CAS Final Essay

CAS Final Essay: Cindy Kwon

As an IB diploma student, I had so many experiences and learned a lot for about 2 years. I first didn’t understand the reason why IB requires CAS and values it. I thought this CAS program is used to find out how one can manage their time and write things regularly. However, this wasn’t it. After working for CAS for 2 years, I found out that IB program actually looked forward to help candidates to improve and learn how to become a well-rounded person.

I have done a lot of things during my junior and senior year. Among those, most of them were related with my CAS projects. Sometimes, I had to deal with many kinds of problems or sometimes I had to challenge myself to achieve my goal. Also, I had to commit myself to help the other. Creativity, Action, and Service has really given me a lot of great experiences for the past two years! It helped me to become a person who can deal with problems, who can plan projects, who can accept any harsh words, and also who can lead people. In other words, it helped me to become a person whom everyone hopes to become.

Of course, there were many problems to deal with when I was working on CAS. I was always late on submitting proposals, writing journals, and also final reflections. I was not scheduled at all. However, I am proud of myself for being able to finish everything. It was a bit annoying and frustrating to finish all the work, but this definitely has helped me to become a better person and learn a lot from it.

CAS is aimed or used to make one to become a person who can increase the awareness of their own strength and areas of growth, who can undertake any kinds of challenges, who can plan things, who can work collaboratively with others, who can show perseverance and commitment in their activities, who are engaged with issues of global issues, who considers ethical implications of their actions, and who can develop new skills. And by working on CAS for two years, I was able to become these kinds of person. I honestly didn’t even notice that I covered all 8 learning outcomes. However, at the end, I found out that I covered all of these without knowing. So, I personally think that CAS actually leads people to learn these 8 learning outcomes.

I believe that one can never improve or get better if they do not take challenges. One should take chances and know how to undertake new challenges. And I could do this during my NHS projects, Recycling Club, and varsity sports. I could use my leadership and my skills to improve the projects and help others to work harder and feel comfortable.

One other thing that I want to talk about is that people really wants to always to something which they are good and which they wants to do. Same thing happened with me, however, I tried hard to change my thoughts and wants and do things which can help other people.

Since I was not a good painter or drawer, working as a decorator of the in front of the house was very challenging. I really needed people’s help on doing my job as a head of the house decoration team. Even if I couldn’t be artistic in this role, I could still work hard because I had leadership and it was keep on growing. I learned how to control people even if they were not following me. I think this role really helped me to grow up as a person who can lead people and who can be trusted. I personally am very sorry to my teammates because I couldn’t be with them every single day when they were having a meeting. Sometimes, I was leaving them alone and I went to practice soccer or went to soccer practices. However, I am so proud of my team because they worked hard even if I wasn’t there with them.

When I was working with my Varsity Basketball team, I was a defense leader. I don’t know why but I am always a leader in defense. This is because I also am the leader of defense in Soccer. As a leader of these sports, I had many problems which gave me a lot of hard times. Some people were saying bad things about me, while some were ignoring me. However, through this experience, I could grow up a lot. I learned how to deal with those kinds of situations. I am pretty sure that everyone who was part of our team knew how I felt in these situations. So, I am pretty sure that they also learned from it that I hope they wouldn’t do these to any other next leaders.

When I was working as a recycling club, I learned a lot from it. I honestly am not good and speaking in front of so many people and I usually was not the one who would talk in front of a lot of people. However, being a member of publicity group made me to challenge myself and I am now so proud of myself. When I was first talking in front of people, I was so nervous. I literally was sweating so much on my hands! But, when I started to talk repetitively, I got comfortable with what I was doing. It helped me to get better and get comfortable.

For my NHS project, I planned to teach children about hygiene so that they would know about the importance of them and learn how to be clean. I chose this project because children who were in the orphanage seemed like they were not taking shower, brushing their teeth, and so on. I wanted them to be healthy that I decided to have my project on it. I had many problems when dealing with this project. I was not fully prepared that I had to visit the place almost right before the project. Yes, I shouldn’t have done that but I am glad with this because it actually helped me a lot. Children recognized me when I visited there again and they wanted to listen to me. I think the visit helped me to explain the importance and usage of each item that I have bought to children because I think they were a bit more interested.

CAS really helped me to become a person who is well-rounded. I started to be part of many kinds of activities which helped me to grow up inside. For two years of being an IB candidate, I was able to experience the 8 learning outcomes even if I meant to do them. When I was working throughout the year, I started to cover all those 8 learning outcomes without knowing. Going through all the hardships and negative things have brought me and made me into a stronger and tougher person. CAS has made me to feel many different emotions. However, all those emotions such as frustration definitely allowed me to think back and reflect myself. I am so happy to have such as great experience with CAS. It has leaded me to have a lot of meaningful memories and also valuable moments.