lot of things. So we wanted to bring awareness to the fact that they don’t have much, when people may think they do,” she said. 

Seniors Nicole Osborne and Maddy Malecki are striving to make clean water more available on Indigenous reserves. 

“We are raising money to be able to supply personal water filters to Indigenous reserves around Canada through a partnership with Brita,” Osborne said. “Through research, I was surprised that indigenous communities lacked clean water since Canada has so much fresh water, which inspired me to continue to help teach people about this overlooked problem.” 

Osborne and Malecki chose this project because of the many communities around the world who are in need of water. Osborne also hopes to carry their research to others in the community who might be able to help. 

“We hope to teach people about this problem and help provide the indigenous community a temporary solution while calling to larger sources for a permanent solution,” she said.

Echoing her fellow global scholars, senior Kate Horejs’s project also consists of donations, choosing a personal topic which she was able to fully connect with.

“A couple years ago I went to Costa Rica for a service trip and I worked with an organization called Sepia and they work with families who are in crisis,” she said. “I also found the Oshkosh Kids Foundation and they have the tiny house Village. So I used all my profits from the summer to donate to them. I wanted to pick a project that I'm passionate about and something where I could also connect to my life.” 

Although Horejs feels she didn’t contribute a huge amount of money, she still hopes her donation helps families in need, and inspires others to do some good.

“I hope that it helps other people and empowers them to help around their communities, and I’m just hoping that my donation did a little bit of good financially for families as well,” she said.

Projects don't necessarily need to be donation focused; they can be predominantly for educational purposes. Senior Abigail Sorensen’s project, for example, focused around dance, an activity that she’s been involved with almost her entire life.

“My project’s title is Dancing For Change, so I created this website resource that has lots of information as well as videos for different types of dance from around the world. So people can go to the website and learn more about different dances’ history and also learn those dances for themselves,” she said. “People are also encouraged on the website to donate to the Courage for Change Foundation and they set up dance and art communities throughout the world.”

Sorensen aims for people to learn about other cultures because it may be scary to branch outside of one's comfort zone. 

“I hope that people learn something,” she said. “I think there are a lot of people who avoid other cultures or avoid learning about global issues or global perspectives just because they prefer their own; they prefer to stay inside their own box.”

Karll has seen many student projects come and go, but has also seen a major impact on the students and their school and community. 

“I’ve seen a lot of students leverage their projects into talking about how it changed their worldview and applying that to college entrance essays really differentiates them from other essays universities might be reading,” she said. “There have been so many projects that have had a change specifically on West and within the community, like our two groups donating to the refugees have made a huge difference.” 

By putting a certificate on their transcripts and making a good impression on colleges, students not only gain an advantage in education but also a sense of personal accomplishment, Horejs believes.

“Of course it looks good on resumes, but I also feel like it gives closure to the whole Global Experience,” she said. “It kind of sets you apart from others, and it’s honestly just really fulfilling to do as well.” 

Global capstone also allows students to get outside of their school and home and be involved. Whitcomb feels more confident socially after being able to stand up in her community. 

 “I think I’ve had to communicate with a lot of different people throughout the community, so it’s brought me out of my comfort zone and helped me grow as a person, and professionally,” she said. “Also I think it’s really touching to see the community help with our project. It’s really inspiring and it made me less afraid to stand up for issues and make a change if I can.”

by Tenna Ruetten

Published February 3rd, 2025

Oshkosh West Index Volume 121 Issue IV