At the beginning of grade 9, I was nervous and anxious as to what to anticipate for the upcoming future. I was afraid of initiating my high school journey as I knew that from here on, things would begin to matter. My grades, my choices, my decisions. All of these changes added pressure and stress, however, I realised that high school is a journey I have to embark on with positivity and perseverance. This year has resembled something similar to a seesaw, with ups and downs, but the journey has been enjoyable.
I took numerous opportunities this year, and attempted to excel in every aspect. For instance, I signed up for MUN for the first time. When I first signed up, I was anxious and doubtful because I was unsure about how well I would do, or whether I might embarrass myself. Furthermore, since my sister did MUN, and was exceptional, I felt a substantial amount of pressure to do well, and live up to her expectations. However, when I joined and began to experience the thrill, I genuinely enjoyed participating and engaging in the activity. In fact, during my first conference, although I was nervous, I attempted to do my best and remain active throughout the conference. Furthermore, when I went for my second conference, I won Most Diplomatic in the Environment committee. This was definitely a highlight in Grade 9 as it proved that I am capable of excelling in something I may have never experienced before, and it motivated me to try new things.
One of these new things included participation in TGELF 2018. TGELF is a platform for young leaders to provide solutions and efficient methods to attempt to solve prominent global issues such as the refugee crisis in Syria, providing healthcare to malnourished children, etc. My group (consisting of 5 people) focused on ethnic cleansing in Myanmar. Specifically, the Rohingya crisis. This was a stimulating experience as I learnt about the complexity of the situation, and we strived to create a product which could aid the Rohingya refugees. We produced a wheelbarrow which can be carried and generate electricity every rotation of the wheel. Whilst it seems like an interesting product serving a meaningful purpose, other groups also had products of the similar quality and depth of thinking. However, we managed to qualify in the top 3, and it was a satisfying feeling as it displayed our hard work paid off and may be used for meaningful purposes.
This year has allowed me to discover new aspects and explore my options that may affect my future. I am interested in pursuing medicine as a career because I believe the career holds an immense amount of possibilities, and generally, it’s an exhilarating career. Therefore, to understand whether I am truly interested in the profession, I joined activities such as medical society, science society, etc. This provided a platform for me to explore the ethical and moral background of the profession as well as the basic theory behind it. In fact, this summer, I intend to intern at a hospital in Mumbai, which will allow me to experience and learn about the career first hand.
In general, grade 9 has had it’s sufficient share of ups and downs, however, I am optimistic about the future, and excited about the journey I have embarked on. Looking forward, I hope to make certain decisions regarding my future and hopefully, achieve some of the goals I have currently.
