California State University, Monterey Bay
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Memory Matters: Cognitive Screenings for Dementia Detection in Monterey County
Full text linkThe rates of Alzheimer’s disease in Monterey County are increasing. The Healthy Aging program from the Monterey County Health Department strives to promote the well-being and health of older adults and caregivers in Monterey County by offering education on brain health, support in adopting healthy lifestyles, and connecting to community services. Memory Matters is an example of a training or educational intervention. The purpose of Memory Matters is to bridge the gap of insufficient access to early detection of dementia by bringing awareness to brain health, and facilitating the conversation of cognitive exams with older adults, their caregivers, and their primary care providers. The implementation method consisted of gaining approval, developing and delivering a training curriculum, connecting with senior sites for location use, conducting the screenings, and interviewing participants. The final result was 25 seniors screened with 4 seniors showing signs of memory change. Of the 4 with signs of memory change, 2 were connected to a physician. It is suggested that the screening implementation continue beyond the Healthy Aging presentations
Breaking the Stigma: Connecting the Community to Mental Health Resources
Full text linkUnited Way Santa Cruz County is a nonprofit organization which serves in various counties across the nation. The Jóvenes Sanos (JS) program, helps support youth in providing support and mental well being to the community. In supporting the cause of reducing the stigma of mental health. This project, Cultivating Community, was a resource fair which was aimed to support low income individuals of the community to learn about the different resources surrounding mental health, and increase knowledge of the importance of self care and mental wellbeing. In collaboration with other non-profit organizations, several workshops were implemented to demonstrate different forms of self care and resources to community members of Watsonville. A post survey was conducted in which over 50 participants shared which self care tool one will utilize in the future. This project met the expectations of being able to have over 30 partners within the county, share their resources to the community in which created a safe environment for the families, youth and children to be able to feel more informed about community resources. In the future, when hosting more resource fairs such as Cultivating Community. It is extremely important to be able to connect the communities to more valuable resources, in providing a safe space, for community members to come together and become informed in taking care of one’s own mental health
Ready, Set, Thrive: Preparing Youth for Tomorrow
Full text linkIn Monterey County, a significant amount of youth aged 14 to 24 face homelessness. The Epicenter addresses social inequities faced by Monterey County youth, such as the housing crisis, socioeconomic factors, lack of support, and the struggle of transitioning out of foster care. When creating this project, the voice of youth and their specific needs were deemed most important. “Ready, Set, Thrive” aimed to support the youth profile of The Epicenter by equipping them with essential life skills, knowledge, and resources needed for a stable, independent adulthood. This community-based intervention was done through two quantitative surveys and a workshop focused on giving youth a sense of empowerment and involvement in their own development. Youth displayed improved confidence, knowledge, and skills in personal care, home management, and healthy communication. Based on the success of the project, it is recommended that The Epicenter continues to expand its support for youth through the offered services and resources by providing interactive workshops focused on life skills for youth
Bridging Gaps: Connecting Santa Cruz Seniors to Services
Full text linkThis capstone project addresses the lack of awareness among the senior population in Santa Cruz County about available resources and services that support healthy aging. Nonprofit Connection Santa Cruz County is a county-wide nonprofit that provides a platform to connect people, ideas, and resources for the benefit of nonprofits across all sectors. It serves a diverse population of over 270,000 residents, including a significant older adult population (19.8%) and a large Hispanic/Latino community (35.2%), by supporting nonprofits that address health and social needs. The project aimed to increase awareness through the creation and distribution of an informational pamphlet and a Senior Resource Tab on the organization’s website. Implementation included contacting local centers for permission to distribute pamphlets and promoting digital content through MailChimp, Facebook, and LinkedIn. The campaign ran for approximately three weeks. Engagement data showed strong reach and moderate interaction across platforms, especially among the 65+ age group. These results suggest the project met its goal of increasing awareness and laid the foundation for continued outreach. Future recommendations include expanding social media efforts, enhancing tracking tools, and gathering more formal feedback from community partners
Impact of Socio-Emotional Learning on the Overall Mental Health of Elementary School Students
