Introduction
Since childhood, I’ve always looked for ways to improve myself. I’ve looked for challenges, possibly harboring rewards in the form of new skills and traits. This goal was magnified in ACLC’s independent learning environment. I’ve been able to focus on bettering myself as a person. Reflecting upon my last eight years as a learner in this school, I remember the great and unique times I’ve spent here from experiencing Hannah Camp, to participating in the multitude of group projects, and to leading Basketball Bevy. This school has allowed me to become someone who thrives in group activities through enhancing my individual capabilities.
Personal Qualities, Work Habits, and Attitudes
The unique working environment at ACLC allowed me to grow into a more responsible person. The fact that I had to work in a college-like school set new standards for me. The free and flexible schedule allowed me to learn to use my time to my leisure, but at the same time reminded me to perform at even higher standards. In order to maximize my educational opportunities, I’ve taken Honor’s Courses at ACLC and have taken a multitude of College Classes at Peralta. This sense of taking responsibility is one that drives me to keep persevering through all of my set goals, in-and-out of school.
ACLC has taught me to self-manage myself. When I initially joined, I had never used a planner, set a plan, or even make a schedule for myself. As the years progressed and I became disorganized, I looked for solutions and backtracked to being reluctant to self-planning. I immediately readopted this already-emphasized principle at ACLC and began to apply it to my own life. Being able to manage myself has allowed me to use my time more effectively, allowing me to perform and execute tasks more efficiently.
I’ve gained a new sense of selflessness by attending ACLC. Before, I was only concerned about myself, take for example Basketball Bevy. The club itself was one where we played basketball and honed our own individual skills through gameplay with larger, more talented players. But as the years progressed and players left the school, there was no one else to improve upon. Not only that but the interest in the sport was dwindling, both in the club and on the team. I didn’t want to close the opportunity to kids like me who would have also wanted to grow their skills in basketball, so I decided to take the mantle and become the leader of Basketball Bevy myself, but I wanted to change the club’s motive. Rather than just be one for pickup games, I wanted to “coach” players during these pickup games to help them improve themselves. Any person can be interested in the sport, but getting better at anything leads to greater interest. Teaching my peers how to improve their own individual game and techniques allowed me to give back to my community, and it’s something that I’ll to continue to do for the rest of my life.
ACLC has taught me to self-manage myself. When I initially joined, I had never used a planner, set a plan, or even make a schedule for myself. As the years progressed and I became disorganized, I looked for solutions and backtracked to being reluctant to self-planning. I immediately readopted this already-emphasized principle at ACLC and began to apply it to my own life. Being able to manage myself has allowed me to use my time more effectively, allowing me to perform and execute tasks more efficiently.
I’ve gained a new sense of selflessness by attending ACLC. Before, I was only concerned about myself, take for example Basketball Bevy. The club itself was one where we played basketball and honed our own individual skills through gameplay with larger, more talented players. But as the years progressed and players left the school, there was no one else to improve upon. Not only that but the interest in the sport was dwindling, both in the club and on the team. I didn’t want to close the opportunity to kids like me who would have also wanted to grow their skills in basketball, so I decided to take the mantle and become the leader of Basketball Bevy myself, but I wanted to change the club’s motive. Rather than just be one for pickup games, I wanted to “coach” players during these pickup games to help them improve themselves. Any person can be interested in the sport, but getting better at anything leads to greater interest. Teaching my peers how to improve their own individual game and techniques allowed me to give back to my community, and it’s something that I’ll to continue to do for the rest of my life.
New Basics
I’ve been proficient in mathematics all my life, as it is something that my family put the most stress on in my education. I’ve enjoyed being able to learn this subject through the usage of textbook formulas and applying them to problem solving. The subject of math, to me, is one that requires more computational thinking over creative thinking, and it’s something that I prefer in my work. I’ve taken advantage of this preferred way of thinking, taking advanced college courses of math, completing up to Calculus I and acing each math course. As someone who enjoys the subject of math, I view it with confidence and it’s a subject that I apply to my everyday life.
