Author: sarao51056@gapps.uwcsea.edu.sg

MUN Final Reflection

sarao51056@gapps.uwcsea.edu.sg CAS 0 Comment

After 2 years, I have completed my Model United Nations journey. I have been part of 5 HS conferences, as a delegate and a chair. During the Singapore International Model United Nations, I was fortunate enough to win the Most Diplomatic Delegate award in the Human Rights Committee. The 2 learning outcomes that I want to reflect on are learning outcomes 1 and 6.

LO1: Strength and Growth 

Through these 2 years, I have not only grown in my understanding of current affairs, but also my ability to speak in front of large audiences. Of course, by being part of the Student Council I was used to speaking in front of large audiences, but MUN taught me how to respond to tough questions on the spot and to have the courage to debate controversial issues. During MUN@UWCSEA 2018, I was the delegate of North Korea, a country that holds a controversial stance on the use of nuclear energy. Hence, being out of my comfort zone, I learned to enjoy being “the bad guy” and, utilizing the skills that I learned from delegate training, I was able to persevere.

LO6: Global engagement 

Being part of MUN has raised my awareness on the plethora of issues that our world faces. Problems such as the economic crisis in Venezuela, the problem with Nuclear Waste, gun violence, lack of vaccinations, etc. Putting myself in a position to come up with solutions to these problems has allowed me to become engaged with the many societal and political instabilities that are occurring around the world. Being able to train young individuals to do this will definitely help create a new generation of leaders that can stop these problems in the future.

 

Final Student Council Reflection

sarao51056@gapps.uwcsea.edu.sg CAS 0 Comment

After 2 years, I have completed my tenure in the High School Student Council. Through these 2 years, I have learned several skills and have filled my High School journey with experiences I will never forget.

In particular, I intend to focus on learning outcomes 3 and 4.

LO3: Initiative and Planning 

Being a member of STUCO requires heavy planning prior to major events. An example of this is UWC Day, where we were required to plan out the days and the activities in advance and communicate that to the student body and the HS leadership team. Moreover, we had to write scripts and plan our performances on the last day, representing the different cultures that our school has to offer.

LO4: Working collaboratively with others 

Being able to work well in a team is quite possibly the most important thing in being a part of the Student Council. We are always involved in discussing ideas and debating certain issues that need to be addressed. An example of this was the time we talked about religious inclusion in the campus, discussing inclusion in political views(left and right-wing) and how the school can diversify itself to represent all points of view, instead of just one. It’s important as students of UWC that we understand why certain individuals believe in certain ideologies and understand that it’s ok to believe in different things.

 

Overall, I am very satisfied with my time in the Student Council and I hope that future members continue to make a change.

EE Reflective Conversation 3

sarao51056@gapps.uwcsea.edu.sg EE, Uncategorized 0 Comment

The final EE conversation with my supervisor made me reflect on what I learned through this whole process. The experience of going through several sources of research and having to write a 3500-word essay within a specific time period was enriching and helped me develop the needed skills that I can take forward with me. I realized that I managed my time quite effectively, spacing out at least 2-3 hours a day to work on the mathematics of my essay, as well as compile sources. In regards to sources, I was able to develop a sense of how to cite in-line citations, as well as cite images that were used throughout my essay. In regards to feedback, my supervisor didn’t give me specifics but mentioned that the formatting of the essay looks good. Overall, I’m satisfied with the progress I’ve made through this EE journey, diving into a subject that I’m interested in, and I’ve gained an insight into essay writing life in the future.

EE Reflective Conversation 2

sarao51056@gapps.uwcsea.edu.sg EE 0 Comment

My 2nd reflective conversation with my supervisor was extremely beneficial. I received feedback on my first draft, as well as advice on the next steps until the final EE submission. The main takeaway was that my essay needed to be structured in a more coherent and logical manner. Additionally, there were many typos and mislabelling of images that led to a misunderstanding of many points that I had made. In terms of my bibliography, I needed to put them in alphabetical order, as well as add inline citations that I provided in the beginning. From here on, I need to make sure that my essay is easy to follow and doesn’t contain any errors in labelling. I was told by my supervisor that I should delve into the history of my topic more in order to make my essay more “worthy” by looking at mathematicians who have done this work before me.

Summer Reading 2019

sarao51056@gapps.uwcsea.edu.sg Uncategorized 0 Comment
  1. What did you read? 2. Personal response? 3. Literary/Non-literary features(how was the text written?)      4. Concept(What can you take away from this and link to something else?) Write it in separate paragraphs- take the time to reflect on your writing. 

Over the summer break, I took the time to read a book called Science-ish by Michael Brooks and Rick Edwards. The book centred around uncovering the science behind several iconic science fiction films. The book explained concepts such as living in other planets, time-travelling, black holes, genetically enhanced apes, etc. More than this, I also took the time to read an article by the NewScientist in regards to the connection between sickle cell anaemia and malaria. The article dictated the connection between having a sickle cell gene and how that can prevent malaria.

The 2 texts were eyeopening: Science-ish further reinforced my interest in Astrophysics, helping me gain a better understanding of the world outside of our world. I have always been curious about these concepts since I was a child and Science-ish engaged me in a way that tapped into my younger self, exuberant about the idea of time travel and the idea of black holes. Although I’m not much of a reader of science articles, I found the article about the connection between malaria and sickle cell anaemia very fascinating. Malaria is a disease very common in Indian culture and has been common in my father’s side of my family as well. Therefore, understanding the development of this certain disease and its connections to several genetic traits was insightful to say the least.

Science-ish employed a more informal register, as well as having a more comical approach to explaining the films and scientific concepts behind those films. As an author, this could be done to be more approachable to readers of younger ages, in order to fulfil the purpose of educating fairly complex scientific concepts in slightly easier ways. The NewScientist article employs a more formal tone, as well as complex register, in order to inform individuals reading this of the new development and discovery in the scientific world. The response is more structured in order to suit the text type of the article so that the message can be perceived and understood by the audience. The article, as well, explains several concepts regarding the comparison so that readers who aren’t from a scientific background can better understand what is being said.

The concept of audience influencing the use of language can be taken from these 2 texts. Science-ish uses a more informal register in order to suit younger, more inexperienced, audiences so that they can better understand the meaning of the text, fulfilling the author’s purpose. Likewise, the NewScience article caters to more experienced scientists that already have prior understanding of malaria and sickle cell anaemia, using more complex language relating to the specific scientific field.

 

#EE Day- Exit Ticket

sarao51056@gapps.uwcsea.edu.sg EE 0 Comment

1) One thing that I have learnt: Today, I was able to further develop my understanding of the assessment criteria and the specific requirements that need to be met in regards to my extended essay. This would entail Personal Engagement, Critical Analysis, Knowledge and Understanding, Focus, and Presentation.

2) What I’m proud of: I’m proud of the fact that I was able to get my introduction completed, meaning that I now have more time to develop my main body paragraph, my non-practical experimentation, and the mathematical synthesis in the end. I was able to give a brief introduction of the Ulam Spiral, as well as how the evident diagonals can be linked to symmetries, and how that will able to help in spotting larger primes.

3) What I’ll be doing next: I need to focus on finding an appropriate software that will allow me to write my specific equations for my research. I am deciding between OverLeaf, Lyx, and Equatio. I will need to investigate these specific softwares and decide which one is best suited for me. Alternatively, I could also use Microsoft Word Equation Editor as chances are my EE will not contain several equations, but more diagrams. Though, I should still take a look myself and see what I am most comfortable with.

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