Taking Action - 1 Point
Reading is an integral part of my day to day life, and beyond simply being an activity I find the pastime fun. So when I found out about Freedom School and DEAR Time, which helps children in lower grades with literacy and provides fun enrichment activities, I was glad to find a way to help others and serve the community that aligned with my own interests. This initiative serves to address a growing problem, that of a declining literacy rate in young children. A normal day of service started with helping the kids in the class that I was attached to get breakfast in the dining hall. After this we headed over to the library to sing some songs and go over the itinerary for the day. Following the meeting as a group, everyone split into their respective classes and walked to their classroom in the Academic Center. Much of the rest of the day consisted of activities involving reading and fun activities. Freedom School was a window for me into the world of service. Reflecting on the impact that Freedom School had on me it has led me to look for more opportunities to take action on topics that I am passionate about and has led to my growth as a person through this novel experience.
Take Multiple Perspectives - 1 Point
Earlier this year in A.P. World History, we were assigned the task of researching the journey’s of immigrants who came to the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. As part of the assignment, we had the opportunity to research the journey of any ancestors who had immigrated during this time. I chose to take this chance to further understand my family’s history and the journey of my Great, Great Grandmother and her 3 sons from Italy who went on to establish the Strangis family in the United States. As part of this research project, I worked with my Grandfather who has already looked into this topic as he is currently writing about other Italian immigrants and was able to provide ships’ manifests, records, and photographs. In order to analyze these primary sources I put myself into the position of both my family members who immigrated and those who received and processed them. The final project involved placing relevant objects into a container made to resemble a brief case of the time and writing summaries and explanations of the objects and sources used. Through this project I came to understand the nerve wracking experience and complex emotions that they would have felt leaving everything familiar behind in Italy and traveling to an entirely new country with no guarantee that anyone would be waiting to receive them. Emotions like these were commonplace and this is further evidenced as just beyond the area where new immigrants were processed many gathered at a place known as the “Kissing Pole;” this spot received its name due to the joyous expressions and greetings that took place here between reunited peoples and witnessed numerous proposals. There are many other traditions and places that gained significance that I only found out about due to this project and investigating the perspective of many individuals involved or adjacent to the process of immigration to the United States; therefore I believe this reflection best fits into Taking Multiple Perspectives as I investigated and viewed events from different points of view.
Identify Isssues - 1 Point
I have participated in Model UN for most of the time that I have been attending gen PD. Beginning in middle school with the encouragement of Ms. Handy and Mr. Schirra and then later in high school and participating in FreshMUN. These events furthered my interest in Model UN and led to signing up for VAMUN in the fall. While I was unfortunately unable to travel on the trip due to catching pneumonia, the process of research leading up to the conference was impactful as well. I believe this falls into identifying issues because along with my partner, Michael Jorge, we conducted research on issues regarding discrimination against the Roma people in Austria and Artificial Intelligence as it relates to sustainable development. We both did not have much familiarity with either subject beforehand and ended up learning more about these issues. It is for this reason that I feel this counts as one point towards Identifying Issues.
Take Multiple Perspectives - 1 Point
Over spring break I had the opportunity to travel to Washington D.C. and take a tour of the capital and senate chambers. My family was hosted for the tour by the staff of one of our North Carolina Senators, Thom Tillis. Prior to this trip I hadn’t really thought of him as a person but more of an idea; additionally, while I hold different views than him the experience served to humanize the Senator as I got to see his office and sit in his desk chair. As a whole the experience of touring the senate was eye opening and helped me understand the Government better as having nuance rather than being a simple black and white image. The tour consisted of viewing important statues and learning about the supreme court’s chambers and important cases decided there such as Plessy vs. Ferguson. This experience helped humanize and make the people who worked in the building and the decisions a little more relatable, and it is for these reasons that I believe it belongs in Take Multiple Perspectives.
Solve Problems - 1 Point; Take Multiple Perspectives - 1 Point
Until the middle of this year I had never seen myself getting very engaged in an activity or undertaking that revolved primarily around robotics; however, that all changed when I joined the FIRST Robotics Competition Club here at Providence Day. As it was the first time we’ve had the club at school I was not the only one who was totally unfamiliar on the matter, besides Rishil Saxena everyone else on the team had no prior experience. The experience of being on a team, building a robot, and qualifying to compete at states was extremely valuable and taught me many lessons. Something unique to the First Robotics Competition is the often repeated phrase “the Spirit of Coopertition.” Emphasis is placed on both good sportsmanship and friendly competition while also encouraging teams to help one another. This sentiment along with the experiences that I participated in and having to solve problems that arose along the way are the reason that this falls into Solve Problems and Take Multiple Perspectives.
One of the primary hurdles of the design process is explaining an idea to others or giving meaningful feedback when asked for your thoughts. This can only be achieved if both parties on either side of the conversation reach the same understanding of the topic at hand. Although at face value this may not align with the Global Studies definition of Taking Multiple Perspectives - investigate and understand different world views - I believe the process of coming to understand another’s opposing viewpoint and then working together does meet this definition. I believe this because working with others and developing a mindset that refrains from making assumptions or forming preconceived ideas, along with learning how to problem solve as a group are skills that I will go on to apply to all other areas of my life and how I view and explore, among a range of things, other world views.
Engineering revolves around identifying and solving problems, such as when a key part of our robot broke at one of our competitions. Initially, many solutions and proposals were made but it took sitting down as a team and talking over the benefits and consequences of each idea to realize that we could make the most of what we had and continue the competition. Although at first it was a disappointing drawback, we later rebounded to take second place. In addition to many other experiences like this one, a large part of FIRST is community service and identifying where community needs can be served. Similar to the above reflection on Taking Multiple Perspectives, this aspect of my time on the team has taught me many skills and lessons that I can apply elsewhere and given me a insight into the needs of our community in Charlotte and the power of service.
Appreciate Culture - 2 Points
This past summer break, I travelled to Portugal along with my family and learned about the rich history of the country and sampled Portuguese cuisine. Additionally, this year while taking AP World History we ended up covering the country in class and several of the topics we discussed I was able to draw on a greater depth of knowledge having seen or learned about them in person. We learned about the Portuguese explorers and navigators and this coincided with visiting the Monument to the Discoveries on our first day of the trip. The towering rose tinted stone and concrete structure fashioned in resemblance of a ship’s prow signifies the monumental achievements and discoveries of the explorers, navigators, and key figures who contributed to Portugal’s age of discovery. Looking up at the intricate details on the monument I pictured these individuals of great importance in the moments that defined them and it left a lasting impression on me as it dwarfed a map of the world beside it. The message that this monument imparts and the details about Portuguese expansion and imperialism we learned in AP World History are linked together and it is because of the connection of these topics that it has a lasting impact on me.
While visiting the once imperial power, I came to understand the impact and importance of the sea on the culture, activities, and food. The ocean was everywhere, when we first flew in, the first night walking through the city of Lisbon, eating outside, and visiting my cousins in the seaside town of vila do Conde. I passed people fishing in coastal inlets and took a class on how to surf. Students participate in water activities and sports and head to the beach when they are off of school. We visited a royal palace that was built on the site of where a Portuguese king observed a group of vessels returning home after a long journey abroad. A traditional meal there is a whole fish, brought to the table, and filleted; in a broader sense fish make up a large part of the Portuguese diet because of their proximity to the sea. As stated before I came to a greater understanding of how the Ocean impacted Portuguese culture and life and I was able to relate to it having lived close to the ocean myself in Charleston, South Carolina.