Growing up around ACLC when I was in elementary school, I was ecstatic to be a learner. In retrospect, that enthusiasm is amusing—7 year old me had no idea what was in store. The past six years have been a whirlwind full of experiences in education, leadership, and independence. Thanks to ACLC’s democratic model focused on learners working hard for personal knowledge, I have been able to foster strong independence and love for learning and I am prepared for college.
Personal Qualities, Work Habits And Attitudes
When I was younger, I was very sociable and fairly organized—two skills that have furthered my success in the educational world. With the help of ACLC, the constant communication between learners, facilitators, and adults have improved my ability to be social with those older than me. Had I not trained myself to have a proper conversation with an adult, I would have never landed the many internships or important events I have been a part of. My organizational skills were forced to improve, thanks to ACLC’s free period model. Time management and organizing my files was key to my college application process, as well as excelling in my college classes, high school classes, and internships. The exposure I have had to independence and taking charge of my own learning has made me more confident in my abilities—a confidence that improves my performance as a curious student.
New Basics
Throughout my years at ACLC, I have used a multitude of skills to succeed academically and intelecually. I have functional command of the standard English language, as shown in both my grades in English 3/4 HP and any other class in which writing is of importance (e.g. U.S. history, chemistry, biology, etc.). Reading and writing are both key skills in every class I have taken, and my grades in each of those classes proves my competence in these skills. Mathematics is a strong suit of mine, as my highest math class is calculus and I have taken both calculus and statistics at the College of Alameda—courses that are harder than high school classes. Listening and speaking are, again, core skills for succeeding in any class, especially in college lecture-style classes. I have utilized these skills in both lectures and in presentations, furthering my understanding of concepts and communicating with my peers about said concepts. Arts are something I have pursued outside of school. I have an active artistic side, as shown by my art I have created, as well as my love for music, both listening and performing. I have played piano for 12 years, and I have been immersed in the art world since I was a baby. Finally, science is a newfound love of mine. After working in a lab at Northwestern University, I found a career that would be extremely interesting to pursue, and have arranged my college search list based on their biology departments. I have taken chemistry and biology at the College of Alameda, and both courses have been both challenging and rewarding, furthering my passion for science.
Thinking and Reasoning Skills
Thinking and reasoning skills are key to surviving in high school. This is exemplified in both classwork, SAT’s, ACT’s, college essays, etc. “Knowing how to learn” is one of the most important skills in school, as it provokes one to think about thinking. This is called metacognition, something Molly has introduced in English 3/4 HP. There was a graph in Molly’s class that had 4 quadrants: Know what you know, know what you don’t know, don’t know what you know, and don’t know what you don’t know. This not only helped me visualize and reason what I have learned, but it also helped me get in the habit of checking in with myself and whether or not I understand what is being taught to me. A skill like this will be useful in college, when I have to take charge of my learning and actively seek out tutoring or a professor to fully grasp what is taught to me.
Interpersonal Abilities
Having a leadership position in all of my four years at ACLC has improved my leadership skills insurmountably. I have not only led large activities at ACLC (e.g. Leadership Conference, Constitutional Convention feasts four years in a row, Diversity Day feasts/logistics, etc.), but I have also branched out to applying my leadership skills to working for different nonprofits, such as Camp Kesem, EDGE Youth Leadership, and Impact Bay Area. Planning large activities requires a great amount of communication with different types of people, such as learners, parents, and administration. By working often with these types of people at ACLC, I learned how to tailor my speech based on who I was working with, and I have been able to use these skills properly outside of ACLC. Learning to communicate with people who are older and more skilled than me has both humbled me and made me confident in my communication skills. Thankfully, once I reach the outside world, I will not be scared of talking to those who are not in my age range, thus communication will never be a reason why I am unsuccessful.
Technology
Based on the current technological developments of the past century, the world will continue furthering the capabilities of technology. Because of this, it is important that everyone knows at least a little concerning how technology works. Coding is a good example of knowledge everyone should have. Technology relies on code, thus it would be wise for people to know that language. I have furthered my skills in coding at my internship in Northwestern, as our data was analyzed by a coding platform known as R. R is a statistical analysis platform, and the code is written by technicians in the lab, so I got to use not only a new language, but a version of R unique to the lab. This gave me great insight on how different labs analyze data. I took this knowledge to ACLC’s coding club, hosted by two amazing learners, Jessica Nguyen and Wendy Zhou. This club opened my eyes to new, more common coding languages that will promote my advancement in a technologically loaded world.
Conclusion
Overall, I have accumulated a wealth of skills that will improve my chances at succeeding in the outside world. I am thankful for the opportunities that have been presented to me, here at ACLC. Not only will I apply these skills to my academic life, I have social skills that will ensure that I have a strong voice, no matter where I go. I have also learned to balance academic and creative lives, something that will live with me forever.