Initially, I wasn’t a confident speaker and I usually kept to myself or played off the ideas of others. That changed as I progressed the ranks of my class and held the responsibility of helping my fellow classmates. Helping others allowed me to gain confidence in speaking, as I grew adept to explaining ideas, work, etc. This eventually got me to be a better public speaker; through ACLC’s project-based learning, the myriad of presentations that I’ve done has allowed me to become a better “talker” rather than a presenter of information. Now, further improving on my public speaking is a goal that I’m constantly improving on, and it’s something that I’m always looking forward to do.
Fitness has been in every aspect of my life. At the age of 3, I was part of a martial arts school and trained for 11 years, earning my second-degree black belt. During my elementary and middle school years, I played organized basketball and continue to play through the bevy I lead. Currently, I’ve been powerlifting for about three years. The sport requires organization and commitment: I’m waking up at 4AM, dieting, and planning which body parts to emphasize every single day. The sports that I take part in are not only fun, but teach me important life lessons that I continue to live by. Sports and nutrition are an integral part of my life that have transformed me both physically and mentally.
Initially, I wasn’t a confident speaker and I usually kept to myself or played off the ideas of others. That changed as I progressed the ranks of my class and held the responsibility of helping my fellow classmates. Helping others allowed me to gain confidence in speaking, as I grew adept to explaining ideas, work, etc. This eventually got me to be a better public speaker; through ACLC’s project-based learning, the myriad of presentations that I’ve done has allowed me to become a better “talker” rather than a presenter of information. Now, further improving on my public speaking is a goal that I’m constantly improving on, and it’s something that I’m always looking forward to do.
Fitness has been in every aspect of my life. At the age of 3, I was part of a martial arts school and trained for 11 years, earning my second-degree black belt. During my elementary and middle school years, I played organized basketball and continue to play through the bevy I lead. Currently, I’ve been powerlifting for about three years. The sport requires organization and commitment: I’m waking up at 4AM, dieting, and planning which body parts to emphasize every single day. The sports that I take part in are not only fun, but teach me important life lessons that I continue to live by. Sports and nutrition are an integral part of my life that have transformed me both physically and mentally.
Thinking and Reasoning Skills
Learning is forever ongoing for me. I’m always learning, whether it be a new subject or a new technique to improve my efficiency— I view myself like a machine in a way. When things go wrong, when a mistake is made, I tend to try to find other ways to the solution. Of course, while I’d prefer to get the right answer quickly, being patient is usually the answer. Through my mistakes, I’ve learned to be better, and on my never ending quest to be more efficient, learning from mistakes allows me to do so.
I’m very cautious before making decisions. I factor in risks and consequences primarily before I execute, otherwise I’d consider alternatives. I usually overestimate and prepare for the worst possible situation that can occur in the event in which I do make the wrong decision, which is also a factor in the initial decision in the first place. Making decisions is very serious and important to me, and being able to do so in dire situations is one of my most important values. Being meticulous in everything I do contributes to, what I’d say, the great decisions that I make every single day.
My reasoning is very conservative. I believe in justice and fairness according to the law and logic. I value just principles and I don’t seek to change the rules that I believe to be fair. I think that reasoning is also important in making rational decisions, as factoring in logic and common sense are catalysts for forming reasoned decisions. To draw conclusions, I believe that one must be logical and fair in order to be as reasonable as possible.
I’m very cautious before making decisions. I factor in risks and consequences primarily before I execute, otherwise I’d consider alternatives. I usually overestimate and prepare for the worst possible situation that can occur in the event in which I do make the wrong decision, which is also a factor in the initial decision in the first place. Making decisions is very serious and important to me, and being able to do so in dire situations is one of my most important values. Being meticulous in everything I do contributes to, what I’d say, the great decisions that I make every single day.
My reasoning is very conservative. I believe in justice and fairness according to the law and logic. I value just principles and I don’t seek to change the rules that I believe to be fair. I think that reasoning is also important in making rational decisions, as factoring in logic and common sense are catalysts for forming reasoned decisions. To draw conclusions, I believe that one must be logical and fair in order to be as reasonable as possible.
