During my freshman and sophomore years, I delved into the ever-evolving language of Python and Java. With technology growing rapidly, taking these two courses gave me a glimpse into the behind-the-scenes work of modern social media sites and the technologies that made Global interactions more accessible. Java programming (coding in general) plays a crucial role in advancing global healthcare by facilitating the development of both software and hardware that aims at improving patient care. Despite learning that I did not enjoy programming during my sophomore year, taking this course has opened my eyes to how revolutionary technology can impact the future of healthcare around the globe.

The Modern World course at AHS covers significant historical events that occurred in different areas of the world from the 19th century to the present day. Through this course, I was able to answer many questions regarding the build-up to many current world conflicts, especially the Russian-Ukrainan war. While this class placed a heavy emphasis on European conflict, I was still left questioning how the United States contributed to these conflicts, which would be answered in the following year in my AP US History class.

When I reflect on my high school career, AP U.S. History (APUSH) was by far my most beneficial course. As a student, this course allowed me to develop crucial time management, studying, and presentation skills that made my senior year way less stressful. As a Global scholar, this course has revamped my perspective on America and American culture. Learning about the roots and history of our country in an uncensored manner made me realize that America is not the "perfect" country that I grew up learning about in my elementary and middle school years.

As a prerequisite for the AP Spanish course, this course gave me an opportunity to learn about the role of language in not only Hispanic countries but the world. With Cantonese being my primary language, I've already had experiences being bilingual. Learning a third language has made me feel more connected with the world and I was able to practice the grammar and conventions I learned in this class when my family traveled to Barcelona during the summer. For me, this was a unique experience as I was able to connect with locals on a deeper level, gaining insights into their culture, traditions, and way of life. Despite already learning about their culture in this course, being able to experience it firsthand provides a stronger level of learning that no textbook can provide.

I've been a Spanish student since 6th grade and to finish off my Spanish learning experience at Andover, I've decided to take AP Spanish during my senior year to learn more about the Spanish-speaking culture. Through this course, my perspective regarding the diversity of the world changed dramatically. The course constantly emphasized how diverse the world is and how learning languages is one way to connect with all of them. Even though the class is based on Spanish-speaking countries, the main idea remains the same: learning languages is a gateway to understanding and appreciating the richness of cultures around the globe.