9th Grade: 2020-2021

Communicate Ideas: Demonstrates an understanding of a specific audience by communicating and collaborating using verbal and non-verbal behavior, languages, and strategies that are appropriate to the specific audience.

For this artifact, it was right smack in the middle of COVID so I had to present over Google Meets in Spanish. It was one of the first times I had to present in front of an audience in a different language so it was a pretty big experience that required preparation. The presentation was based on the store vocabulary we were beginning to be taught, and I was very nervous. Speaking in English was one thing–speaking in a different language in front of an audience seemed impossible. But if I prepared well enough I knew I would do well–so I did. I crafted the words I was saying so I did not have to rely solely on improvisation; I created a slideshow so I could remember what I was talking about while providing a visual aid for the audience; And I made it cohesive. By the time the presentation was set to take place, I knew I was ready (although it did not stop me from practicing dozens of times prior to the presentation.) The presentation was honestly more nerve wracking than presenting in front of the class because I felt like an outsider, like a me vs. them situation. But I didn't let my anxiety drive me and instead let my preparation and stoic expression guide me through the words, which culminated in a perfect grade.

This presentation was one of the first times I had to present in a different language, and speaking as fluently as I did  that day, I knew that I could continue on my journey with other languages. The grade made me confident in my abilities to speak in front of an audience and in my abilities to speak fluently in Spanish. It helped me to become determined to sharpen my craft more in Spanish and to continue to AP Spanish.

Communicate Ideas–Selects and applies appropriate resources, such as technology and media, to communicate and collaborate with a range of diverse individuals.

This artifact, my slideshow on the Odyssey freshman year, took place during a lockdown due to COVID so it was more difficult for me due to completing the project completely at home, which made it very harder for me to not procrastinate and to complete the project. The project encompassed creating a slideshow based on planning a trip to three countries and presenting your research into a slideshow to present over a ZOOM call. The project was huge, and required tons of research into hotels, locations to visit, food locations, and transportation. It was also required to tally all money you spend, budgeting as much money as possible. So I compiled all my research and money spent into a spreadsheet, making sure every penny was tallied. This was a very rigorous process which cost lots of will-power and time. So, in order to prepare for this project, I created a schedule in order for me not to procrastinate and thus experience burnout. So I would work on the assignment once per day for thirty minutes--and in the end–I was able to complete the project with time to spare. 

The countries I chose were Italy, Ireland, and France. I chose Italy because I find the country so fascinating with its arts and culture. I chose France due to its wonderful history. And I chose Ireland because it's the motherland! The project was enjoyable to do and very frustrating at times. For example, at multiple instances, I had to scour the internet for information. I prefer to read or to use my creativity, but this project required me to use the internet almost exclusively due to working at home. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the project because learning about different cultures and how different countries function is very intriguing. I feel like as a kid I was fed the idea that the US was the only country and the only country that mattered. But other countries have aspects that are better than the US. For example, universal healthcare. The fact that the wealthiest country in the world does not have universal healthcare is preposterous to think about–and it's simply due to corporate greed. Thus, with this project, I learned that the US was not the exclusive country to learn about and other innovative political ideas and technology exists separate from the US. I think this project was one of the coals to the fire to learn more about different countries and how they may be better than the US and they may not be. But either way, it is very important to understand other cultures for global cooperation. 

Although I thought the research end was the most difficult and stressworthy part, I found that the presentation itself was by far the most anxiety-provoking aspect. Because I stutter, everytime I speak I feel an overwhelming force in my chest which adds pressure and creates a nerve wracking experience. That simply occurs with everyday conversation and interpersonal communication. Then how would I deal with a presentation in front of my peers and my teacher grading me on every piece of information I try to spit from my mouth? First of all, I needed to calm down and realize that this wasn´t the end of the world. My stutter is out of my control. Even if I stutter, who cares if I receive judgment? Only one who deserves to judge and make me feel awful is myself. Communicate your ideas–despite all challenges. So I did. I faced the behemoth that was chewing a part of me every day leading up to game day and slayed the beast. I stuttered many times, but I did not deflate or shrink under pressure. I maintained my composure, spoke the words that I wanted to speak, and continued my presentation despite my speech challenges. It was mortifying on the inside, but on the outside, it was communicable and understood due to my smile and my perspicacity to my stutter. This moment was one of the first times I spoke to an audience who I barely knew–-considering I came to Jackson in the ninth grade–and kind of introduced me to an audience who did not know me– who did not know my competence– who did not know my ideas. So it kind of prepared me for larger presentations in the future to deal with my stutter and to adjust to my audience.

Recognize Perspectives–Expresses a clear personal perspective on a situation, event, issue, or phenomenon, identifying an influence on that perspective.

This artifact, my packet from world history class for Napoleon Bonaparte, was one of the proudest moments in my freshman year. It encompassed a giant packet detailing the little general´s life, going from his nurturing years, to his absolute power and prime, and to his inevitable downfall. Part of the packet were questions about Bonaparte's life, and whoever scored the most points through answering questions, was the ultimate winner. Prior to this huge competition, I already was highly interested in Napoleonic history and I knew many aspects of Napoleon's life–which ultimately supported me with the bout. His life was so interesting to me  because he was not born from a king, he was not the tallest of individuals–nor the strongest. He simply just worked harder and thought more than all his contemporaries, which led to his success. Although I did know many details about Napoleon, with JAGS, there is almost always a kid who knows a lot of information about a variety of topics–so I had many rivals. But I knew that I had some background knowledge on Napoleon so I was prepared to win. Ever since I was a three year old, I was always competitive with my brother so I was not going to back down. My competitive nature fueled me because of that background and I kind of wanted to prove I was competent to my classmates. It was a chance to show what I was about and my expertise–so I decided to run with it.

