August 4th, 2014 marked the start of senior year, as well as my start in the IA. I walked into class kind of hiding behind Karen, as I was extremely excited as well as extremely nervous about starting new. Fast forward four months to December, we are sitting around the table talking about our Culture Book, and the only thing I’m thinking is “I can’t believe I’m part of this group, everyone needs to experience a group as cool as this one sometime in their life.” Never before had I been surrounded by a group of 13 completely different people and had such a strong connection with all of them. It’s because of them that I gained so much in just a few short months. I vividly remember the first blog I wrote after we had started school back in August and I was sitting at the desk stumped. I turned to Karen and asked her, "What the heck are we supposed to write about?" since I had absolutely no clue. She answered back by saying "Anything. Reflect on the week. Something that stood out. Corey never tells us exactly what to write about." From that moment on, I knew that this was going to be one of my greatest challenges in the IA. Students in the IA are autonomous learners. Why? Because we take control over our learning and do it how we know is best. Being in the IA, I have enforced what I know about my learning habits: learning the theories but focusing on the experience and actually applying what I know. Not just learning on paper. In a way, being an autonomous learner is a way to live our life for ourselves rather than for what others want us to do. Autonomy is one of the biggest things that encapsulates what the IA experience is. We are able to explore things that we normally wouldn't do and have the chance to work on our own projects with little or no guidance at all. Without the IA, I would have never had the time to explore songwriting and deepen my passion for music, I wouldn't have had the chance to pursue my interest for interior design, and I definitely wouldn't have had the chance to start my own business. Ever since we are little, we are taught to work with others and be kind to each other. However, as soon as we get to middle and high school, we're suddenly turned against each other, and start competing against one another, trying to become top in our class. From one moment to the next, collaboration turns into competition. But I definitely can't say it's the same in the IA. Collaboration is what makes us succeed. And as for competition? I wouldn't really call it that. It’s more along the lines of "striving to be as good as the person who is better than me." DD is my perfect example for both of these. Whenever I was stumped with my blogs and had no idea how to make it fun, I would wander into DD’s blog and look over her posts. Why? Because when she writes, she has that spark that I want to have. And when it comes to collaboration, DD is the first person that asks for feedback and help with the work she is doing, whether it’s for her writing or for making the AWESOME posts for the BlendZ Facebook page. Without teamwork, the IA would not be what it is today, and the culture would definitely not be the same. Last of all, the IA has taught me the importance of trust. I hate to play this card again, but most of you know that I did a year of the IB and then the IA. From switching over, I can surely say that trust is one of the building blocks of the IA. When Corey invited me to join the IA at the end of junior year, he first wanted to know if everyone was okay with that decision. Everyone could have easily said that they didn't want me to join, but instead took a chance on me, trusting that I would add to the culture and not hinder it from getting better. We all depend on each other to get our work done, whether it's something that's for the well-being of the whole class, or a blog post that holds us accountable and adds value to the culture. I guess there is something to be said for trust, since it comes up a couple of times in our core values. Just like everything else in the IA, these three aspects are intertwined. Having trust between the cohort, mentor and the student, allows the student to have autonomy over how and what he or she wants to learn. Having trust between students, leads to better collaboration. As we gain more and more trust between students, we are more confident when we have the feedback sessions and need to challenge one another. As we learn to collaborate better, we become more autonomous as we decide how we want to handle changes, and projects. Without trust, autonomy, and collaboration, the IA would be not be what it is today. And without the IA, I would not realize the importance of trust, autonomy, and collaboration when it comes to working in teams. I can definitely say that this past year has been the most rewarding in my high school career. I am extremely grateful for the chance I got to work with this group, and the only thing I can say is that everyone needs to be a part of a group as cool as this one sometime in their life.
3 Comments
Karen Wong
6/2/2015 02:01:43 am
F!! You were a great asset to the group and it was only thanks to your flexibility and open-mindedness, and I'm SO HAPPY that you were part of it :) :)
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F
6/2/2015 03:36:44 am
Thanks Wongy!! I couldn't have asked for senior year to be any different!!!
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Corey Topf
6/3/2015 11:12:55 am
F! I agree completely with Wonga: you have been a great addition to the group and one of the main reasons is something you mentioned above. Trust. You have an enormous amount of integrity, which enabled me--and everyone else--to trust you. From the beginning, we all trusted your intentions for being in the IA, and we trusted that you would push yourself to represent the cohort well. You did, and it has been a great experience for all of us to have you in the first cohort. Thank you, and let me know if you ever need help during your gap year!
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Author"Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light." Archives
June 2015
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