In this blog post, I will summarize what I have learned based on the efforts I put into my studies, my participation in school activities, and my experiences with volunteer work and collaboration during my time in high school.
High School Experience
Academic Efforts
When my freshman year of high school began, I attended a cram school, just like my friends. I couldn’t afford private tutoring, and since all my friends were going to cram school, I followed suit. However, I quit after exactly six months. First of all, I didn’t want the tuition to be a financial burden. Also, the academy had only one real advantage: simply having a teacher there allowed me to focus and study. I felt it was unreasonable to ask my parents to pay a monthly fee that would be a significant burden just for that “ability to focus.” So, I decided to quit the academy and began studying on my own starting during summer break. In the process, I went through a lot of trial and error. This was because studying on my own could cause my concentration to wander. When I studied alone, I inevitably found myself thinking about other things or getting distracted by other activities. I blamed myself a lot, but I couldn’t help losing focus. So, while wondering how I could regain my concentration, I suddenly came up with the idea of using an “alarm.” The reason I couldn’t concentrate while studying was that I had set specific time frames, thinking, “I’ll study from this time to that time.” At the cram school, they didn’t set it that way; instead, they’d say, “Solve problems 1 through 5 and hand them in for review,” or “Solve pages 10 through 18 and hand them in for review,” so I’d try to finish those problems quickly. Once I realized this, I started using an alarm clock. Then I began studying. I broke my work down into sets of five problems and tried my best to finish them within the time limit set by my alarm clock. Amazingly, my concentration improved. I was also able to study without wasting time. I no longer had distracting thoughts, and I was even able to solve problems faster. This experience taught me that when studying, I need to set clear deadlines for myself—I need to give myself a deadline to meet.
Activities as a Public Relations Ambassador
I’m naturally an extrovert. I love hanging out with friends and solving problems through conversation with them. However, after seeing how hard my parents were struggling and realizing our family’s financial situation had become difficult, I could no longer be just a carefree child. I could clearly see how hard my parents were struggling. As a result, while I was still a child who laughed, chatted, and played pranks, I gradually became someone who also read books and spent time alone. I also began to worry a lot. I secretly suffered greatly during adolescence, constantly wondering, “Why are other people like this, but I’m like this?” It was also around that time that writing became a habit for me. What restored my confidence once again was this “Ambassador” program. As an ambassador, I had the opportunity to go out into the community to promote our school and meet middle school students to tell them about its strengths. I ended up taking on this role somewhat unexpectedly, and through it, I met many people. In the process, I became a student who could once again stand in front of others and speak confidently. That’s why this activity, which helped me regain my confidence, is the most special to me. And through this role—by meeting so many different people and listening to their stories—I gradually began to realize that I wanted to become a writer. Even people who seem outgoing have a dark side, and even those who seem gloomy have a bright side. People who seemed weak have moments of strength, and friends who appear tough actually have tender sides. I was truly amazed by these different facets of people. I thought that if there really is a God, He deserves praise just for creating people with such diverse personalities. So, this activity became something I’m truly grateful for—it allowed me to meet people and sparked my imagination with all sorts of stories.
Volunteer Work
Another thing I enjoyed while attending school was “volunteer work.” Our school spares no effort in supporting volunteer activities. As a result, if students are willing, they can participate in simple volunteer work like picking up trash on the street, spend time with elderly women in shantytowns, or volunteer at a children’s welfare center. I appreciated that our school had such a system in place, so I signed up for and participated in many volunteer activities while I was there. Through these experiences, I was able to realign my perspective, which could otherwise have become too self-centered. If you spend all your time studying and writing, no matter how many people you meet or how many conversations you have, you eventually end up becoming absorbed in your own thoughts. However, through volunteer work, I realized that my own perspective isn’t the whole picture and that I still have much to learn about life. This is because I met people who were facing greater hardships than I was, yet living truly remarkable lives—children overcoming poverty and people surmounting disabilities. Every time I saw them, I felt a shiver down my spine and was deeply moved. That’s why volunteering helped me develop a broader perspective.
Practicing Consideration, Sharing, and Cooperation
My efforts toward cooperation and conflict resolution were centered on my role as class president. When I became class president, I felt I had to become someone worthy of the trust my classmates had placed in me. So, I always kept a close eye on my classmates, checking to see if they were struggling or facing any difficulties. As I did so, I began to see the struggles my classmates were facing, one by one. It seemed that the majority of them were from financially disadvantaged backgrounds. While managing their paperwork and various certificates, I was surprised to realize just how many students were struggling to pay for school meals. There were also a great many students who had difficulty paying their tuition. Seeing them in this situation, I decided I had to help in any way I could. First, while serving as a student ambassador, I was memorizing the details of our scholarship programs. Since I had to explain to middle school students why our school was a great choice, I was studying the scholarship programs and other welfare systems by heart. And I found that many students were completely unaware of these programs. Watching them, I decided I needed to inform them about the programs they could use or help them apply. So, I told them about the scholarship programs available based on certain grade point averages, as well as the medical expense support programs that kick in once certain health insurance thresholds are met. And if my friends found the application process difficult, I would step in and submit the applications for them. Through this experience, I realized that simply knowing about these small programs and offering help could make a real difference in my friends’ lives. I was also struck by how even a small amount of attention could bring about positive changes in various aspects of their lives. That’s when I realized why showing a little interest is the first step toward making society a better place. So, from that point on, I began to pay small but meaningful attention to a variety of things. I took an interest not only in my studies but also in social issues, environmental issues, and many other areas.
