Reflective Essay
Intro Paragraph
​I was born in San Francisco, a place that has shaped my values in every single way. I could not be more grateful to have grown up here, especially when I think about what my other option would have been: present-day Russia. I am grateful for the opportunities that the Bay Area has presented to me, and I will be truly sorry to say goodbye to this lovely place when I leave for college.
Personal Qualities, Work Habits and Attitudes
My personal qualities, work habits, and attitudes would not have been had I not spent my high school years here. As a person, I have positively flourished at ACLC. I entered ACLC a self-conscious eighth grader and I am now exiting a confident, self-assured senior. Towards any assignment or situation, I try to figure my way out. I definitely exhibit a “can-do” attitude as often as possible. This attitude has manifested itself especially when I do my science fair projects. Science projects at ACLC are always an arduous process, but I have found a way to manage them. In fact, my projects always do remarkably well, both at the school and county level. I attribute this success to the fact that I use a planner and that I build upon the experience that I have received in previous years. I do not allow self-doubt to cripple my spirits.
​
I am the queen of adaptability. I try to do my assignments as they are prescribed to me, but if something does not work out, I will figure out how to work around the limits of my situation. This relates to when I am helping out other learners with their homework. I enjoy helping learners, even if there are limited resources available to me. When I am doing my own homework and I will be having limited computer access, I am logical enough to do the part that requires a wifi connection first and then the part that can be done separately. Homework at ACLC is all about managing your time.
​
​I definitely consider myself to be a career know-how. I have been extremely proactive in the college admissions process for as long as I can remember. Even in freshman year, I was familiarizing myself with facts that were familiar to me. In freshman year I knew the classes that I needed to take and what the A-G requirements were. By sophomore year, I was debating whether I should take the SAT or the ACT. In junior year, I completed my tests. I also started to develop my college list. All throughout high school I pursued engaging extracurriculars that would serve as a catalyst to further myself in the right direction for a career. Thus, I am not entirely nervous about this college admissions process. I am confident in my potential of succeeding in college and beyond.
New Basics
​During my time at ACLC, my talent in writing has significantly improved. In middle school, my writing was very stilted and did not have a flow to it. Now, as a senior, I can write in very different styles effectively. For four years I have written science fair research reports, which has significantly assisted me in communicating my ideas in a succinct way. Last year I did something I had never done before, which was writing an APA-style research paper for Modern World History. My listening skills have also drastically improved at ACLC. As a child I had a terrible habit of not being able to listen to people while they were speaking. I was always interrupting and then feeling bad about it. Now, I have become more in control of myself and I can now hold my tongue while others are speaking. I believe that ACLC affords more opportunities for people to speak their mind, and that is why I am never worried that my voice will not be heard. My speaking skills have also improved. Where I once was nervous in front of a crowd, and had to prepare for hours upon hours at a time, I can now speak on the spot to my class. Doing a program at UC Berkeley called Boost@BerkeleyHaas has thoroughly cemented the confidence of public speaking within me, as well as the many project presentations that I have taken part in as a result of my ACLC education. ACLC has afforded me the opportunity to more effectively speak my mind, both in conversation and in my work.
Thinking and Reasoning Skills
ACLC’s freedom in teaching has forced me to learn what techniques work for me and what techniques don’t work for me. As my classes have increased in rigor over time, I have found myself studying more often. I have taken advantage of resources that ACLC has introduced to me, like Quizlet, YouTube, and Khan Academy to brush up on concepts that I did not fully grasp in class. I have also become stronger in decision-making. My class assignments are usually very broad, and I like to take advantage of that. For my science projects, I have always done topics that interest me and studied these topics in ways that interest me. My English essays have been about ideas that I found interesting in the books that we read, and it was up to me to assert my point using evidence that I found on my own. Finally, my problem-solving skills have improved during my time at ACLC. In many classes, I have determined what resources I need to most effectively complete a task, sometimes using papers I had received in the class previously. An example of this manifests itself when I write essays for Molly’s class. Sometimes I will use a paper that has essay starter kits that indicate how to write an effective thesis and paragraph transitions. I feel that I have sufficiently developed my thinking and reasoning skills during my time at ACLC.
