Initial Softball U19 reflection

At the start of season 3, I just found out that I had made the softball team. It was indeed a unique opportunity for me as it was the first time that I made the softball team. My first thoughts were that I had to develop many skills in order to be successful in this particular sport.

First and foremost, I had to pay utmost attention to the advice that was given to me by my coaches since they were the experts of the game and I realised that it was important for me to pay attention to them as well as talking the initiative to go and ask them questions about what I needed to do and that would not only benefit me but the entire team as well since softball is a team sport and it was something that I felt that I needed to do in order to benefit the team. In the future, if I am in a situation like this, I would find out more about it before joining the season.

At the start of the season, it was very important for me to portray skills such as perseverance and resilience as there would be many instances where I would feel like this is not the right thing for me, however, if I continue to be resilient and perseverant, it would be good enough for me to continue this journey and hopefully it would prove to be fruitful for me.

Mid year Leher Reflection

In Season 1, I started off in Leher GC. I signed up for this particular Global Concern with the aim of making a difference for the street kids in Mumbai who unfortunately do not have the opportunity to have access to proper education and facilities. Throughout the course of the GC so far, I had the privilege of helping these children.

Our GC organised a football tournament and all the proceeds from this event would go towards the funding of the Leher Organization. There were many logistical aspects that I was a part of in order for the smooth functioning of this event. Firstly, I was in charge of organising the fixtures for the day. This was an important segment for the tournament as a whole as in order for the smooth running of the tournament, it was important to get all the fixtures organised in a proper manner. Hence, it was important for me to be organised in order for the smooth running of the tournament. Another reason why it was important for me to be organised was because of the various changes such as the involvement of more teams, some teams dropping out and some teams joining in. Hence, it was very important for me to be proactive in this matter as I had to make changes to the original plans at regular intervals.

Leher Tournament-23vzj6v

 

Final U19 Softball Reflection

In Season 3, I had the opportunity to be a part of the Softball team. Since it was the first time I had been a part of the Softball team, there were many new skills that I could develop and prior skills that I could consolidate.

My only past experiences with Softball were the times I used to play during Physical Education classes and during Season 1 where I used to do it as a recreational activity. I really enjoyed playing this sport as I got to challenge myself as well as have an enjoyable time. This was one of the main reasons as to why I decided to try my hand at taking it to the next level by representing the school for Softball.

As soon as I stepped in for the tryouts, I understood that my preferred position on the field is the in-field as ground fielding and reflexes are pivotal in order to have an effect on the match while fielding in that position and I believed that I had the required skillset in order to be in the in-field. I was over the moon when I had been given the shortstop fielding position as one would have to have a constant awareness about the game as well as being a good fielder in order to field at that position.

One thing that I wanted to develop during the course of the season was my batting. I had the basic skillset regarding hitting it in the gaps and running, but now I wanted to hit the ball long as that would result in home runs which would be beneficial for the team. That was one thing which I focused on specifically during the training sessions and my hard work paid off as I was able to hit a home run in our third game of the season against UWCSEA Dover.

Being a part of the team of a particular sport for the first time was not easy and it required a lot of communication between my team mates. Since Softball has the reputation of being a team sport, it was important for me to make my points crystal clear as well as listening to what my other team members put forth as that will enhance my involvement in the team as well. It was easy in order to collaborate with my peers as they were willing to put their points forth as well as listen to what was being put forth as well. In order to become a better team player in the future, it is important to look at the interests of the entire team before personal interests.

EE Reflection 1 – Joel Antony

For my extended essay, I was quite certain that I wanted to do something in Chemistry that involves a series of experiments that would put my lab skills to test. Hence I began to do some preliminary research on potential extended essay topics in the subject of Chemistry. After conducting some research, I came across this topic pertaining to biosorption of heavy metal ions by red algae. This immediately struck a chord inside me as I have never thought that an experiment like this could be carried out and after conducting further research, I managed to narrow down my research question and take note of how temperature manages to play a role in the amount of lead adsorbed by red algae. Lead has the potential of causing brain damage if consumed while present in water, hence this experiment comes as a cheaper alternative to purification techniques that are not so cost effective. Despite managing to get a base for my EE, it is time to consolidate it by carrying out some more research regarding past experiences with this particular experiment to see what would be the best way for me to carry it out.

