Considering your own strengths and weaknesses, how do you feel that participating in this Virtual CAS Conference gave you an opportunity for personal growth?
In analyzing my own strengths and weaknesses, I heavily feel that participating in this conference helped me grow as a person. Before meeting with other students, I had an extremely close-minded perception of COVID-19 and the climate crisis; however, after collaborating with others from foreign countries, I now recognize the differences in COVID-19 and climate across the globe.
What challenges did you face? Which skills did you develop as a result?
I would definitely say that my toughest challenge was self-confidence when voicing my opinions in group discussions. Because I come from a small geographical area, I was afraid that I wasn’t educated enough to speak on some tough topics like other students were. However, I pushed myself to turn on my microphone and find a way into the conversations; as a result, I feel that my confidence has grown and I feel more inspired to do independent research on issues I am unfamiliar with.
Has this experience inspired you to initiate and plan future CAS activities of your own?
I would definitely agree that this experience has inspired me to initiate future CAS activities of my own. I hope that, with this newfound knowledge, I can develop something locally. Specifically, I volunteer at my local kids’ book bank, so I might be able to coordinate a volunteer project with them down the road!
How did this activity require you to demonstrate perseverance or commitment?
Because we were faced with a real world problem, it was difficult to immediately come up with a concrete solution. Thus, individual and group perseverance was necessary to fully complete our proposal (which we did!)
You worked collaboratively during the Hackathon. What role did you perform and what did you learn from others in your team?
During the Hackathon, I was involved in researching the NGO that needed our help. In addition, from my team, I learned the importance of asking tough questions and never giving up despite challenges.
Which issues of global significance do you feel you engaged with? How?
I feel that I felt the most engaged with climate change because a central focus of this conference was climate change and how COVID-19 has impacted this issue. Additionally, during the Hackathon, I was most engaged with disadvantaged youth/populations because our challenge was to propose a solution to helping the poorer citizens of Peru.
When considering the ethics of your own actions, did this weekend challenge your beliefs? Has the experience inspired you to change any of your own behavior?
Though I do not think that this weekend challenged my ethical/moral beliefs, I do think that this weekend inspired me to be more inquisitive of global issues. That is, to do more research on prevalent issues in hopes of becoming more educated and solving problems on the local and global scale.
