Through teaching students in my school Latin dance, I helped expose them to a sport and activity that they might not have had the ability to participate in before. I taught them new skills and built a comfortable space for experimentation and confidence. Dance is about exploring the body and mind as well as growing connections. I tried to send this message to my students through our practices together. It was amazing to watch the 7 kids I taught improve their skills and mindset about dancing in front of people. It was hard at times as dancing takes confidence and a curious mind but I am extremely proud of the progress that was made.
As for achieving my own personal goals, I got better at my initiative and planning skills through planning the class as well as better my commitment and perseverance by sticking with it. I also developed my collaborative skills through the relationshipsI had with my students. The experience grew me as a person and I hope it taught my students something about themselves as well.
There is something bittersweet I find being this close to the end. In less than 24 hours I will be leaving behind 2 years of the diploma program and entering into the world of adulthood. High school has been a blur of really good times but also some really bad ones. Something I hadn’t realized until recently is that ever since I can remember, school has been a part of my life. Most of the time it’s been in the background of other things going in my personal life but it has always been there. I can only hope that what I have learned thus far, whether that be how to write a good essay or how to find x squared is enough to help me survive this next phase of life.
What I loved about participating in CAS was that it was a wholistic experience. CAS is not necessarily about grades or anything academic related. It takes focus on the things that happen outside of the classroom that make up the person that you are and are going to become. It helps develop a persons understanding of their interests and passions. It helped me understand what about me is significant outside of the grades I get on my report card.
CAS is so important for developing teenagers and is a program all education systems should adapt. During my time at OSC I picked up a lot of hobbies and learned about so many things I would have never though to try if I wasn’t pushed to try them. Here is a short list of some of the experiences I have had through CAS:
I gave a TED talk speech about grieve
I taught myself how to write music and quickly learned that I love to do it
I read more books
I Participated in sports such as basketball, volleyball and football and travelled to different countries to play those sports.
I involved myself in more service oriented activities. I currently working with and will continue to work with Sambol Foundation (a women’s and children’s organization) to raise awareness on the work that they do. I am in the process of writing and publishing an article that interviews victims of sexual abuse and assault.
I learned how to ride a skateboard
I experienced what it means to be a leader through leading my service group Housing and Habitat
I got my first job doing real estate for the US Embassy
I got over my fear of singing in front of people
I taught myself how to cook better and
I danced a traditional Sri Lankan Style dance for a school assembly
I taught kids how to dance Latin and helped get them out of their comfort zone
I picked up boxing again and have become more focused on my health among other things.
But there are other things CAS has given me that are not only experienced based. It has gotten me closer to people, taught me how to me a team player, made me realize my passion for service. Given me the change to become closer to my family through interviews for a CAS related project. CAS has given me so many things that I will take with me in my next phase in life and I am very grateful to have participated in it.
Recently, I presented a Ted talk called “How Not To Grieve”. Our school was doing their first annual Ted Talk event. I’ve seen plenty of Ted Talks but to write one was another story.
The amount of creative freedom I had was almost overwhelming. I chose a hard topic. One I had to curate perfectly. Grief is one of those things that is a hit or miss with most people. Either you get it or you don’t. I wanted it to affect someone. I wanted to make my audience feel something. I think I accomplished that in one way or another.
Interestingly enough, my self-confidence plummeted the second I walked on stage. The following is a list of what not to do when presenting a Ted Talk.
Write your entire Ted Talk in 48 hours
Attempt to memorize a script in 4 hours
Bring your script on stage
Forget the clicker to click through the visual presentation you worked very hard on
You can tell I’m shook with fear in this image. I was underprepared. I scrambled my way through it somehow still earning words of encouragement as I stepped off the stage.
I thought it was a disaster. I was disappointed in myself and my work ethic.
Alas, I later learned that my speech was valued, and by people I didn’t even know. There were some tears in the audience. There were people who walked up to me and mentioned how moved they were. I realize now that I said something powerful even if the execution was less than adequate for my standards.
My biggest takeaway? Not to criticize myself. Not to beat myself up. I was awarded and praised by the people around me. It may not have been my best work, but it called to people and that’s all I could ever ask for.
As a society we put so much significance on school. On grades, on what university we are going to. We measure value by who’s the smartest, who’s the best, who is getting a business degree. But that’s ridiculous because nobody’s identity is ‘school’. Everybody has a life outside of this big competition. We all have relationships, dreams and ambitions that have nothing to do with being successful because I think to everyone, success is defined differently.
And I hate that students around the world suffer so much to be the exception. To be that one percent that goes to Harvard. But we are so much more outside of that label. And we don’t give ourselves the chance to be. That is what this blog is for. It is to share the person I am outside of school, grades, and things other people will tell you.
This post is called ‘Rough Introductions’. So here are three things about myself that I know as of right now. And that’s very little.
Mi Quinceañera
The first thing you should know about me is that I come from a Latin American heritage. But what does that even mean? It’s conflicting really, something I’m discovering. I’m starting to realize they don’t like each other too much, the Mexican and American sides of myself. I wouldn’t categorize it as an identity crisis, but something I’m discovering in little bits and pieces when I have the time.
Second, I’m a songwriter but an odd one because I lack a good voice to sing. I like to think that if I had the voice, and maybe played better guitar, I’d be one of those teen idols you see in those interviews with Jimmy Fallon. But that’s probably stretching it.
Lastly, I’ve wanted to join the military ever since I could comprehend the idea of what it even was. My dad was a Marine and raised me like one. But then my mom, a veteran too, was deployed for almost a year when I was 7, and that experience taught me a lot about what I actually don’t want for my children. The military gives and the military takes. And at a young age, the military as an institution was one of the only things that felt like home. So I talked to some recruiters about enlisting recently, but got rejected for medical reasons. And it blew me apart. Who was I without the possibility of it? Alas, I continue to figure that out. But I think I know now that I don’t need to risk my life for my country to prove something (thank you Casey).
But it’s what literally brought me into to this life. The military. So I am forever in debt to it.
Being new to OSC, I was unfamiliar with what the term SAISA meant. SAISA officially stands for South Asian Inter-Scholastic Association, which is an association of international schools in South Asia that compete against each other in athletics. People who make SAISA sport teams get to travel to countries around Asia to compete with other schools. I had the chance of doing this for volleyball recently.
It was an amazing experience. I met many new people and really bonded with my coach and team. Though the tournament was stressful and the stakes were high… I will definitely be doing it again.
Here are some pictures:
My height is very apparent in this picture which makes me think I should not be playing volleyball
Ready to receive!
team photo
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