Kahaani CAS reflection

In Season 2, I had the opportunity to be a part of the Kahaani activity which is aimed at raising money for an NGO in Kolkata. Kahaani is a dance show which allows us, students, to help people through the medium of dance. Dance involves a lot of practice and hence it was essential for me to balance my time in order to meet with success.

Since I had never performed in a dance show before, there were instances where I just felt like giving up but I decided to be resilient and persevere in my attempt to take part in this dance show. In order to motivate myself throughout the course of the rehearsals, I just thought about how successful the final performance would turn out to be if I practiced hard and gave it my all. The other dance members also faced dilemmas like this hence it was important for all of us to help each other out as it was a group effort at the end of the day. Due to the grueling demands of the IB program, there were instances where I felt burdened by the course and believed that I would not be able to take part in the show. However, I was resilient and I was able to tell myself that I should be able to balance my time effectively.

Hence, being a part of this particular activity helped me learn the skill of overcoming challenges and looking at the positives rather than the negatives.

 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mliAEEoDnH29yw6rOQ7S5o6xnrS59Rw4/view?usp=sharing

 

Final U19 Basketball CAS reflection

Two baskets, five players on the floor for each team with the objective to outscore your opponent; this is basketball in a nutshell. In season 2, I had the opportunity to be a part of the U-19 basketball team. I had no idea about what it entails to be a part of a basketball team since I had never been a part of a basketball team before. Since the start of the season, I was aware that I had to be resilient since there would be occasions where I will question myself as to whether or not I

am willing and able to make myself comfortable by stepping out of my comfort zone because in previous years I had been a part of tennis teams.

Throughout the course of the season, there were many skills and qualities that I learned or managed to consolidate from past experiences.  Being a part of this particular team required a lot of commitment and dedication from my end. Hence, the onus was on me to take the initiative to handle all my tasks efficiently and manage my time in order to find the right balance between what I am supposed to do. Therefore, one of my major takeaways from this season was time management.

Since I was relatively new to basketball, it was important for my communication and collaboration skills to be on point in order to find out my role in and responsibility towards the team. Since basketball is a team sport, I had to also communicate with my teammates. Communication is an integral part of all team sports and basketball is no different. Being a part of the team also drove me to enhance my work ethic as the amount of work put on the court during training built the competitor in me and naturally pushed me to set goals. Perseverance was a key as games were bound to be lost but it was interesting to see how will I respond, whether I would self-destruct and point fingers, or whether I would learn and grow from the loss?

All the mentioned traits above can be applied in life on a daily basis whether that is within a work or family environment. Basketball is an unbelievably powerful tool that positively impacts the lives of many. I am thankful for the impact that the game has left in my life and the skills that I have learned from this whole experience will inevitably help me improve as a person.

Recreational Softball – CAS reflection

In Season 1, I had the opportunity to be a part of the softball activity that took place on Wednesday mornings before school commenced. Hence, one of the main challenges that I faced was to wake up early in order to make it for softball at 6:30 in the morning. Taking into consideration all the work that I have in all my classes, it was not easy to manage my time where I was able to finish all my work, get a good nights rest and then make my way to school for Softball. But, as time passed by, I was able to overcome that problem and complete all the tasks that I had due. Hence, the main challenge that I was faced with by being a part of this activity was the organizational aspect.

During the course of this particular activity, I was mainly able to improve the batting aspect of my game which I always thought was a weak point in my game. However, with practice, I was able to understand the nuances of batting and with time, I was able to get the hang of it.

Lighthouse motor skills CAS reflection

In Season 1, I had the opportunity to be a part of a local service by the name of Lighthouse motor skills. By involving myself in this service, I was able to learn many new skills and qualities which I was unable to do so in previous instances where I was involved in a service.