No full textThis capstone research project examines the impact that socio-emotional learning has on the overall mental health of elementary school students. It is important to understand the role socio-emotional learning (SEL) has on students as they develop social skills and embrace the world in which they live. This paper will look into how its effects on students impact the three main factors of mental health: social, emotional, and psychological. Socio-emotional learning has five core competencies that children can learn to thrive from, including self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, responsible decision-making, and relationship skills. Through the use of literature review and survey questionnaires, the results and findings indicate that incorporating and reinforcing SEL practices can enhance the students\u27 learning experiences and facilitate their success both academically and socially. SEL would also shape the way students think, behave, and interact socially, which would affect their overall mental health
Increasing Nutrition Education in Elementary Schools
Full text linkNutrition education is not often included in the elementary school curriculum. Without learning about nutrition, students may make poor nutritional choices and develop unhealthy eating habits, which may affect physical health, cognitive development, and academic performance. By informing students about healthy eating habits, they can improve their nutritional intake, well-being, and academic success. To address this issue, I will create a three-day lesson on nutrition education for first graders at Elkhorn Elementary School in Castroville, California
First Generation College Students Navigating Higher Education
Full text linkFirst generation college students struggle navigating higher education. First generation college students may experience challenges understanding the college system, which increases their stress. When first generation college students learn strategies to navigate college life such as accessing financial resources and connecting with mentors, it reduces their overall stress. As a result, I have created a one-day workshop on using college financial resources and mentor groups for AVID students at Rancho San Juan High School in Salinas, California
The Impacts of Instructional Technology on the Socio-Academic Development of K-12 Students
Full text linkBecoming an educator in a post-Covid society results in many unknowns in regards to the socio-academic development of students. Specifically, the utilization of instructional technology in the classroom has become a centralized topic within educational settings over the past six years. Through research conducted from peer-reviewed journals, as well as surveys with fourteen educators and one hundred and fifty-one students, the result and findings revealed that, while there is a great divide over whether or not instructional technology is a net-positive or negative classroom asset, the use of technology in instruction impacts students’ socio-academic development with the overall consensus that it is more important how technology is implemented rather than if technology is implemented. Therefore, it is the job of teachers to utilize technology in a way that enhances the classroom environment for students, ultimately benefiting their socio-academic development during their primary and secondary school years
Bilingual Text Nudges for Healthy Together Programming at Aspire Health
Full text linkUnderserved and high-risk residents of Monterey County face significant barriers to diabetes prevention and management, including limited access to culturally relevant education and support. To address this, Aspire Health’s Healthy Together program implemented bilingual text message nudges to enhance family engagement and encourage healthier behaviors. The intervention aimed to support participants in overcoming obstacles to self-care by reinforcing class material and promoting hydration and physical activity. For each session, six English and Spanish messages were developed, tested, and revised using participant feedback to ensure clarity and cultural appropriateness. These messages helped participants maintain behavior changes outside the classroom and supported their overall confidence in managing their health. Pre- and post-intervention surveys measured improvements in self-care practices and self-efficacy. The project resulted in a sustainable, user-friendly messaging system that strengthened program retention and health outcomes. This work aligns with Aspire Health’s mission to combat chronic disease through preventive education and community-based solutions
The Benefits of Experiential Outdoor Learning for Elementary School Students
Full text linkThis senior capstone research project aims to delve deeper into the benefits of experiential outdoor learning that contributes to the growing body of knowledge and practical applications of this dynamic educational approach of elementary school students. Through the use of literature review, interviews with program workers and school administrators and survey with educators and past students, the result findings indicated that experiential outdoor learning benefits elementary school students despite some cost challenges, but provided them with more opportunities to learn from outdoor activities to increase their academic achievement, improve their cognition, and enhance their social skills with a deeper sense of the natural world that connects classroom with outdoor activities, making learning more enjoyable