March 2017 - Blog Post 2

As previously state, I have continued to grow as a person, leader, and community member throughout all of my experiences for this CAS project. I gained so many new skills that will assist with my success in the future like time management, organization, and leadership. I was put in multiple different positions and I had to adapt to my position by adopting new skills and implementing different work methods to get the job done. I did a lot of creative, active, and service learning events that I have definitely learned a lot from and will help contribute to my abilities in the future. I have made new friends, learned so much, and participated in so many activities! I am pretty impressed with myself, if I do say so myself, because I approach this project using activities I have been doing my whole life or activities I have been doing before because I was genuinely interested. I don't just do these activities because they look good for colleges or because they fill up hours for CAS and service learning, I love everything I do and I am happy with what I have accomplished. All of the activities I have done which I will list out to show how amazing I am and to brag a little, including three different sports (cross country, track, and basketball), five clubs (Student Ambassadors, Mathletes, Science Olympiad, Lunch Buddies, IB CAS Club), three outside organizations (Youth Leadership of Greensboro, Indian Association of the Triad, and Girl Scouts), four musical instruments/activities (flute, voice, piano, and dance - Bharatnatyam), and the hard labor of IB on top of that has made it fun because each of these activities allows me to experiment with different opportunities and they act as nice outlets for me because of the stress of juggling it all! With the addition of the CAS project, IB has provided a platform for me to gain unique learning experiences and I definitely believe these opportunities have contributed to my personal growth and development. I have learned so much from these experiences, and this is in reference to life, and these are what I will be able to look back on in many years to come and think "I am so lucky to have been given this many opportunities because I was able to experiment with my many interests; I have learned so much from those experiences and am thankful they have contributed largely to the great and successful pediatrician (who has probably cured cancer) I am today."

IB CAS Hour Table

Experience (2016)	Creativity (hours)	Activity (hours)	Service (hours)
Bharatnatyam	20
Flute	15
Voice	10
Hospice			10
Indian Association of the Triad			50
CAS Project	5	5	5
Basketball		50
Total Hours Overall:	Total Creativity: 50	Total Activity: 55	Total Service: 65

March 2017 - Blog Post 2

Looking back at our CAS project, I am proud of our accomplishment. We prepared for this long journey and so many people thought it was a crazy idea, but it was so much fun and a really unique learning opportunity. We were able to get through this walk by venturing through beautiful and safe neighborhoods, accompanied by music from our phone, and a backpack. We still had more resources than the children we wanted to represent. They have a much more difficult time getting to their destination and they do so on a daily basis, while we only did so for a day and with way more entertainment options to get us through. It was a very cool experience and it makes me more grateful for the resources I have access to. We have asked a few adults to donate a few dollars for every mile we walked to donate to a charity, Water Mission, which will help provide the resources for children in other countries. This CAS project enabled us to learn in a really exciting and creative way!

February 2017 - Blog Post 1

We walked to school today! It was truly and exciting experience and went much more smoothly than I imagine. My friend spent the night at my house and we left in the morning at 7 AM. We reached the school an hour and a half later at 8:30 AM. The beginning of the journey was tedious and a little hopeless because we ventured down an incredibly long road and we did not have a conversation going. Our backpacks were gradually growing heavier and making our shoulders more sore. After crossing the first stoplight, things started looking up because we realized we had made more progress than we thought and we started distracting ourselves with music and conversation. Before we knew it, we were in Friendly Center, which is only a few minutes from Grimsley. We stopped to take a few pictures of the gardens near us and we grew slightly sad because our adventure was almost over. We had so much fun on this walk and it was an exciting learning experience.

January 2017 - Blog Post 2

In preparation for our CAS project, I collaborate with a classmate, Catriona Dick. We have been brainstorming different ideas and thinking up different plans of actions for completing the assignment. We ultimately decided to walk to school, which is considerably a long distance considering neither of us live in our school district. We wanted to raise awareness and experience what children in other countries experience daily. Some children have to walk an average of four miles to obtain necessary resources, like water, or education and the distance from my house to Grimsley was four miles, so it seemed like a perfect opportunity. We planned for Catriona to sleepover at my house, so we could leave bright and early and begin our trek. We tried to map out how long it would take and when we should leave my house, but we decided to just leave at 7 to give ourselves 2 hours. I am so excited to see how it goes!

January 2017 - Blog Post 1

I have been playing basketball since I was five years old. I have been a member of various organizations including the Spears YMCA, Proehlific Park, the Greensboro Lady Gaters AAU team, and currently, my school’s women’s basketball team. This year, as a member of the women's varsity team for my school, I participated in the HAECO tournament, which is a basketball tournament at the coliseum in which most Greensboro varsity high school teams participate in. The entire experience was exciting and truly a fun way to end my last basketball season ever. My team and I practiced daily, and even some weekends, for hours perfecting plays and scrimmaging like crazy. Although we lost in the first round, my girls and I played so hard and I definitely enjoyed the experience. It was heartbreaking to suffer so many losses, but we worked hard and it strengthened our team. I had fun going out to eat with my team and watching our boys do well. It was a wonderful end to a last season!

December 2016 - Blog Post 1

Every year, my family volunteers at Urban Ministry as part of our Hindu temple organization. We cook meals and feed them to the homeless. We set up the tables and clean the kitchen and dining room. It is so satisfying seeing all of the people in need who are receiving the resources they need and are not able to access on a daily basis. It is also very disappointing to see that there are so many people in Greensboro who are without a shelter and necessities. We volunteer here every Christmas Eve and it's been a tradition of my family since I was younger. I am thankful to have grown up learning to give back to my community and it has been an inspiration to me and assisted in my personal development and growth. I always seek out opportunities where I can help make the life of someone easier. Besides helping out, I genuinely enjoy helping with the cooking and serving because it allows me to work on time management, organization, and communication. We create an assembly line and it's nice to feel like I have a purpose.

October 2016 - Blog Post 1

This past month, I received the amazing news that I would be a part of the Youth Leadership of Greensboro Board. I was in the organization as a leadership member last year and tried for board, but unfortunately did not make it. However, a vacancy opened up and I was the first one to be called! I was so excited, because I had faced many rejections from other programs I had signed up for and it was nice to finally see something work out. It is also pretty funny and ironic how last year, I did not originally make the position as a member in the organization but a month after the program started, a vacancy opened up and I was also the first one called for that. I am a believer that everything happens for a reason, so I am grateful to ultimately receive this opportunity! I had my first meeting with the other board members and it was exciting to see the thinking process and amount of organization needed to plan the meetings. We have to have a lot of ideas, contacts, and plans to make sure the day events are successful. I also noticed how much reflection is emphasized to ensure the next meetings are even better, if possible! I was a little overwhelmed, but my excitement only grew for being a part of this amazing organization and a promising group of leaders.

Youth Leadership Greensboro: Batch of 2015 - 2016