Is success truly built from the foundation of hard work and persistence, or is it simply a result of privilege? It seems as though we live in a world where no matter the work or dedication you devote to a particular area, there will always be someone who can easily buy their way to the top. it is apparent that there simply is not enough support, resources, or opportunities for people who do not enter the ring with concrete financial backing. Through the creation of The Chester Project, a riding program within BOK Ranch, funded by Portola Valley Pony Club and approved by the United States Pony Club, this project studies how horseback riding can be made, accessible, and achievable for children of color coming from low-income areas. This projects collect both quantitative and qualitative data regarding the age group (9-14), ethnicity, current demographics of the mid-California region of the club, and the characteristics of people inside the equestrian community.

The goal of this research is to show the major funding gaps in California's public education system and how it affects teaching and learning in the South Central LA school districts. The way public schools are funded is a problem because lower income school districts receive a disproportionate less amount of money than wealthier districts. Schools with less funding have a harder time providing the sufficient amount of resources for its students to strive so this research is to see how limited resources affect students' learning.

This this research project examines whether police training directly leads to the increase in the use of excessive force against minority groups in the US. Interviews with different police officers will be conducted to gain their insight on training regimes, while examining specific training methods through a variety of sources. This will ultimately be compared to the data on the use of excessive force against different racial groups to try and draw a conclusion.

Despite the passing of the Fair Housing Act of 1968 aiming to end discriminatory housing practices against African Americans, there continues to be widespread inequity propagated by systemic racism. This problem has negatively impacted African Americans because it has prevented them from equal wealth accumulation through property ownership during Silicon Valley’s tech boom of the late 20th century. Today, Palo Alto’s African American population stands at just 1.9%. This project examines the City of Palo Alto’s methods to address disparities in its racial composition, through statistical analysis.

Since I was in middle school, I dreamed about the business courses that I could take once I entered high school. However, after my freshman year at Paly, there are no more business specific elective courses to take despite my best friend having an entire pathway to choose courses from during her time as a student at Gunn HS, located within our same school district. This project will track and follow the requirements for bringing more business opportunities to the Paly campus via DECA or adding more courses in order to understand the systemic functioning of a high school campus.

There's a recurring problem that special education programs and their students are not treated with equal understanding. Students in the special education program deserve an equal opportunity to learn and achieve, but there is a problem with understanding how to teach students with physical and learning disabilities that benefits them and their unique individual learning style. This project dives into that idea of universal learning and ways that inclusion and education about disabilities can affect special education programs. During the project students will complete a survey on their experiences with inclusion and disabilities in the learning environment to show the gap of knowledge and understanding about learning and inclusion in schools.

Historically autism research has been conducted primarily on males. Because of this there is a significant gap on the knowledge known about how autism presents itself in women. For years diagnostic tests have been targeted at the autistic symptoms that men have, simply assuming that women have the same symptoms. Because of this many women with ASD are not being identified which is negatively impacting their lives. The goal of my project is to research the signs and symptoms of girls with ASD in an effort to form a clearer view of autism in girls. This will make it easier for women with autism to receive the support they need.

Reproductive healthcare is critical to public and individual safety. Limited access to healthcare disproportionately affects Women of Color. This disparity creates health gaps, putting Women of Color at a higher risk of maternal mortality and contracting STIs. This is extremely relevant because Black women are four times more likely to die during childbirth than White women (CDC, 2007-2016). The goal is to identify how Black women are being discriminated against in the reproductive healthcare system. Through analyzing historical documents and scientific studies, this research paper will identify the history of distrust between People of Color and healthcare officials and explain viable options that the American government has to increase public and personal safety for these women.

In today’s society, harmful beauty standards are everywhere, portrayed most significantly in the media and in stores. There is very little size representation in the fashion industry in the United States. The idea that smaller sizes are more desirable reaches young women and girls around the country and causes them to adopt toxic body image mentalities, leading to potential eating disorders. If this wasn't bad enough, bringing in another variable, globalization, can prove to be even more harmful, as the effects of beauty standards are seen all over the world, including Japan. This research paper analyzes the extent to which the American fashion industry exported toxic body image to Japan, inducing eating disorders. The extent to which there is a direct connection can be discovered through correlational research and analyzing the other factors that cause eating disorders in Japan.

54% of trans youth claimed to have attempted suicide, and 21% have tried self-mutilation (ACOG, 2011). These horrific facts are the reason why safe, affordable medical and legal treatment for trans and gender-expansive people is necessary. Treatment can look different for everyone, but generally speaking, it includes a combination of taking hormones or getting surgery, legally changing their name and/or sex marker, or having their family and friends use a different name and set of pronouns. Most of the time, trans rights are overlooked and not discussed — many insurance companies don't cover hormone therapy or surgeries. Most US states don't have laws protecting trans people in work environments, housing, and medical situations. Combining these things makes it very hard for trans people to transition socially, legally, and medically, increasing anxiety, depression, and suicide rates. This research project will conduct a survey and analyze the results with correlation research. The survey will ask trans and gender-expansive people questions about their experiences and opinions on how easy it is to transition in the US and what systems should be improved to help them.