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PEPSI Screening for EDU 220

College of Southern Nevada

September 30th, 2018

Andrew Minear
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Biography

This PEPSI Screening is on my niece, Kaycee Conrad, who is currently a Junior at

Northwest Career and Technical Academy. Kaycee was born when I was five years old and she

was the first to make me an Uncle. She is the daughter of my eldest of four sisters. Since day

one, she has always been a force to be reckoned with because of her confidence, optimistic

view, and determined attitude in everything she does. A year later her brother Kole was born.

Kaycee and Kole were opposites from the get-go, Kaycee wanted to do and see everything

while Kole wanted to be the center light. This never changed and they both are still always

going after one another. Kaycee’s lifestyle is one that many would say is privileged because she

lives in a large and beautiful house that could be easily confused for a model home; however,

this has not always been the case. When her parents originally purchased the house, it was a

four-bedroom house with a small garage in the back, practically on a dirt lot. However, after

several renovations, it is now a seven-bedroom house, with an RV garage, a resort-like pool

with a slide and waterfall, a volleyball court, and even a motocross trail. True, Kaycee may live a

rather luxurious life when compared to others, but she is not materialistic like people would

assume. She has her moments of a spoiled child, but she has a beautiful heart and is very kind.

Anyone who truly knows her knows that she is adventurous and always fun to be around.

At Northwest Career and Technical Academy, Kaycee is in the Bio-Med program because

she originally wanted to go into the medical field, but she no longer knows if that is what she

wants to major in. All she does know is that she wants to live her life to the fullest, make fond

memories, travel the world, and pursue happiness.

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Physical Development

At the age of sixteen, most girls are physically mature, and Kaycee is no exception.

Kaycee is 5’5 and weighs 122 pounds which is within the ideal weight range for girls her age.

Since Kaycee is very active she has no trouble keeping pounds off and she also eats very

healthily. And as psychotherapist Amy Morin said, “…around the age 16…Girls are starting to

slow down in physical development, while boys are sometimes just getting started” (Morin, A).

This is true for Kaycee because around 7th grade she hit a growth spurt and started to get taller,

her voice changed slightly, and her development into a young woman had begun. Now at the

age of sixteen she appears to be physically mature. She has learned a lot of her healthy habits

from her father who cares about health very much. For exercise, she enjoys dancing, swimming,

and she occasionally works out. She admitted that she does not exercise as often as she’d like

to due to her limited time, but her healthy diet balances out her lack of daily exercise. Most of

her time is spent at school, doing school work, and she stays caught up with her social life on

her social media. It is not unusual for a girl her age to be more focused on her social life than

exercise and Kaycee does not have to worry since she has the average physical stature for a girl

her age. Kaycee loves fashion and cares about her appearance very much. In the past,

whenever she has noticed that she has put on weight she immediately started dieting and/or

working out. And this is usual for girls her age according to the Palo Alto Medical Foundation,

“Many teenage girls are concerned with the way they look…Nearly half of all high school girls

diet to lose weight” (Sutter Health, 2001). Kaycee is no different than the average high school

girl because she cares greatly about how she looks. Since her father is very health oriented and
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he is always cooking meals with whole foods, Kaycee has learned how to eat properly and only

eats unhealthy foods for fun on the weekends.

Emotional Development

On the surface, Kaycee is emotionally stable and living her life as an average 16-year old

girl would; however, growing up in her household has not been easy and underneath her thick

skin, she is not doing so good mentally. Kaycee told me how she deals with a lot of self-doubt

and is in a depression. A lot of her self-doubt is due to her surrounding environments. As Lesia

Oesterreich asserts that teenagers between the ages 13-18, “Start to form an identity through

hobbies, friends, school, activities” and “Moodiness is common throughout the search for an

identity” (Oesterreich, L). This holds true for Kaycee because she seems to be lost now and

trying to figure out who she wants to be. And this confusion is the cause of her feelings of self-

doubt and feeling disoriented. Today, there is also a lot of pressure on young girls to be thin and

attractive which has affected high schools because it sets a standard that girls try to categorize

themselves into. Another issue that Kaycee has grown up dealing with is being in a constant war

for attention with her younger brother, Kole. Both Kaycee and Kole love being the spotlight and

do not like sharing it which is why they struggle so much. Throughout her life, Kaycee’s parents

have always put her brother’s interests higher on the priority list and this has taken a toll on

Kaycee emotionally. It is understandable why Kaycee would feel as though she is on the back

burner because her parents prioritized Kole’s baseball games and now his interest in motocross.

