Core Competencies

Rahul Parmar

Personal Awareness and Responsibility:

Strengths:
1. I take personal responsibility for my choices and actions
I play a series of different games, some online and some offline. Two main ones include
Valorant and Fortnite. These games are both online player vs player games that require team
strategies and voice chat communication. Playing these games (especially competitive) can be
extremely frustrating in terms of my teammates and opponents. And in the heat of the moment
impolite language can occur often, however, I tend to calm myself down and assure them that I
did not mean what I said. I own up to all my mistakes and miscommunications.
2. I am learning to take care of myself
Throughout my upbringing there have been many issues that surfaced in regards to my family
and friends. Currently, many of these issues are unable to be resolved due to many different
reasons and because of this, it has taken a mental toll on my health. I actively participate in
gaming tournaments to keep my mind off of it, as well as going on nature walks to calm myself
down. Also, I continue to exercise and go to the gym in my free time.
Weakness:
1. I use a variety of strategies to manage my personal well being
Like the paragraph above, I am learning to take care of myself. However, it is hard due to the
limited strategies I rely on; I rely on gaming – to take my mind off things and going to the gym
to convert unhealthy energy to healthy energy. When it comes to eating habits, they become
erratic, and there are times when I eat only one meal a day, and some, where I eat none. The
challenge I face is a lack of discipline in maintaining a good way to continuously make myself
healthy and happy. Despite my efforts of doing so, this struggle I face makes it difficult to
manage my personal well-being.

Social Responsibility:
Strengths:
1. I can identify and appreciate different perspectives on issues and evaluate strategies to
resolve problems.
One value I believe in is – to always consider the other possibilities of an argument or issue and
someone else's side of the story. Consider both perspectives no matter what. This value was
especially prevalent in my 20th Century World History 12 class last year. We studied various
topics and completed simulations and debates. In each and every one of them there was a
minimum of two sides of the story (argument). One argument that stood out the most was
whether or not the bombing of pearl harbor was ethical and just. The class was roughly divided
80/20 in favor of the situation being unethical, I however wanted to know more about this and
asked questions as to why people were on both sides.
2. I have positive peer and intergenerational relationships.
I believe I have strong connections in terms of peer and intergenerational relationships, such as
my close friends, workplace friendships, and online communities. However, relationships
containing those who are older than me (intergenerational relationships) haven’t always been my
strong suit. I would love to continue to work on that and create long everlasting connections.
Weakness:
1. I value diversity, defend human rights, advocate for others, and act ethically in all my
intentions; including online.
While I do acknowledge and value diversity, defend human rights, advocate for others, and strive
to act ethically in all my intentions, I personally do not feel attached to these topics. These
principles are important to me, but they are not on the same level of importance as my personal
interests and passions in life. I believe humans should generally just accept one another and take
into account other people's perspectives without any negative repercussions. An example would
be the drag show held in Ottawa at an elementary school. I do believe it is important to educate
the young about these topics and assure them that diversity is crucial in our society. However, I
do not agree with cancelling classes to attend these events, especially dancing in an inappropriate
manner.
Critical Thinking:
Strengths:
1. I can ask good quality questions, gather relevant information, and come up with well-
developed conclusions.
The ability to ask high-quality questions, gather information, and formulate well-developed
conclusions is effective for critical thinking and problem-solving skills. This applies to me and
my Pre-calculus 12 course I took over the summer. Instead of becoming discouraged from
learning this challenging course I decided to seek help from other teachers and use different
resources to clarify my questions. Ultimately, this improved my grade nearing the end of the
course.
2. I understand the purpose for my work and consider my audience.
The ability to understand one’s audience and the purpose of their assigned task is crucial for their
growth and development. In English, composition 11 last year, we were assigned an assignment
asking us to write a persuasive speech and perform it to the class. The speech could be about
anything so long as you had passion and emphasis. To determine the topic, I studied my peers to
find a suitable subject to talk about. I ended up choosing gaming as it is something I am
passionate about and is something my classmates were interested in.
Weakness:
1. I can analyze and critique my work and my learning.
Personally, I don’t find it useful to critique my work and learning. I do not keep track as to how
close I am to my goal, it’s either I accomplished it, or I didn’t.
Creative Thinking:
Strengths:
1. I can create new and unique ideas that may provide new perspectives that influence how
people think about topics
Creating new and unique ideas is something I must do every day. This can be shown in my
schoolwork, workplace, and hobbies (gaming). I provide insights and allow for new perspectives
on ideas frequently, introducing new opportunities to my friends and peers. One major example
of this is when I play video games; seeing as though I am an IGL (in game leader) I must always
be on my feet and be ready for anything that might prevent my team from winning.
2. I can persevere and understand that failure can be productive.
Despite my initial struggles in the Precalculus 12 course over the summer, I was able to overlook
the mistakes and use them to my advantage. Instead of beating myself up I came to understand
that failure was a natural part of the learning process. This could be applied to all aspects of my
learning journey.
Weakness:
1. I can take my ideas evaluate, develop, and refine them and make something productive
out of them
I have the ability to generate creative ideas. However, my challenge lies in the transition from
ideation to execution. While it comes easy to me to conceive imaginative ideas, I find it more
difficult to channel these ideas into tangible, productive outcomes. A prime example of this is
when I complete specific tasks at work. I create wonderful ideas that would work in theory but
when practiced, fail.
Communication:
Strengths:
1. I can listen, learn to contribute meaningfully to discussion and debate, consider different
perspectives, and build consensus.
Like the previous answers about debates and perspectives, I find it easy to generate ideas that
help discussions and debates move along. I provide meaningful insight by listening to others and
their perspectives then answer their question with a question. (rebuttal). This concept was
prevalent in my 20th Century World History 12 course.
2. I can engage in deep and meaningful inquiry for a variety of purposes and audiences.
I possess the ability to conduct investigations and research topics that are given to me in a timely
manner. Someone who is able to engage in meaningful inquiry is also someone who seeks
answers to questions and analyzes what's being asked. Ms. Nera, my Chemistry 12 teacher,
explained this to me and proved that I had this ability. She provided me with insights as to how I
ask questions and what the next step could/would be for me, if I wanted to continue learning.
Weakness:
1. I can reflect on the process of learning and share what I have learned.
An improvement I can make as a student would be my ability to reflect my learning into my
work. There are only a small number of ways I prefer to complete assignments, whether that be
through a poster, podcast or essay. Due to there being such a small margin of ways I can reflect
my learning; it can limit how much I am able to share with my mentor/advisor.
Personal & Cultural Identity:
Strengths:
1. I understand what is important to me.
Anything and everything that is currently in my life (consistently) is important to me. If
something or someone is of unimportance to me, I personally don’t see the reason to keep it or
them in my life. I want to surround myself with positive people who want nothing more for me
to be successful.
2. I understand how what I value has and will shape my choices
As a student, I’ve come to realize that what I value deeply influences what I think and do on a
day-to-day basis. My passion for learning and personal growth allows me to take that extra step
towards challenging myself to allow myself to reach milestones and goals I have set. Knowing
how values that I have shape who I am and can directly influence me in the long-term can be
stressful but reassuring.
Weakness:
1. I know my strengths and what makes me unique.
As a student, I've taken the time to reflect on my abilities and recognize my strengths. While I do
understand what I excel at, there have been times when I questioned the uniqueness of my
strengths. Some of my skills might seem attainable to others, which leads me to doubts about my
distinctiveness. I wish to continue to work and improve on this manner; I wish to eventually
become an expert in my strengths, understanding that it will take time.