On A High Note
(April 2020 - Present)
My CAS group and I formed a singing club for BSGE that started in the summer of 2020 and continued throughout the school year. The club is intended to provide students with a creative space where they can musically express themselves and de-stress from the school environment. With the leaders having interests in music, we wanted to give other students the opportunity to explore their own passions or relax with us every Friday. Vocal games were played in the club that often extended beyond the intended concluding time. OHN leaders additionally offered resources to aid in experimenting with music and singing, presenting among ourselves and supporting each other's creations. Every month, we also hosted faux auditions, providing members with a theme for a song and later showing our individual performances. The members established a very supportive environment, always encouraging others and making each other feel proud of their achievements. We also encouraged participants to create themed playlists composed of songs they enjoyed.
​
Some of my curated playlists:
​
​
​
​
​
Prior to online classes, we had planned to have live performances during school events. However, COVID-19 forced us to change our plans. Instead, OHN members recorded audio and video feeds of themselves singing and the club leaders stitched the clips together. I was in charge of putting together a cohesive audio file of our voices, using the program Audacity to do so. With this, the club presented our video performance of "A Million Dreams" from "The Greatest Showman" during BSGE's Winterfest event. The process was difficult, as coordinating with many people for their clips did not always work well. Nonetheless, I was proud of the end result and our virtual performance went well. Furthermore, the OHN leaders also collaborated with a CAS group to produce another cover to spread positivity. With the aid of Project TEAL, we created a performance video of us singing "Believer" by Imagine Dragons. Such videos can be found within the gallery.
​
(40 creativity hours)
IBPS Three Acts of Goodness Children's Summer Camp
​
(Summer 2019)
I volunteered as a counselor for a children's summer camp. The work required being responsible for 10 children with two other people and managing various activities including arts and crafts as well as a treasure hunt. At the beginning of camp, teams were established between counselors and kids. Members collaborated to create a team cheer, allowing the children to express their creativity and learn to work together. Electronics were not allowed at camp, which helped prevent distractions and helped me focus more on looking after and getting to know the children.
We engaged in outdoor activities together such as occasional hikes and games scattered around the campgrounds. Children and counselors also went outside to play sports along with having a water balloon fight. Throughout the five days together, our groups were given time to create a dance with the song of our choice. These were to be performed on our last day together around the bonfire. After each day, counselors and staff members would meet to discuss any issues we had and future plans.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the camp and got to bond with many of the children. As one of the younger members of my family, I got to experience the responsibility of caring for other kids. I learned I was capable of this leadership and despite some hiccups, I had a really fun time and hope I gave the children good summer memories.
(5 creativity hours, 35 activity hours, 40 service hours)
PERIOD. / RED
(Sept. 2019 - Jan. 2021)
RED helps educate others on menstruation and fundraises to purchase and donate menstrual supplies for those in need. They also aim to spread positivity overall and create a safe space for students to have important discussions on social issues and concepts.
​
On Valentine's Day, we continued the club's tradition of decorating each school bathroom with positive messages of self-love. We also organized carnation sales to fundraise money while gifting students and staff with flowers for friends and family. RED members additionally took part in a protest advocating for free period products, creating posters together after school.
Joining RED educated me on how I could aid and support menstruators. The club promotes concepts and goals that I fully supported, as I relate to the cause and want to make a difference. I felt that RED accomplishes a lot in providing BSGE students with a welcoming place to talk and spread awareness.
​
(8 creativity hours, 20 service hours)
Bacc Rag
(Sept. 2019 - June. 2020)
I was a junior editor for The Bacc Rag and occasionally helped write articles for the school newspaper. I primarily reviewed and edited submitted articles for publication. Since I already enjoyed looking over others' papers for grammatical and contextual errors, I thought this would be the perfect position for me. In the club, we learned techniques for writing enticing publications among other lessons such as interviewing students or teachers. My job as a junior editor entailed fixing others' written texts while notifying them of necessary changes and elaborating on why they were made.
​
Being a part of The Bacc Rag allowed me to gain insight into my personal writing style while also analyzing possible improvements for my other school papers. I was also able to view how other students expressed their ideas and had the benefit of reading interesting and entertaining articles.
​
(35 creativity hours)
UNICEF
(Sept. 2019 - June. 2020)
The UNICEF club at BSGE hosts fundraising events in order to donate to children living in poverty. Each meeting, we planned bake sales or holiday-themed occasions to earn money. Additionally, UNICEF club members created and displayed different artwork to raise awareness for several humanitarian issues. We were given oil pastels and had the freedom to decorate individual pieces of paper that would have been hung in the school lobby. However, our plans were interrupted by the COVID-19 quarantine. Prior to virtual learning, the club had also been planning an Easter egg hunt for students to take part in. Tickets would have been sold with proceeds being donated to various causes.
The community established by UNICEF allowed for opportunities to aid those in need. It was rewarding participating in an organization that would make a much-needed difference in others' lives. The club helped define significant goals and spread awareness among our school.
​
(15 service hours)
Student Council
(Sept. 2019 - Present)
The council hosts meetings every month to plan events to fundraise for the grade. Since I am part of the events committee, I am in charge of conducting and organizing these projects. One event we planned was Deck the Halls where students decorated classroom doors and hallways for the month of December. Prizes were given to those who had the highest ratings from the judges. Candy grams for Christmas and Valentine's Day were also sold with personalized messages to raise money. Prior to COVID-19, the council had intended to host a school dance.
​
I was able to improve my organization skills while collaborating with others to set up enjoyable occasions. It was enriching to spend time and effort behind planning events and seeing the culmination in the events. I was glad people were able to enjoy the projects we created and we raised a decent amount of money to aid our grade's endeavors.
​
(10 service hours)