The second semester of my junior year has been eventful to say the least, it started out with non stop trips to beautiful places out of Colombo and ironically ended with me being confined to the walls of my home. Despite so many obstacles and unplanned stops along the way, I believe without a shadow of a doubt everything was meant to happen to me because I came out stronger and even more equipped for challenges to come. I also discovered new passions, my inner activist, my love for poetry, my attraction to team sports and what finally realized what I want to do in the future. 2020 in many ways has been perceived by some as a very problematic year filled with turmoil and uncertainty. I would argue that this year has been a very important wake up call, one that sheds light on systematic racism, police brutality and the overall difficulty with getting populations to cooperate when fighting against a pandemic. I know that the activities that I am involved in, the learning I do in school along with the informative nature of world events have all contributed to my acquirement of all the learning outcomes. Unlike the stereotypical reflective post, I want to focus less on what I did, more on the skills that I have gained through all of my learning experiences.
- Strength & Growth
I think that I have gained strength and grown through every experience I have had this year, however, some exhibited this outcome more than others. For example, when I was selected as Secretary General for Colombo Model United Nations, I had to give a lot of speeches, one in particular was nerve racking to the point that I was shaking. Although I have a profound love for public speaking, the issues that I speak about require a large degree of sensitivity and one must be extremely informed on the topic for an effective delivery, these combined factors along with a very large audience on the final day of conference may have got my heart racing a little faster than usual. That day, I did not let my serves get the best of me, I got on stage and without hesitation said what I needed to say, this demonstrated strength in the sense of my ability to face my fear. Growth was a natural consequence of this experience because after numerous speeches following this one, large audiences do not frighten me, they exhilarate me.
- Challenge & Skills
After the sudden departure of my COMUN teacher advisor without a word, there were a lot of unanswered questions, confusion, stress and frustration. Despite an overwhelming amount to figure out, a lack of direction and a close conference date, I chose to step up the plate. I knew that this job would require twice the amount of time, effort and planning but it was worth it in my opinion because of all the smiling faces of fellow delegates that have the same love for debate that I do. Along with this new laundry list of things to do came the heightening of skills such as leadership, organizing, planning and communication. Taking on this challenge may have felt slightly overwhelming at the beginning but looking back, it was one of the most valuable experiences of my high school career that will always be applicable to my life in the future. Without a doubt, the overarching skill that encompasses all the others is the act of problem solving which was the most important tool in many challenges I faced during my COMUN journey.
- Initiative & Planning
One of the major acts done in support of environmentalism was our climate strike protest, an initiative organized by the service leaders at school. I was extremely excited to be a part of this event especially because of my love for camping, the ocean and animals. I took initiative alongside my fellow service leaders and spent days planning this strike to raise awareness about climate change and its impacts on the environment. The planning aspect of this event included the creation of a pledge for all students to sign which outlined actions that would reduce their carbon footprint. It also included the creation of recycled posters for the march as well as an assembly educating the student body on the importance of reducing their impact on environmental degradation. This experience taught me a lot about how to initiate positive change and the planning behind successful implementation.
- Commitment & Perseverance
Commitment is a very important aspect of everything I do, when I truly care about something, every ounce of me is in the process and as a result I will persevere until it is achieved. One initiative in particular that is close to my heart and forever will be is the goal of my service Girls for Girls. We reach out to sexually abused women and build relationships with them in an attempt to integrate them back into society in hopes of a normal life where their trauma does not dictate their success. Being that abuse and mental health is a taboo topic in Sri Lanka, it is difficult for them to feel confident however, it is our job as fellow women to show them that they have nothing to be ashamed of despite the stigma regarding sexual abuse in Sri Lanka. It is quite hard emotionally for us to stay positive but we persevere and know that we need to work and work at our initiative in order to make a change within the local community. After 3 years of being a member of this service, I can safely say that I will continue to keep up with it even after my high school days.
- Collaborative Skills
An activity that has developed my collaborative skills is Duke of Edinburgh especially because we are navigating our way through forests which requires a team of people working together at all times. We learn how to find bearings, read/use maps, keep track of our routes and map our journey. Although we were initially put in teams for the purpose of doing separate jobs that would contribute to the overall mapping of the journey, I found that we were collaborating on many of each other’s jobs and had unintentionally created a system that would facilitate team building. During our DOE trips, I was able to enhance my ability to communicate, my leadership skills and also start to ask for help more, all of these contribute to my collaborative skills overall. DOE was the perfect opportunity to test the advantages and challenges of collaboration, teaching me how to be an effective team member through positivity and the inclusion of every single member in some way.
- Global Engagement
I have always had a strong passion for political and social issues, living in a low income country that is not a stranger to corruption, poverty and consrvative views. Due to modern technology, there are so many tools at my disposal to educate myself on human rights, women’s rights, liberalism, etc. One issue that I have always explored is gender equality, that said I have used every opportunity possible to advocate for women empowerment and a more equal society. Earlier this year, I was asked to be the youth representative at the Colombo Women’s Day Event. I spoke about the importance of equality in the workplace, the expectations of the young generation when entering the workforce and the shift in values from our generation from the ones before us. This speech was an important contribution to the local community in terms of educating and creating a more progressive environment that value women. Despite the event being exclusive to Colombo, there were many people from other places visiting for the event, CEOs of international companies and the entire speech is online for people to see. I am using my voice as much as I can to stay engaged with the Sri Lankan community as well as looking to those who have influence outside Sri Lanka itself.
- Ethics of Choices & Actions
Sometimes change does not require a platform such as an event, with technology becoming a vital part of modern society and culture, it is an incredible way to express one’s self. With the Black Lives Matter Movement becoming more prevalent than it has been for the last few years, social media has become a place to raise awareness and encourage social activism. I have been posting instagram stories and pictures trying to educate my local community and show solidarity. I have been focused on the ethics of choices and actions throughout this movement, doing all that I can to support the black community by sharing content, creating content, signing petitions and donating to funds for the family of victims of police brutality.
Overall, this year, I have noticed that my engagement in different activities has facilitated the development of important skills as a result. As I mentioned, this year has not exactly been the most uplifting of them, however, there are always chances to become a better human being and that starts with ambition and the willingness to be open minded. There have been two major challenges that I have faced this semester, the first being the ability to stay positive in a world full of conflict, especially since I am confined to my room at the moment. The second is prioritizing things that will matter far more to me than school in the future. My goal for CAS as of right now is to immerse myself in activities that will keep my mental state healthy among all the madness going on in the world. I also want to spend more time over the summer educating the local community and spending time with my family.