This year has been a year full of surprises and challenges.  The unexpected outbreak of COVID-19  has lead to the cancellation of class, activities anahd most importantly/shockingly the IGCSE exams.  As the world came to a standstill and started to move online, I was  face with several challenges with online learning but most importantly, I took the pandemic as an opportunity to learn and improve. An example of this is coping with the new changes in regards to the way we learn and also taking the pandemic as a chance graph/analysis cases and how they correlate with each corresponding nation’s response to COVID-19.   The COVID-19 pandemic also taught me to appreciate what I have. Many people have lost their lives or loved ones, and millions of people lost their jobs.

Changing directions, this year I had the opportunity to take part in a hands on local service, called Evergreen, with a group of close friends. This service allowed me to  connect with people from different cultures and age groups. The service also cultivated my leadership skills as I ran activities for the elderly each session. My participation in 2 MUN conferences (Uwc and OFS) during my grade 10 schooling year, has broaden my perspective and also improve my public speaking skills.  All this helps me improve as a person and improve vital skills such as communication and leadership. My involvement in MUN and Gpers have also allowed me to accept and understand different cultures and perspectives.

This year was an important year and signifies a significant stepping stone in my educational career as I choose the next chapter in my life as a human being.  Being an uncertain and ambitious teenager I decided to choose subjects that didn’t restrict my future career path and learning.  This meant taking physics, maths and chemistry for my HL and 2 language + economics for my SL subjects.

Looking back on this 2019/2020 academic year, I have no regrets and the year has been fun but also very educational. I have improved in my academics but also as a human being. The future years, will not be an smooth journey, however I look forward to the challenges of the IB diploma and being a young adult.