by Katarina Jakubcekova
By writing this final essay, I am going to try to draw out a picture that gets created in my mind every time somebody mentions a well-known acronym, CAS. One of my IB teachers used to say that when looking back at a certain period of your life, you are more likely to recall the good things that brought you joy and happiness than the bad ones. From my own experience I can say it's true although I am not sure why it is the way it is, so I will not spend time trying to analyze it. The point is that the first thing that comes to my mind when somebody says the word CAS is satisfaction, which is not even a picture but rather an emotion. It is like when you get up in the morning and while brushing your teeth you accidentally look in the mirror and whatever you see there it's you, it is your reflection.
The second thing I recall right after getting feeling of satisfaction, is the long-term process of planning and initiation; no wonder it's one of the learning outcomes. Each activity I had done during those two years was a challenge, which required lots of brainstorming and "thinking ahead" that was sometimes pretty hard to do. It's not surprising that with some activities, it was easier than with the other ones. My goal for volleyball was very simple and straightforward, to learn how to play it. Therefore, my plan was composed of things such as: to attend every single practice, to always listen to my coach, to do some additional fitness practices. Following this plan required effort and determination, but overall it did not face as many obstacles and difficulties as my House project did.
While reflecting on all the activities I have done during my whole life, not just during those two years of CAS, I can, with confidence, say that being a leader of the House project was the greatest challenge of all. IB mentions that too, doesn't it? It's called: "Undertaking New Challenges" - learning outcome number six. Well, thanks to CAS I think I have understood the true meaning of the word "challenge". Working with the local hospital, especially with children suffering from cancer seemed like a wonderful idea. I guess the main reason why I chose it was because of my desire to help those who needed it. Who could assume that some people might not be interested in your help? I certainly did not. Full of enthusiasm, other three leaders of the House and I started to plan everything step by step or at least we though we did. It did not take us long to realize that one of the main parts of our well-thought out project, entertaining children from the department of oncology, was not going to work out for us at all. This is due to fact that unfortunately, students younger than 18 years old, which is pretty much everyone from our House, must not interact with sick children as they could cause them unconsciously more harm than good. This indeed very disappointing experience made me realize that it is very important and necessary to consider all possible ethical issues that may arise before all the planning and initiation. Hence, the next two parts of my CAS image are unquestionably words ethics and challenge, which are always there in my brain saying: "be careful!"
I do not think I could pick just one activity I enjoyed the most, but being a delegate of Egypt at Bratislava Model United Nations was that kind of an experience, which makes you smile every time you think about it. Practising and developing negotiating, decision-making and responsibility skills can never be a waste of time, especially when you get to meet and collaborate with new people from all around Europe. Engagement with global challenges, which was one of the most significant parts of the Model UN made me realize how important it is to watch world news on regular basis, and not just because your parents force you to do it, but because you care not only about yourself and your country, but also about the others.
As I am thinking about CAS and everything I had been through during that period of time, I am realizing that commitment is extremely necessary when trying to achieve your goal. And yet, most of the people I had worked with were either not committed at all, or stopped being committed after a while of not achieving what they originally aimed for. The last part of my House project, which I recently managed to accomplish, was painting the wall of one of the emergency rooms at the local hospital. What really disappointed me was that even though there were nine students from my House who started painting a beautiful castle on the wall on Friday afternoon, I was the only member of my House who actually finished the painting on Saturday. I am wondering whether they lacked motivation or determination, but what I know for sure is that if I want to be a leader in the future I will have to put larger emphasis on motivation and possibly reward to make people care more, because just because you care does not mean that others do too even when you are up for the same thing.
Getting back to the mirror, one thing that makes me really satisfied with who I am is knowing that I don't have to worry about not being able to bear my own reflection. The way I see it is that trying your best is all that really matters after all. The effort, the baby steps, the time you put into something and even though the plan may have not worked out the way you wished it would, it is okay, because you tried.
In conclusion, being part of CAS really helped me gain lots of experience and develop new skills, which I will use probably everywhere I will go. Even though studying from your textbooks provides you with great knowledge and prepares you for your university, some things you need to face directly without just learning about them. That is exactly why CAS is a core or key element of the IB program. It had taught me all the lessons through my own experience and therefore, it prepared me not just for my university, but also to some extent for the "world."
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