Kaycee had once been in dance lessons and loved it, but Kole’s baseball games became more

important, so she was taken out of the class. Kaycee’s depression according to the text,

Psychology Applied to Teaching, “Common symptoms of depression include feelings of

worthlessness and lack of control over one’s life” (Snowman, Ch. 3-5c). The main issue at hand
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is gender biased beliefs and her parent’s issue of favoritism because Kole is the youngest, male,

and athletically inclined. This has set a tone for Kaycee that no matter what she does, it won’t be

good enough when compared to her brother or to justify the actions of males’ period and it is

why she has feelings of worthlessness. She used to have feelings of lack of control over her life,

but now that she is learning to drive, she is gaining more freedom to be in control.

Philosophical Development

This is the area of development that is still in the process of being refined and that is not

uncommon for a young sixteen-year-old girl. Growing up, Kaycee and her family did not attend

church regularly, but would occasionally join my family on Sundays. They normally came only

on special occasions such as Christmas and Easter; however, Kaycee occasionally went with us

when she spent the night over the weekends. Kaycee’s parents are very different when it comes

to philosophical belief and what they consider as the meaning of life. Her father does not believe

in a creator while her mother grew up going to church and sort of believes in a higher power.

These two opposing views have made it difficult for Kaycee to pinpoint what she believes.

Kaycee believes that there must be a meaning to life and that we all have a purpose, but she does

not particularly believe in a singular God. Kaycee exhibits what J’Anne Ellsworth said that

“There may be a recognition of the need to establish a belief system for self…of the importance

of meeting the best good society” (1999). Kaycee recognizes that there is a need to understand

the meaning of life; however, she does not know what she wants to believe. She wants to figure

out what she believes in, so she will understand her purpose in life and become her best self.

Kaycee’s main goal in life is to be successful which is the common response for most

teenagers and young adults because they are not sure what direction in life they want to take. As

teenagers enter adulthood they begin to think more of the world and how they play a part, and
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this is the stage that Kaycee is in. She is starting to do what Amy Morin says that sixteen-year

old’s do and that is that, “They are mastering abstract thinking…considering what is and what

could be…as well as improving their reasoning skills” (Morin, A). Kaycee just recently turned

sixteen, so abstract thinking is a new concept for her and it is why she is still full of curiosity and

questions about life. Although, the ease for her to communicate like an adult is making her

transition into an adult rather speedy.

Social Development
Kaycee has always been a social butterfly and socializing with others has never really

been an area where she struggles. This is the area of her development that surpasses others

because she has very little difficulty with communication. Due to her family’s prosperity, she has

grown up with her parents throwing several parties and events, so Kaycee has a lot of experience

socializing and making friends. She also has a large family on both her mother’s side and her

father’s side. Being the eldest of her cousins, she knows how to be a leader and to deal with

physical challenges. When it comes to making friends, Kaycee has no trouble doing so; however,

she prefers to maintain a small group of friends where she feels safe to be herself. This aligns

with the Palo Alto Medical Foundation’s statement that, “Teens try to make close friends and

become part of a group based on interests or attributes” (Sutter Health, 2001). When choosing

friends, Kaycee ensures that they have similar interests and are going to be long-lasting

friendships. Kaycee had a hard time keeping friends in middle school, but now in High school,

she is more confident and not as shy. The article, Your Daughter at 16: Milestones states that

girls, “break away from her clique, or at least show more personal flair and point of view. She

still needs her friends. But she’ll likely pick up new interests that go with her stronger sense of

self” (Brennan, D). This is also true about Kaycee because she has been asserting her desire for
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independence for quite some time now and it has been the cause of the tension between her and

her parents. Learning to drive has given Kaycee a taste of freedom that she has been longing for

and she is beginning to become an adult.

Intellectual Development
Logical thinking is not always Kaycee’s first approach since she has an impulsive nature;

although her ability to communicate effectively helps her gain new insights efficiently. Kaycee

has always been able to communicate better with individuals who are older due to her leadership,

expressive, optimistic, and intelligent qualities. Academically, Kaycee is very bright even though

she pretends that she is only an average student. According to the Stanford Children’s Health

article, Cognitive Development, “the developing teenager acquires the ability to think

systematically about all logical relationships within a problem. The transition from concrete

thinking to formal logical operation… When emotional issues arise, they often interfere with an

adolescent’s ability to think in more complex ways” (Stanford Children’s Health). A few bad

grades have discouraged Kaycee and have caused her to doubt her abilities, but she still

maintains A’s and B’s. At Northwest Career and Technical Academy, students that are thought

of as “popular” are students that are excelling. Academics are more important than social status

at NWCTA; however, it is still true that the demand for having a social status can still affect the

students. Kaycee is always looking for a form of competition and to finish first, this drive to be

the best is why she is a great multitasker and capable of accomplishing anything she sets her

mind to. Kaycee is not often afraid of taking a risk and her ambition to strive keeps her going.