Interpersonal Abilities
Learning is forever ongoing for me. I’m always learning, whether it be a new subject or a new technique to improve my efficiency— I view myself like a machine in a way. When things go wrong, when a mistake is made, I tend to try to find other ways to the solution. Of course, while I’d prefer to get the right answer quickly, being patient is usually the answer. Through my mistakes, I’ve learned to be better, and on my never ending quest to be more efficient, learning from mistakes allows me to do so.
I’m very cautious before making decisions. I factor in risks and consequences primarily before I execute, otherwise I’d consider alternatives. I usually overestimate and prepare for the worst possible situation that can occur in the event in which I do make the wrong decision, which is also a factor in the initial decision in the first place. Making decisions is very serious and important to me, and being able to do so in dire situations is one of my most important values. Being meticulous in everything I do contributes to, what I’d say, the great decisions that I make every single day.
My reasoning is very conservative. I believe in justice and fairness according to the law and logic. I value just principles and I don’t seek to change the rules that I believe to be fair. I think that reasoning is also important in making rational decisions, as factoring in logic and common sense are catalysts for forming reasoned decisions. To draw conclusions, I believe that one must be logical and fair in order to be as reasonable as possible.
I’m very cautious before making decisions. I factor in risks and consequences primarily before I execute, otherwise I’d consider alternatives. I usually overestimate and prepare for the worst possible situation that can occur in the event in which I do make the wrong decision, which is also a factor in the initial decision in the first place. Making decisions is very serious and important to me, and being able to do so in dire situations is one of my most important values. Being meticulous in everything I do contributes to, what I’d say, the great decisions that I make every single day.
My reasoning is very conservative. I believe in justice and fairness according to the law and logic. I value just principles and I don’t seek to change the rules that I believe to be fair. I think that reasoning is also important in making rational decisions, as factoring in logic and common sense are catalysts for forming reasoned decisions. To draw conclusions, I believe that one must be logical and fair in order to be as reasonable as possible.
Technology
As someone living in our current technological society, I have been using technology for the majority of my life. Whether it be my cell phone, computer, or gaming device(s), I’m usually using one of them for various purposes. Sometimes the usage would be trivial, like browsing the web or playing video games, but I also use technology for educational purposes. Primarily, I use technology in education for the purpose of efficiency: being able to type documents in a matter of minutes, being able to better communicate with peers for opinions and revisions, and taking advantage of the endless amount of information on the web. Technology has been an integral part of my life, and it’s something I’ll continue to use forever.
I’m a very selfish person: everything I have is mine and mine only, meaning that it’s subject to my use and my care. As someone who values what they have, technology especially, I take proper measures to maintain my equipment and possessions in the best possible way. My devices have cases, my information is stored privately, and I do routine performance checks monthly. I’m also dependable when it comes to fixing technological equipment, especially being a grandson to grandparents transitioning to this technological era. When called upon, I’m able to fix issues, such as slow internet, changing the TV source, and simple iPhone issues. Being able to maintain and troubleshoot equipment is something that I’ve been able to do.
I’m a very selfish person: everything I have is mine and mine only, meaning that it’s subject to my use and my care. As someone who values what they have, technology especially, I take proper measures to maintain my equipment and possessions in the best possible way. My devices have cases, my information is stored privately, and I do routine performance checks monthly. I’m also dependable when it comes to fixing technological equipment, especially being a grandson to grandparents transitioning to this technological era. When called upon, I’m able to fix issues, such as slow internet, changing the TV source, and simple iPhone issues. Being able to maintain and troubleshoot equipment is something that I’ve been able to do.
Conclusion
My time at this wonderful school is coming to an end. Though this last year has definitely different, but I wouldn’t say that it’s regrettable. All of my eight years spent, whether good or bad have shaped me. I’ve become a better person and know that these new skills and traits will last throughout my life.