Earlier this year I was able to take out time from my normal after school routine and attend Sophie Schleifer's capstone project, "Global Lenses.". Granted this happened a few months ago it has been in the back of my mind recently because it reminds me of what this program is all about. In a nutshell, what she had done was connected with students from around the world and received pictures from them which to some degree "depicted" aspects of their life. She then mapped them out and posted a short biography under each picture. While I personally enjoyed the cheese and crackers, that was nowhere near the best part of this event. The best part of this event was the fact that this presentation embodied nearly all of the values of the GIP and demonstrated some of the main reasons I was interested in this program to begin with. She was able to establish multiple relationships with people around the globe and learn more about what they face day to day and how they see the world. However, not only did she learn from those speaking of their firsthand experiences, she then took that knowledge and spread it to those around her with the hopes of helping others see the world in a different light and make any future decisions with more wisdom behind them. On top of that is was great to see her passion for what she was doing and the ways in which she was changed for the better because of it. It is for the most part because of these reasons that I look forward to embracing whats to come as a result of this program, and am excited to see the ways in which I will grow over the next few months.
Poly has had the privilege of having Mr. Pond speak on its campus twice in the last four years. While I, unfortunately, was not present for the first, I was enthralled at being able to attend the most recent one. Pond is someone who can be presented as a role model for just about anything. He started off the night by sharing some details from his past and revealing many of his experiences to the audience. As someone who has survived a horrible atrocity, the fact that Pond is able and willing to share his experiences is inspiring in it of itself. He focused on his survival of the Cambodian genocide and the bullying that ensued after he arrived in America. His own experiences were a true testimony to how powerful stories are, an idea that he has been trying to teach for some time. However, what particularly struck me, was what Pond was doing in his communities. This side of him which takes what he knows and puts into action concrete solution is even more inspiring. He mentioned some work...
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