Research Gurus

Research Gurus was a very helpful activity to me, as a student of the IB Diploma. It focused on learning the Academic Honesty process and the administration work when it came to writing academic essays for the Diploma and also later in our educational careers, and sometimes for our careers, if we're going into research.

My aspiration is to go into research, so this not only introduced me to academic honesty and citations four months before my fellow students, it helped me understand the importance of citing work that is not my own, giving credit where it is due, and referencing. The administrative work that I learnt here made it so much more easier for me to write my various portfolios, internal assessments, the core essays in the IB Diploma.

It also gave me a small feel on how to teach something like this to my fellow students doing a science extended essay because of its importance and the amount of body of work in the sciences on the internet and the most efficient way to use it.

It was truly a learning experience. 

Improv Club

Improv Club was my creative CAS Project, and I probably learned the most about leadership and teaching through this endeavour of mine.

I've learnt improv for seven years, and starting a club to spread the word about improv seemed like the most viable and meaningful option for me. However, I don't think I was prepared to handle the responsibilities and the ethical actions that came with this leadership role. I ran this club for a year, and this was a completely new and challenging learning curve for me, as a person, a leader, and an improv artist.

The first term was mostly focused on me trying to figure out the best way to teach the vast amount of information improv had to offer during lunch breaks once a week and prep my students for a feasible performance. Besides this, I had to deal with students who did not commit to the activity where it required commitment and did not show up. Because of the group nature of improv, this erratic behaviour affected the other students who were dedicated and obviously there to learn something. Thus, the first term, I learned how to impart my knowledge and I consciously fell back upon my experiences as a learner and what stood out for me about my mentors and I learnt how to deal with students who did not have the amount of commitment required. I didn't think teaching improv would be as difficult as it turned out to be.

Through the lessons I learnt in the first term, I was better equipped to lead the new batch of students in the second term. I made the lessons more activity based than theoretical. Instead of telling them what they will learn, I let them do the exercises so that they would imbibe the skills in them and help them realize the skills on their own.

I also made them realize the importance of being committed to the activity by being much more stricter about attendance and playing in the production we would set up.

Improv Club was my first true leading experience where I got to experience the intricacies of leading an activity while also looking at the bigger picture to help me lead my students better.  

Hong Kong Rock and Sea Challenge

As part of CAS Week in my school last year, I decided to try something adventurous and something that would push me out of my physical comfort zone. The Hong Kong Rock and Sea Challenge seemed like the right choice as not only would it let me have fun and get the adrenaline going but it would also push me and make me do things I'd otherwise fear doing.

Through this week, we explored kayaking, gorging and hiking, camping, and we ended the week in Aberdeen Country Park, applying the skills we had learnt during the week.

We started out with kayaking, and although I did not enjoy that too much because of my inability to grasp the method quickly and the amount we had to kayak to get to this small island nearby, I came to accept it and like it later on, with hindsight. We learnt survival skills this day, and the lessons I learnt there will stay with me throughout. I came to appreciate this experience later because of the lessons it taught me. Because I couldn't grasp the method to kayak quickly, one of the most important lessons I learnt that day was to take learning at my own pace. I didn't have to rush it or be as good as the others as quickly as they became. It taught me to work at a pace that I feel is right for me.

Gorging was a completely different experience for me. This was also something I had never done before, and I was really looking forward to gorging because it sounded like a lot of fun. When we did start hiking, climbing, and made sure we didn't bang our heads on rocks, I found myself panicking a lot. This wasn't anything new to me. I panicked at every situation gone wrong or not delightful, but, I think panicking 200 times in a span of one hour because of one slipped foot on loose rock or a huge jump I thought I couldn't do, but ended up landing just fine, and looking back and seeing that the gap wasn't that big anyway, the amount I was panicking started decreasing slowly. Gradually, I started moving away from thinking "OH MY GOD, I AM GOING TO DIE" when slipping on rock to "oh, just some loose rock under my feet." In more serious situations than that, I started looking for ways out of it than clouding my brain with irrational fear. This significantly transferred into my daily life because it allowed my brain to look at solutions rather than overthinking about the problem and not getting anywhere, as a result. I have grown as a person because of this and know that the change in my thinking process happened because of this experience.

When camping and trying my hand at different adventure sports, it made me value my life even more, and made me realize the importance of moving away from looking at money as the sole purpose in life. One experience that really stood out for me was rock climbing. I wasn't really good at it, and did not end up making to the top of the mountain and ended up falling into the sea, I tried multiple times to get up there. This, again, helped me understand the importance of not giving up on something that I really want to achieve. This CAS Week really helped me redefine my life.