At first, I was simply choosing the right answer every time and my confidence was peaking. But when the questions started to become based on the Haitian Revolution–a topic which I minimally studied at the time–I started to doubt myself and my knowledge. I started to let my partner in the group take control and I deflated. But, the next day, I decided that if I wanted to prove that I knew my stuff, I would need to take initiative and be autonomous. At that point, I felt analogous to Bonaparte himself, recalling the most obscure information about his life. However, even though I had a lead of 1 point at the end, the final question came up. That self-doubt returned and I shrinked up and floundered. I knew that I knew the question, but I second-guessed myself and missed the question. Thus, the intense exhibition came down to a tie-breaker. 1v1. In preparation of the intense game 7, I freshened up on Napoleonic history. Once the date came about, both of the groups were prepared for the showdown. One question went, and then another, and then another. Sudden death seemed to not be working. Until, finally, Mr. MarLett ran out of questions and pulled one from his noggin. My group gained the point and the other did not, which signaled victory. This was one of the first times I really became immersed in history, and encouraged me to study history more profusely in the future. It helped me to investigate other cultures and other cause and effect relationships, so it was kind of a large event because it made me feel like history was my forté. Truly a defining moment because it made me more enthusiastic about exploring different revolutions, events, ideas, and influential people in history. Simply learning about the different perspectives when it comes to history, especially the French Revolution, is so fascinating to me.

Take Action- Acts individually or collaboratively to execute a plan that is culturally appropriate, and likely to lead to improvement of a local, regional, or global situation; assesses the merit of the action.

For this artifact, it began during the spring of my eighth grade year. Following the onset of COVID, ESPN released a documentary on Michael Jordan and the 1998 Chicago Bulls. I was captivated by Jordan's work ethic and competitive nature to win. I had always played basketball since the fourth grade at a Catholic school, but this time I truly became motivated to improve upon my basketball skills, which led to practice every single day while COVID was still rampant. In all my years previously, I never really faced any heavy competition on the court because I was kind of in an echo chamber of skill and talent. When I arrived at my first open gym at Jackson, it was kind of a culture shock. I witnessed fast dribbling, sky-high dunks, and rhythmic offenses. I was so taken-aback that I kind of wanted to give up on my motivation and just be in the bleachers instead of on the court. But I felt like I had something to contribute despite this new brand of basketball and decided I would work my hardest and try out. What commenced is something I am extremely proud of. Instead of shrinking up and deflating, I doggedly fought for a spot. I worked my hardest at all the open gyms; I sprinted on the track alongside my peers in the blazing hot sun. I began to become adapted to this new environment and showed my confidence. The coaches took notice of this too, and I started to gain some reputation to my name. Instead of being picked last every time due to me being new, I started to be picked earlier and earlier as I continued to show my raw persistence and effort. By the time tryouts came around, there were nearly 40 attendees there, with 13 spots on the team. Although I felt my performance was not reflective of my skills, at all the running drills, all the drills designed to make you exhausted, I continued because I knew that I wanted a spot. I took an initiative and ran with it, which resulted in a tenure with the basketball team. 

I think this event is very reflective of taking action because I had a goal and I met it. I could have simply backed away and watched as everyone else played, but I decided to try out because I really wanted it. Freshman year basketball opened up so many more opportunities for me, allowed me to gain experience, and to know that I could complete something on my own despite challenges was a huge self-esteem boost. Looking back, this trial was a huge marker for allowing myself to do things on my own and to take initiative–so that in the future when I have challenging tasks like college admissions, AP exams, or loads of homework–knowing that I completed such a monumental task makes all those other challenges seem minute.

Investigate the World–Analyzes and integrates evidence from sources to develop a well-supported response to a global question. 

This artifact, my Summit Night project from last year, involved creating a presentation surrounding two countries and comparing the two in regards to general customs and backgrounds and how climate change has affected both. The country that I was tasked with researching was Israel, while my fellow group members researched Qatar. This was a fun project to research because both countries had varying effects of climate change on their countries. For example, Qatar is one of the biggest polluters per capita in the world for carbon emissions. You wouldn’t think of Qatar being one of the main culprits, but they are due to their oil refineries. I also learned about Israel’s problems with their lakes and historical landmarks being degraded from climate change. For example, Israel’s dead sea is beginning to shrink due to the dryness. This is such a historical landmark for a multitude of reasons, especially for Abrahamic religions, and I feel like it would be a shame to lose such a monumental landmark for people. It is a consequence of climate change that I did not conceive before, that is a loss of the landmarks that cultures have admired for centuries. 

With this project, I learned that the US is not the only country with serious potential consequences from climate change. In fact, the US will be one of the countries least affected due to our ability to resist climate change due to the fact that we’re more affluent. Less developed countries will be disproportionately affected by climate change and they’re not even the main culprits of the issue! I think this fact demonstrates the importance of developed countries coming together through diplomacy to help fight climate change together instead of ignoring that the problem exists. We truly never know the consequences of our actions until it is at our front door and it is important for all countries to be aware of the future implications that this disaster may contain.