Hi there everybody! My name is Alison Wu, and I am in grade 12. I’m a trilingual French Immersion student at Dr. Charles Best Secondary School.
My passion to work with new people and try new challenges. In other words, I enjoy exposing myself to new ideas. For me, tackling new situations, however, is sometimes terrifying but also thrilling. In grade 3, when I switched elementary schools, the idea of meeting new people and losing old friends terrified me. Putting myself in a whole new position and an unfamiliar environment gave me anxiety. However, in the following years, I’ve pushed myself to be more confidant in who I am. In middle school, I made it to a district-wide French speaking competition. In high school, I volunteered with different organizations and got my first job. I even travelled out of province for the first time alone to participate in a university program. All the challenges that I tackled so far expanded on my perspective in life, boasted my self-confidence and gave me more determination to face new difficulties. In the next year of 2020, I plan to go on a school trip to Senegal to experience new cultures and learn from the people there. Taking Butterfly Effect/Social Responsibility in the past year has allowed me to learn in a whole different way. I was able to grow by collaborating with others on the site and supporting each other’s learning. This year, I expect to develop the skills I’ve gained and hopefully expand them.
If I were to ever be either the worst or best player on the team, I believe that I would rather be the worst. I find that when you are the “worst”, you tend to grow more thanks to the support from the rest of your team. However, I enjoy helping people, so being the “best” player on the team would be amazing because you could assist your team to improve. I believe there is never actually a best or worst player on a team. Everyone is on the same competing field against no one other than themselves. Therefore, you constantly support each other and grow from your mistakes. That’s one of the reasons why community is important for me. Not only is community a web of individuals who share a feeling of connectedness, but it’s a group that continuously supports one another. That is why, this year, I’ll be focusing on the Action aspect of Social Responsibility.
When I want to relax, I read. Sometimes I get lost in a book, quite literally, where I become deaf to environment entirely. Thus, reading completely de-stresses me! On another note, I also enjoy drawing. Despite my passion for art, it’s also extremely stressful. People say drawing is calming and stress relieving; however, I would sometimes say the opposite. When I want my art piece to look perfect, I put too much focus into my pieces, and I get super annoyed that it doesn’t look exactly how I want it. I also enjoy skiing, hanging out with my friends and watching movies during my spare time.
Well, that’s all I have to say for now! Thank you for reading my biography, and I hoped you enjoyed it!
-Alison Wu