“Getting to know new people from various countries was my favorite part of YYGS Connect. Hearing their different opinions on the same topic, I enjoyed engaging in debate with them in seminars and breakout sessions. Most of all, it reinforced to me that people from different continents could have such differing but also very similar views on certain issues. I was reminded that looking at everything from different angles is imperative to have an objective and accurate world view.”
During quarantine, I had some trouble concentrating during zoom classes and I knew my classmates were in a similar situation, especially when we were learning new concepts. To address this, I decided to create the ICS Academic Club during this summer. I was inspired by Cambridge University’s tutoring program for freshmen college students where they can request help from seniors. With other classmates, I gathered “tutors” to provide students academic support in specific subjects that the tutors were good in. We’ve already helped a few students and are aiming to help some more.
Our ultimate goal is to establish an academic “backbone” for students to fall back when struggling so as to help them get back on track. By helping students from lower grades, we aim to help them get a clearer view of the IB program from the student perspective, something valuable for aspects of the curriculum such as the extended essay, a 4000 word research assignment required for completion of the diploma. Since we all have diverse backgrounds, we can approach the problems students encounter from a variety of perspectives. From the club members’ point of view, it can provide the skills, learned while tutoring such as patience and open-mindedness which can help them in the future.