Over the course of my CAS career, I feel I have grown in many ways. I have been able to pass on my knowledge as well as learn from others, benefitting both myself and my community. My first (and favourite) CAS experience was my two terms spent coaching the Y8 TGS netballers alongside my club coach. I was able to pass on my own passion for the sport and improve the players’ skills and confidence, alongside building my own experience in coaching. After a term of sessions, the Y8 team attended a county tournament feeling much more confident.   I also improved my own netball skills in my matches outside of school. I aimed to improve my effectiveness as a defender outside of the goal third – I achieved this objective as I was consistently asked to play as a Goal Defence (playing in the centre third and goal third) throughout the winter season.  

My passion for dogs was incorporated into my crafting DIY toys to be donated to Battersea Cats and Dogs Home from recycled materials. The charity does amazing work, and I was excited to be able to contribute to their cause in an eco-friendly way.

I engaged with a more global cause in organising a bake to raise money for a hospital that had cared for a member of my cricket community.  The donations were split between the hospital and their global outreach charity.

Perhaps the most challenging of my CAS experiences was debating, although I feel this experience was the most beneficial to me. I was exposed to an entirely new activity and learnt so much, alongside engaging in current affairs and improving my understanding of how our parliamentary system functions. I also saw the benefits of debate in my essay-based subjects as I improved my structures, time-management skills and confidence in pushing arguments. Overall, my CAS experience has been both enjoyable and beneficial to me in a variety of ways, allowing me to grow as a person and contribute to my community.  

Above all, the CAS programme has encouraged me to use my skills (including skills I had yet to develop) to act on the things I am passionate about. On this journey I have taken on challenges, such as organising a local beach clean, which were fuelled by my own interests, for example environmental activism and ocean pollution. Furthermore, I have developed new skills, for instance social media managing, in order to make small impacts, including spreading awareness of the diversity gap in STEM fields. As shown by these two examples, my CAS projects were inspired by the things I love outside of school, giving me an excuse to expand my interests beyond the education system. I believe that having experiences that were separate to my studies made me a more well-rounded individual.

Ultimately, CAS has forced me into doing the things I knew I would love but was too scared to try- it has taught me to trust my initiative, challenge what intimidates me and appreciate the importance of collaboration. All of these lessons are tools which I am proud to have and which I can use whenever life throws its next challenge at me.

Personally, CAS has been a wonderful learning experience, where I have been able to learn new skills, socialise and be more active both mentally and physically. I think that it has been a very useful part of the International Baccalaureate and I am glad I have had this opportunity. My initial goals were to be more involved with the school community and develop my skills, I believe I have done this. I volunteered myself to help during Harvest, and I signed up for interviews for the Scotts Project Trust. Both of these have allowed me to develop my confidence and my ability to socialise. Helping during harvest was also a good experience as it helped others. The Scotts Project was potentially the experience which helped me develop the most, as we taught British Sign Language to people with learning disabilities. This really developed my socialising skills and helped me overcome my fears. Also, I learned a lot about socialising with people with learning and physical disabilities and I was able to reflect on how society views them.

My creativity was strengthened by creating and running a board game and quiz action, which the younger years participate in each Wednesday. I think this was a very valuable experience as we do not get to connect with younger people at the school often, and it gave us the ability to take control and plan an activity.

I think my favourite part of CAS has been Sports Friday, in which I participated in many sports, such as basketball, benchball, dodgeball, tennis and badminton. Having the ability to choose the sport and socialise with other people each week has been very encouraging to be more active. I think it was also a nice way to take a break from studying. History mentoring has also been very useful, I really enjoyed being able to express my passion for the subject and help younger students improve. I appreciated the chance to help others and hopefully made their studies easier. I also taught my friends how to solve a Rubik’s Cube, this also helped me socialise more, it helped me develop my teaching and communication abilities, and it was also interesting to see how different people learn. Overall, CAS has been a very good part of the IB, and I think it has helped me develop as a person.

Throughout my CAS journey, I engaged in a diverse range of activities that challenged me to grow both personally and collaboratively. From teaching Year 7 students various cultural dances in Asian Fusion Dance to participating in team sports, tutoring in mathematics, joining the ukulele club, volunteering at a library, being involved in Chemistry Society and an economics stock simulation, each experience contributed to my development in unique ways.

One of my main goals was to work collaboratively, which was particularly evident in Asian Fusion Dance and team sports. Teaching younger students required patience, adaptability, and clear communication to ensure they grasped the movements and appreciated the cultural significance behind them. In team sports, I learned how to trust my teammates and contribute effectively, emphasizing cooperation, especially during the moments I was unable to partake in traditional team sports and instead we had to find ways to make exercise plans that everyone was able to do.

Developing new skills was another one of my key focuses. In ukulele club, I explored music in a way I hadn’t before, especially given my inexperience playing the ukelele, gradually improving my technique and musical confidence, simultaneously leading the club and learning new skills with the students. Similarly, the stock simulation in Economics Society provided insights into financial and ethical decision-making, risk management, and global economic trends, enhancing my analytical skills.

When assisting students with maths, I had to ensure that I was fostering genuine understanding rather than simply providing answers, while also having to develop new skills to teach the content effectively to my students to consolidate their understanding.

My interest in chemistry is what motivated me to join Chemistry Society where I took the Chemistry Olympiad and learnt more about chemistry outside the curriculum helping me develop areas for growth and identifying my strengths in chemistry currently.

One of the biggest challenges I faced was managing my time efficiently, but I learned how to prioritize and plan ahead. Staying committed to long-term activities, especially when facing health issues or gaps in knowledge, was difficult. However, I found that perseverance and seeking support from peers and mentors helped me overcome these obstacles.

Ultimately, my CAS journey taught me valuable lessons in teamwork, adaptability, and time management.

I will always be grateful for the experiences that I got to take part in during the last two years, as they have played such an important role in shaping my future. At the start of the process, I had noted that I had considered teaching as a career aspiration, however I remember being so unsure about my future opportunities. Participating in CAS has given me newfound motivation to pursue this, as it highlighted to me how rewarding working with others is. Since completing CAS, I have been volunteering supporting children and young people with moderate to severe disabilities, which I would have never dreamed of doing if it wasn’t for completing CAS. Such a great experience that I will treasure for the rest of my life. :)