I am Ruchika Mukherjee, a grade 11 student at UWCSEA East. Ive spent the majority of my life in India, and am very attached to the place, and the people. I wish to keep myself rooted to my culture, and therefore often visit Kolkata, to not only spend time with friends and family, but also contribute constructively for the benefit of Kolkata, via working alongside various NGO’s like Utsarga there.

Yet, I believe, I have wholeheartedly embraced Singapore and UWC, as it is a very inclusive community, and has enabled me to access many opportunities outside of the rigour of academics, as can be seen from my quite extensive involvement with all elements of CAS. I am very involved with a various of activities, all of while, align very well with my interests. Space and astrophysics fascinates me and I seek to further invest myself in this field. I also enjoy writing and have a personal blog, where I post my opinions on various topics. Debating goes hand in hand with this style of using words to make an impact, and is another aspect that I am involved with. Prior to moving to Singapore, I was very involved in Sports as well, especially in Track and Field, as I was ‘the fastest girl in Kolkata ( the city where I lived). My involvement with this element has unfortunately decreased, as UWC does not lay a lot of emphasis on this sport. However, I hope I always remain in contact with this sport – perhaps CAS will facilitate this.

CAS, i think, can probably be considered, an extension of the UWC values which students already adhere to, through their co curricular involvement. CAS promises to be great fun, as I will get the opportunity to push themselves in different areas and document it, so it is accessible to others as well.