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1. Identify your own strengths and develop areas for personal growth.

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5. Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively.

6. Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance.

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2. Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process.

7. Recognize and consider the ethics of choices and actions.

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Throughout grade 11 and the first semester of grade 12 I've participated in a school based activity called "service group", these are student led groups which aim to offer a service to the community or the school. The one I was part of is called Koto Blue Dragons, it is a collaboration between us students and two foundations which aim to help children in difficult circumstances. On a weekly basis (every Wednesday), we would welcome a group of children ranging from 15 to 30 kids and organize a serie of sport activities to play with them. When I first signed up for the service group I felt a bit nervous at the thought of having to interact with these kids I didn't really know, the language barrier creating even more awkwardness in my mind; within the first few session however I started to warm up to them and view things under a different light. I realized that by taking the initiative and making an effort to try to interact more with them, weather through creating a dialogue or taking part in team activities, I was creating a genuine bond with the kids. This led to both them and me having a more enjoyable experience during the lessons. Thinking back to this experience however I realize that i could have made more of an effort to deepen the bond with the kids, I never really inquired about their past or personal lives, just focused on the sport. Overall I think I've realized that sometimes it is me who should actively seek for a form of dialogue in order to get to know someone, rather than be passive and wait for them to take the first step. I've also really gained an insight on how impactfull even a small action can be, seeing the children's careless smiles when winning a badminton point or scoring a goal along with their friends, knowing that it was partially thanks to us that made an effort in organizing the activity, encouraged me to take this responsibility even more seriously and prompted me to keep acting for the benefit of the other.

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About october 2024 I've started working out, first at the school's gym and them at home once i've moved back to Italy. Initially I had little to no clue about what I was doing, going from one excercise to another without much thought, but after watching some videos and asking my peers for advice I started doing things with more purpuse. I've always feel self conscious about the way I looked so deciding to start working out was both an easy and hard decision at the same time. While it would allow me to gain confidence in my body, it also meant that I had to expose myself in a social environment like the gym. The thought of being judged for the way I looked really troubled me the first couple of months, bringing me to the verge of quitting more than once, with progress in the gym and getting used to the environment however I ended up overcoming these insecurities. Perhaps the fact that my physique had gotten better helped my self esteem, but nonetheless I came to the realization that people's judgement really should not matter. This experience with badybuilding not only helped me with my discipline, as I had to force myself to excercise multiple times a week, but also gave me the keys to unlock the freedom from the fear of being judged.

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In grade 11 the whole grade went on a trip to the countryside which lasted 3 days. Every day we were split in groups and engaged in different activities

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In grade 11 the whole grade went on a trip to the countryside which lasted 3 days. Every day we were split in groups and engaged in different activities

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The first day on the trip was focused on physical activity such as biking

and swimming. We spent our morning and evening biking through the fields and admiring the stunning natural scenery, occasionally stopping to refresh ourselves or eat and cool down from the biking. At the end of the day we organized a race among the students to see who could come back to the place we were staying at. At the start we were asked to choose what pace we would bike at, with people choosing the same pace biking togheter. Based on my gut feelings I would have decided to go for the medium pace but after my classmates encouraged me to bike fast with them I ended up joining their group. Although I had expected not to be able to keep up with them, sprinting through the many dirt roads along with my classmates I barely noticed the tiredness that was building up in my muscles pushing down on the pedals. Whenever we came across a slope the whole group would speed up to facilitate the rising, we would then begin shouting and encouraging each other to keep pedaling, if one person slowed down the whole group would have to wait for them, it was therefore fundamental moving in unison. This bonding between each of us not only brought us closer but acted as the main source of strength and motivation that led us to completing our route. I learned that

one's own effort and resilience can only take him so far, it is with the support of others that we are really able to

achieve our full potential.

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During the second day of our trip we rode a bus to a natural reserve which kept a different kind of animals, from birds to reptiles and even tigers. Once we got there we took a little tour and then immediatly started working. We were divided into two groups, one cleaning the reserve from rotten trees and moving logs and branches aside, the other building brick enclosure for the turtles housed in the reserve. We alternated on our task once we had lunch so that everyone got to experience both works. Before going on the trip the people managing the enclosure had come to our school to prepare us for the experience, explaining in detail the importance of this work for the environment. They told us that the animals kept in the space were all either endangered or rescued from illegal trades. While working on building the enclosure we organized ourself in order to make use of our numbers to increase the efficiency of the work. We formed lines to move the bricks from one side to another and took turns at laying them or mixing the concrete. After we had finished building our portion we all felt not only the satisfaction which comes from creating something your own, but also the joy of being able to aid the world in which we live in. Some months after the trip the group which manages the reserve sent us pictures of the enclosures we had built, the only difference between the memory of them and the picture being the fact that they now housed a group of turtles. This experience really highlighted the importance of group work, while at the same time reminding of the need for us to protect and give back to nature

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4. Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences.

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In the winter break of grade 12, I participated in a seven day drawing challenge. Drawing various insects such as fleas, weevils, and tarantulas. I wanted to challenge my creativity and see how much I could persevere and commit to something that wasn't necessarily long-term but required continuous effort. Everyday I would test myself by having to finish drawing in an hour and I would use a insect generator to generate an insect to draw. It was definitely a challenge at times as I also tried to experiment with different drawing styles and methods. A lot of the times I had a creative bloc and wanted to quit because I couldn't think of anything to draw or how to draw it; as well as my motivation waned alot because I was often tired afterschool from various activities and coursework. Especially during this period when the IA work started ramping up. However I did manage to successfully complete the challenge in its entirety. Completing the drawings each day in an hour, whilst still challenging my own artistic abilities.

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3. Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience

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throughout grade 11, I participated in a student lead extra curricular, that I also co-lead. Baking was a great new experience for me to both plan recipes throughout the week. Prepare equipment and procure ingredients whilst still keeping up with my coursework and IAS. Thinking back it was a rewarding challenge as I didn't have much baking experience so I relied a lot on asking other members for their input and advice. It was definitely a challenge to stay on track with baking and making sure my coursework was up to date. However the challenge helped me grow as a person whilst experiencing new creative outlets. I've always loved brownies so I thought It was a good idea to bake brownies for the first baking club session. However I did not account for the fact that I needed to prepare enough ingredients for everyone as well as estimate the time needed to bake and let the brownies set. Which lead to the session running over the time limit a bit. This first session was a great learning experience as it helped illuminate the requirements for future sessions. I'd need to know how many members were attending each day so that I could bring enough ingredients for everyone to eat as well as experience the baking itself. Furthermore, it showed me I needed to be more prepared in the research; prior preparation for specific recipes based on what ingredients were available as well as equipment in the school. So I had to contact the school and request to borrow ovens and cooking supplies beforehand.