Interpersonal Abilities
One thing I know that I have always been good at doing throughout my years at ACLC is being a good team member. Whether it’s picking up the slack for others or encouraging others to participate, I’m your girl. I’m definitely an advocate for self-motivated learning, so I enjoy making sure that everyone in my teams always understands what is being asked of them. This definitely manifested itself in Biology last year, since labs are an arduous process that require everyone in the team to be working hard. That way, they can produce the best possible work. This relates to another skill that I have significantly improved upon: teaching others new skills. I feel like in the past when it came to projects I was always really passive when it came to explaining others what they needed to do. However, as I have grown older and more confident in my skills, I have changed in my dispositions. In recent assignments, such as text discussions during English, I find myself always checking in on my team. I try to start conversations and suggest things that everyone in the group do to start the discussion, but then I let everyone else lead. On a connected note, I have been able to exercise my leadership skills as a result of my assignments at ACLC. ACLC have just enough of a voice in comparison to my other teammates. I believe being a good leader also requires someone to be a good follower. Especially when I had trouble understanding concepts (especially in Calculus), I would make sure to figure out how my table team could utilize the knowledge we had. When I had class assignments for Calculus, I would make sure to divide up the work in a way that wasn’t overwhelming and also played on individual strengths. Outside of the classroom, I took part in Leadership and Speakeasy. These extracurricular endeavors allowed me to be more confident in speaking my opinion and just public speaking in general, two very important skills to have. Additionally, being Bevy Buddy for Leadership forced me to go up in front of the entire school very often, so I learned to get comfortable in my skin in front of almost 400 people!
Technology
I really believe that one place I’ve become noticeable more knowledgeable over time is when it comes to technology. I’ve become super adept at using the resources I have via the internet to solve homework tasks requiring the internet much faster. For example, for essays I have started using voice typing so that I can finish writing essays more quickly. My method is using the voice typing to just get all my thoughts onto the document, and then I edit and revise to make sure that everything is grammatically correct. Especially when struggling to figure out what to type onto paper, it is always best to just get something onto there. I’ve also gotten better with maintaining my technological equipment. One thing I’ve always neglected to take care of in my life are my headphones. I’ve probably been through at least ten pairs. But whenever my headphones aren’t working, I go online and research how to fix them. Usually, the solutions are really simple so I can just use scotch tape and my headphones work halfway decent.
This essay can’t even begin to describe the changes that I have undergone during my 5 years here at ACLC. A couple of assignments and personal interactions don’t showcase who I am as a whole. They can only vaguely depict who I am and who I have become as a person. I am so grateful for the time I have spent at ACLC. I know I would have been a different person had I not gone to high school here -- and probably not for the better.
Conclusion
This essay can’t even begin to describe the changes that I have undergone during my 5 years here at ACLC. A couple of assignments and personal interactions don’t showcase who I am as a whole. They can only vaguely depict who I am and who I have become as a person. I am so grateful for the time I have spent at ACLC. I know I would have been a different person had I not gone to high school here -- and probably not for the better.
20 Year Vision and Action Plan
In 20 years I imagine myself living comfortably with my family working part time to support them. Aside from working I hope to spend a lot of my free time traveling and going to outdoor events. I hope to have a strong group of friends that I can keep connected with and develop strong relationships among our children. Most importantly, I hope to achieve happiness. Happiness will present itself with me earning enough money to support my family financially and also for me to able to afford all the fun things I want to do in my life. I also hope that I will not be so swamped with work that that I will have to bring work home.
What I need to do this is to accrue a Bachelor’s Degree in some prestigious pursuit (such as Economics or Biology or Computer Science). Then if necessary I can pursue a Master’s Degree, perhaps in the hopes of becoming a professor or researcher. If I decide to become a doctor, I will need to attend medical school for four years and residency and fellowship for eight more years. This will require a lot of money, but hopefully I will get a high-paying government funded job that can pay off my debts.