It's Gonna Be May!

Another month is coming to a close, and so has another component of my senior project. I have finally finished my mentorship hours this week. I have an official total of 52 as of today. I am going to continue going, but it feels good to know I don't need to meet a requirement anymore and I don't have to be there. My mentorship has been a good experience, more valuable to getting a future job rather than my topic itself. I feel that my mentorship work has directly applied to the factors of my Essential Question such as the micro entrepreneur and artisan women, rather than the entire EQ itself. Anyways, that is something really great that happened this month. Next month is going to be intense, I am slightly panicking just thinking about it.

Exit Interview

(1) 
EQ: What is the best way for a fashion corporation to help artisan women in India become micro-entrepreneurs?
Answer 1: The best way for a fashion corporation to help artisan women in India become micro-entrepreneurs is by creating access to well-paying, stable jobs.
Answer 2: In order for fashion corporation to effectively help artisan women in India become micro-entrepreneurs, they may offer micro-finance to the women so that they are able to begin their entrepreneurship.
Answer 3: Fashion corporations can best help artisan women in India become micro-entrepreneurs by providing the women with the proper business and job training in order to become successful in their entrepreneurship.
Best Answer: In order for fashion corporation to effectively help artisan women in India become micro-entrepreneurs, they may offer micro-finance to the women so that they are able to begin their entrepreneurship.
Why: I was able to support this answer with the most solid, quality research. I found several statistics that make it very clear why this would be my best answer.

(2) What process did you take to arrive at this answer?
I was able to support this answer with the most solid, quality research. I found several statistics that make it very clear why this would be my best answer. My entire fourth interview was focused on micro finance, which became a great resource. Also, micro finance creates the foundation for the business. No matter their education or their product, they would need the financial support to get their business of the ground and begin producing profit. 

(3) 
I faced several problems. Starting over with a new topic, needing to redo my research, and finding a new mentorship were all very difficult to do. I had a lot of help and support from Mrs. Pittman and fellow seniors, which I feel helped me out of a rut I eventually found myself in soon after changing my topic. Even now, I am very unsure of my capability to properly execute this interview and my presentation. 

(4)
My third and fourth interview were very important to me as I was finding my answers to my essential question. I would specifically reference this question that I asked Mr. Kilduff in my third interview: "Can you tell me about any collaborations between fashion industries and the local workers in other countries" He answered with an explanation of fair trade, which is a consistent component in all three of my answers. In my fourth interview, I asked "What is the impact of microfinance in developing countries, such as India?" and she answered referencing my third answer which was education and the importance of it when building a business especially in a local, developing area.

Independent Component 2

LITERAL 
(a) I, Sabrina Colin, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.
(b) Diana Santiago- Contact Info: (909) 837-0557
(c) Worked with Diana in the "Heavenly Treasures" store. 

INTERPRETIVE 
Heavenly Treasures runs with the mission of helping artisans in developing countries gain the most profit from their hand made products, in order to build more financially and spiritually stable lives for their families. Each product made reflects the heart and soul of one or more artisans around from the world. In the store, each product has a tag that has a small background on the artisan woman or man who made it and so you know exactly when your money is going. All the money made from the purchase of the product goes directly to its maker and the organization runs on fund from donations and fundraising. Assistance is provided to artisans in the areas of Business Development, International Marketing, Leadership Training, Product Development and Spiritual Guidance. 

I mainly worked a lot with Diana in the store, but also got a behind the scenes look at the organization and the store itself from Diana's personal experiences working with Heavenly Treasures, including her trip to Guatemala. 

APPLIED This organization is a perfect example of my both my answer 1 and answer 3, helping artisan women around the world become successful entrepreneurs. In my answer 1, I explain that that the creation of stable, well paying jobs is vital to the success of women entrepreneurs, which is exactly what Heavenly Treasures does. They give the women a direct source of income, being able to sell their products at a higher price and providing them with an otherwise inaccessible consumer market, which is where I spent my component hours working. With answer 3, the training and education of women in order to succeed in business is also important. When the organization conducts their mission, they make sure that an expert in the field of entrepreneurship and business is available and hold small class sessions to explain the basics and most valuable techniques so that they are not solely relying on Heavenly Treasures for income.