During intellectual development, according to Lesia Oesterreich, “Organizational skills improve

and are better at balancing school activities, social life, and work” (Oesterreich, L). Kaycee

appears to be at this stage in her intellectual development where she is learning how to be more
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organized and to balance all the aspects of her life. She may be inclined to accept a challenge,

but she is learning the importance of organizing her time more efficiently.

Development Graph
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Normal Age

Physical Emotional Philosophical Social Intellectual

Recommendations to Guardians/Teachers
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Kaycee is an outstanding young woman and if her priorities are aligned she is going to go

far in life. Physically, Kaycee could benefit from working out more often, about 30 minutes to an

hour every other day. Exercising will not only boost Kaycee’s dieting efforts, but it will also boost

her spirits emotionally. Working out will make her feel more successful and it will help her with

her feelings of self-doubt because working out makes one feel good about themselves. It would

also put her abundance of energy to good use. Personally, I feel that the area that Kaycee needs to

focus on most is her emotional development. Her philosophical development may appear to also

need improvement; however, dealing with depression and self-doubt will help her discover her

philosophical views because it will take figuring out who she wants to be and how she wants to

live to alleviate her depression. Kaycee succeeds in her Social Development, so I recommend that

she utilizes her communication skills to learn all that she can by asking questions and discussing

topics.

For her parents, I recommend they stop trying to control Kaycee and let her spread her

wings a bit. Since she is on her pathway to adulthood, she is no longer a child and deserves her

chance to seek out independence. Wrong actions need to be dealt with in a respectful manner to

ensure that an understanding is made. This means that discipline must be fair and reasonable. Being

yelled at and treated poorly will only make matters worse and Kaycee’s short-temper and

aggressive nature would only make that a bad idea. As the Palo Alto Medical Foundation suggests,

“Keep order while encouraging your child’s independence, and pick your battles for what matters

most” and “Get to know when to sympathize, when to back off, and how to deal with your teen’s

inevitable moodiness” (Sutter Health, 2003). Kaycee’s parents may have let her down a few times
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in the past, but if they stop picking unreasonable battles and become more understanding of

Kaycee’s feelings, they will be able to survive the last few teenager years that Kaycee has.

Recommendations for teachers, Kaycee learns best with Hands-On and visual learning.

She learns best with real-life examples because she can take what she is being taught and turn it

into something that she knows. Then she can utilize her skill of communication to discuss the

topic. She prefers a teacher who is energized and always moving around the classroom to keep her

focused. She requires a teacher that is able to teach lessons utilizing body language, providing

visuals, and providing examples that will help Kaycee remember the lesson.
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Citations
• Brennan, D. (2017). Your Daughter at 16: Milestones. Retrieved September 27, 2018,
from https://www.webmd.com/parenting/guide/daughter-16-milestones#1-3

• Ellsworth, J’Anne. (1999). Late. Retrieved September 27, 2018, from

http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jde7/ese504/class/pepsi/reading2-1-2.html

• Morin, Amy. (2018, September 4). Here's What to Expect From Your 16-Year-Old.
Retrieved September 26, 2018, from https://www.verywellfamily.com/16-year-old-
developmental-milestones-4171922

• Oesterreich, L. (n.d.). Signs of Normal Development Stages Ages 13-18. Retrieved

September 26, 2018, from https://www.thewholechild.info/resources/age-group-13-
18/signs-of-normal-development-stages-ages-13-18/

• Snowman, J., & McCown, R. R. (2015). Psychology applied to teaching. Australia:

Cengage Learning.

• Stanford Children’s Health (n.d.). Cognitive Development. Retrieved September 27,

2018, from https://www.stanfordchildrens.org/en/topic/default?id=cognitive-
development-90-P01594

• Sutter Health, Palo Alto Medical Foundation. (2001). Parents & Teachers: Teen Growth
& Development, Years 15 to 17. Retrieved September 26, 2018, from
http://www.pamf.org/parenting-teens/health/growth-development/growth.html

• Sutter Health, Palo Alto Medical Foundation. "Teen Tips: A Practical Survival Guide for
Parents with Kids 11-19". (2003). Retrieved September 28, 2018, from
http://www.pamf.org/parenting-teens/general/book-review/tips.html