Personal awareness and responsibility

Strengths:

- “I am personally responsible, self-motivated, and can advocate for myself.” I have always had a
very strong work ethic nonetheless; I do procrastinate a lot. This has been a very difficult
challenge to overcome, however, I have been responsible and self-motivated to finish my work
and ensure it is my best work. An example of this would be the work I have completing this year.
After a full year of struggling last year, I stepped up by trying my best to stay motivated and
complete each assignment to the best of my ability while staying on top of all my work.
- “I am learning to take care of myself.” Last year was an incredibly hard year for my mental health
wise. I was going down a bad depression path and fast. I let my well-being slip by to a point
where it was almost unsavable. After a lot of hard work, I was able to recover and start learning
how to take care of myself. This will be a long journey however it is a strong work in progress.
Weakness:

- “I understand learning takes patience and time.” I am a very “get it done now” type of person. If
it can't be done within the time I allow for it, I will either become very frustrated or procrastinate.
This is something that I've done ever since I was a little girl, and it needs to be fixed if I want to
be successful in the real world. I will start attempting to fix this by slowly trying to adjust my
mindset. I will ask my friends and family to help me go in that direction whenever I am becoming
frustrated and upset over my learning taking time.

Social responsibility
Strengths:

- “I value diversity, defend human rights, advocate for others, and act ethically in all my
interactions, including online.” Based on numerous situations and experiences, I have always
been the one to stand up for others, even when they are within different cultures than me, etc. I
have never let those who have different colored skin or heritage, culture, or even the same as I be
a victim of harassment with no one standing up for them. I will always be the one to help. A time
I have demonstrated this would be in many situations during my school years. I have stood up for
those being teased and hurt by the things they could not control. Although I may not always solve
the problem, I have always tried my best to make sure ithers don’t feel alone.
- “I have positive peer and intergenerational relationships.” I can have a positive attitude with my
peers however, I have always had trouble making friends with those close in age to me. That’s
why I have made very strong connections and friendships with those much younger or much
older than me. I can receive different perspectives on issues and/or life and have fun with not just
those in high school.
Weakness:

- “I can identify and appreciate different perspectives on issues and use and evaluate strategies to
resolve problems.” Although this isn’t too much of a weakness for me, I do understand that this is
something I can strongly improve on, I tend to be quite stubborn in my ways however, I am
learning to have an open mind and advocate for others using their strategies.
Critical thinking
Strengths:

- “I can analyze and critique my work and my learning.” Ever since I started to do things on my
own, I have always wanted to be very independent. I always liked proving I was strong and smart
enough for any tasks thrown my way, therefore never wanting to ask for help. This has made me
analyze and critique myself on all my work, trying to find out what I could do better as well as if
there was a better approach to what I was doing originally. I would then implement the things I
analyzed and implement them into my future assignments and/or learning, etc. Times where I
have done this are when I have been completing projects for some of my courses. Every time I
was almost done, I would rethink my work and ask myself how I could make this even better.
- - "I can ask good quality questions, gather relevant information, and come up with good quality
questions.” When I am completing assignments or tasks, I always want to be 115% prepared. I
like to ask good clarifying questions along with research to back up my understanding of the
topic. Without this type of structure, I have a hard time completing my work, etc. Ever since
grade 6, I have been devoted to fully understanding the topics I learn before I go on. Every time I
receive an assignment or learn a lesson, I am not afraid to ask the questions I have until I fully
understand.
Weakness:

- “I can explore and create new ways to represent my learning around a variety of problems,
events, issues, and needs.” I have gotten very comfortable with structured written tasks and have
gotten fairly good at them. That is why it is hard for me to express myself in different creative
ways. When I am asked to create something artistic, etc. for assignments, my brain has a hard
time coming up with something that isn't structured. This is something I need to improve to be
successful later in life. I plan to start learning how to acknowledge and demonstrate my learning
in different ways than I normally do. This will make me start thinking outside of the box and
become comfortable with this idea.

Creative thinking
Strengths:

- “I can create new and unique ideas that may provide new perspectives that influence how people
think about topics.” generally, I can come up with ideas that stem from personal experiences and
influence people with new ideas. I will always acknowledge the other person's perspective while
also bringing my understanding to help others learn. An example of me doing this would be
during debates in class settings, as well as when I help other students with their understandings,
etc.
- “I can use the environment around me, including others, and my unconscious mind to generate
new ideas.” I usually struggle when it comes to coming up with my ideas however, I have learned
that using the space around me can influence and motivate me to think of new things. I like using
some understandings from others and items in my surroundings to manipulate them into my idea
with my ideas relating to the topic. I have demonstrated this when I had to come up with a
 question for my biology IA. I was struggling with question ideas for over a month and was
stressed out of my mind. I then took a step back and observed the things around me. That was the
small step I took to finally figure out the perfect question to research and complete an individual
+ self-directed lab.
Weakness:

- “I can persevere and understand that failure can be productive.” Although I have always been
known to persevere through hard times and challenges, I have had hard times trying to get past
failure. I can be a perfectionist in many situations meaning that when I don’t reach the standard, I
have a hard time moving past it without beating myself up for it. I need to learn that it's
impossible to be good at everything and that failing is just another opportunity to learn and get
better. This will be a great mindset when I move on later in life and need to learn many new
things each day.
Communication:
Strengths:

- “I can listen, learn to contribute meaningfully to discussion and debate, consider different
perspectives, and build consensus.” Throughout my life, I have been able to communicate with a
variety of people to a very large extent. I can help many people through tough situations, debate
while being respectful, and take in what other people have to offer knowledge-wise. Examples of
this would be my personal discussions with other students. When others are having a difficult
time in life, I will listen, validate them and their issues, give them a new perspective, and keep
trying to be there for them whenever they need.
- “I can engage in deep and meaningful inquiry for a variety of purposes and audiences.” In many
instances, I have demonstrated sympathy and compliance. I can offer help in any way possible as
well as further understanding through deep conversations. I have done this many of times such as
helping people in tough situations in dance, school, and life and try my best to become an
advocate for them as well as help them in their specific way.
Weakness:

- “I can reflect on the processes of learning and share what I have learned.” Although I can reflect
and share adequately, I still have a lot to improve on. I have had issues in the past where I have
been unable to thoroughly explain and reflect on my learning and experiences. This is something
I am constantly trying to improve on and hopefully soon, this will be one of my strengths.
Personal and cultural identity:
Strengths:

- “I know my strengths and what makes me unique.” In my everyday life, whether in dance, school,
or at home, I utilize the strengths I know I have as well as use the strong attributes I have, to
further my personal growth. Depending on the situation I am, I understand when to communicate,
give space, help, and more just by assessing the situation. Times such as being at dance, school,
work, and more have provided me with understanding myself and my strengths.
- “I understand what is important to me.” throughout the past 2 years, I have been working extra
hard to find myself again. I had lost sense of who I was and became very lost. I began finding
myself by understanding what was most important to me. I utilized my friends and family around
 me, and I can proudly say I now know what is most important to me. Using this knowledge, I can
hopefully further my understanding of myself.
Weakness:

- “I understand how what I value has and will shape my choices.” This again is not something I
lack however; it is something I am currently still trying to work on. I have been changing and
working on my values to help guide me to be able to make good decisions. I will improve by ask
for input from those who are older and wiser than me. Their life experiences can help me better
understand my values, actions, and choices which will then help improve them.