Since I had been a part of a local service before, I was aware of the proceedings and what I should strive to achieve during the course of this service. Being a part of the service, it was natural that there were many challenges that I would encounter. First of all, this particular service consisted of visually and hearing impaired children and the main challenge of being a part of this activity was to convey instructions to them because they were not able to follow what we were saying. Hence, it was important for us to communicate via sign language as that was the only way through which they were able to pick up and understand what we were trying to get them to do. In my opinion, the main risk that I took throughout the course of the service was interacting with the kids from the school that we were helping because I was unaware about their likes and dislikes and hence I was also unsure whether or not they will cooperate with me. However, I took that risk and luckily for me it paid off as the children tried their best to understand what I was trying to convey to them without reacting in a manner which suggested that they were not interested in it. Although this was one of the major risks that I took, I still believe that one thing that I was unable to achieve was that of getting all the kids to understand what I was trying to convey as there were a few of them who were in their own world. Hence, I strongly believe that I will be able to achieve the goals that I set before joining this service if I am able to reach out to all the kids and get them to be a part of the activities. Throughout the service, I had managed to develop the skill of patience as it was important for me to remain patient with the kids if they were to gain most out of this experience. Although there were times where I felt like I should not be as patient, I held on and that has helped me significantly.

Since this service involved me dealing with children with special needs, I realised how lucky I was to have the things that I do today and whenever I start cribbing about something, I should realise that there are many kids who do not have access to these and I should feel privileged about what I have and not take anything for granted.

In order to connect with the children in the future, I should focus on making my points clear and communicating effectively. I should also be able to understand and cooperate with them as there will be times when they will be unable to understand what I am trying to convey to them thereby making it important for me to follow what they are trying to convey to me.

Leher CAS reflection

In Season 1, I had the opportunity to be a part of a global concern by the name of Leher which is based in Mumbai, India. Being a member of this particular global concern, I had the opportunity to learn many skills and develop any prior skills. In the previous years, I was part of global concerns but for the first time, I was a part of this particular global concern. Hence I could bring all my previous knowledge about global concerns. There are many new things that I was able to learn just by being a part of this particular Global Concern.

Being a part of this particular Global Concern, there were many activities that we had to plan. The big Global Concern group was split into three smaller groups in order to plan for the events that were coming up. My group was in charge of planning the football tournament that was supposed to take place early in the year 2018. There was a lot of detail put into our planning in order for the smooth flow of our event. Firstly, the event had to abide by the guidelines that were put in place as to how an event should be run. As the time for our planning had elapsed, we had to keep considering the number of people that would eventually take part in the football tournament that we were hosting because we were aware that there may be last minute dropouts or some more people would like to be a part of this. This was one main difficulty as well. Each group member was suggesting a series of different ideas but not all of them could be implemented because it is impossible to do so. Hence, we had to make a decision as to which idea should be implemented and we did so by analyzing the impacts that the particular decision would have. In order to respond to the changes in plans, I just thought of better ideas that would suit the activity in a more clear and concise manner. In the future, I would just react according to the situation as there might be a different problem that I may encounter while planning such events in the future.

Being a part of this activity, I had learned how to be perseverant, resilient and committed. There were many times where the ideas that I contributed were not up to the mark but instead of putting my head down, I had to come to a realisation that I must come up with better ideas and I was successful in doing so and if I had not persevered, I would not be able to do so. I had to be committed as being a member of this Global Concern, I was able to have the opportunity to help the people who were not as privileged as I was and the onus was upon me to show that I was committed to helping them in whatever possible way I can. In order to keep myself motivated to continue doing my level best, I just think to myself what would happen if I was in the place of these underprivileged people. This thought also motivates me to continue to strive and do my best for the benefit of these people. Since this Global Concern is based in India, it adds a personal touch regarding my feelings for the people involved as I am from India as well.

All these skills that I acquired and the ones that I hope to acquire will be integral in my active participation in this Global Concern.

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