Portfolio Reflection

The speaker reflects on their struggle to make big decisions about their future. They realize the importance of considering their career path and interests in high school. They develop a variety of passions and discover an interest in biochemistry. They set goals for themselves, such as obtaining a part-time job and seeking opportunities to learn more about biochemistry. They share their plans to volunteer at a festival and take lifeguarding courses. They aim to join school clubs related to biochemistry and become financially stable before attending university. They also mention their intention to join the HOSA club and work as a lifeguard or swimming coach. They express the desire to gain experience in a medical facility and broaden their knowledge in their areas of interest. They believe these steps will prepare them for their future after high school. So, after working on my first year out of high school's budget, I realized that a lot of topics that I need to bring up were things that I hadn't really thought about. From the beginning of my life, I have always been the type of person who struggles with making big decisions about the future. Thus, you can always expect me to take a longer time thinking about pros and cons of every detail imaginable until I run out of time to do so and come to a conclusion. The decision about what I want to dedicate my life to in the future is no exception to this internal turmoil. In fact, I think that this may be the biggest decision that I will struggle with. In the past, I noticed that my classmates all around me always had different ideas of what they wanted to be when they were older, but I never truly had a clear idea of any type of career path that I wanted to pursue and have tried to ignore the topic since. Though, this came to a stop after I was forced to pick my courses for grade 9. I realized that I could not neglect thinking of my future any longer as high school can act as an essential part of figuring out different parts of yourself and building blocks for the future. So, I started to join more clubs and be more mindful about certain topics I found interesting during classes and discussions. After my first year of high school came to an end, I actually found a broad array of topics that seemed interesting to me, like ways to minimize traffic congestion, chemistry, learning new math concepts, building creative natural habitats, helping others, etc. These small, versatile interests made me realize that everyone has a broad variety of passions that do not necessarily correlate with one another, which made me realize how many pathways I could go down and still be passionate and content about. Thus, when I started to research about my future and potential universities and the programs that they offer, I found that I took an interest in biochemistry and it combines my passion for chemistry, learning about different things, and helping others along with the variety of careers that I can find with the degree like researching and making medicine or analyzing the human body. And so, I realized that my next few years in high school need to be taken seriously in order for me to be able to study the program at the universities that I want to attend. The first way I will achieve this is by setting small goals for myself throughout high school in order to ensure that I will not be led astray. For example, one of my goals is to obtain a part-time job when I am old enough so I can save up for my university tuition and future financial costs. Some job ideas that I am thinking of include becoming a synchronized swimming coach or life diversity pools as one of my hobbies is swimming and a part-time job in a pool environment just sounds appealing. Another goal I have is to always look for new opportunities to learn more about biochemistry while I am still in high school. That way, I can learn more about the topic and confirm that it is a pathway that I want to choose along with taking advantage of the opportunities I am able to experience. So far, what I am actively doing to reach my goals is keeping my ears out for new opportunities to learn more about biochemistry and getting the required certifications needed to get my desired part-time jobs. During the summer, I have tried to research different volunteering opportunities that involve themes related to health sciences and biochemistry. Even though I found multiple opportunities to volunteer at a hospital or in science-related volunteering programs, I was too young to apply for any of them as many of the minimum age requirements are 15 or 16 and I am 14 this summer due to my late birthday. Nevertheless, I found that I was able to apply to volunteer at a festival organized by Epilepsy South Central Ontario where the main purpose is to raise awareness and money for epilepsy patients and research. With this opportunity, I am hoping to be able to learn more about epilepsy and listen to the stories people may share about their struggles with the disorder and the research and solutions professionals have found to help patients. This opportunity may potentially be able to help me learn more about the different types of medicine and treatment plans that can counteract the disorder in the human body. Along with trying to find opportunities to learn more about my program, I am also applying to lifeguarding courses in order for me to get a part-time job to save up for my university costs. For example, next week, I am doing the bronze cross course which is one of the requirements you need to become a lifeguard of Mississauga. After figuring out an estimate on how much the first year of university may cost by creating a hypothetical budget, I found that saving up money prior to the university is essential for minimizing unnecessarily high amounts of student loans, starting to practice how to mindfully spend your money which will lead you to be financially stable when you start to live on your own. Along with the current steps I have taken, I also plan to be more involved in school clubs surrounding biochemistry, apply to become a lifeguard, successfully get a spot to volunteer at a hospital in order to reach my goal of getting into the McMaster's undergraduate with biochemistry program and being financially stable while studying. Next year, I will join my school's HOSA club which helps students learn more about health sciences and the human body in a motivating and supporting environment and apply to become a lifeguard or an artistic swimming coach to get an income after I take all of the required courses. Plus, once I turn 15, I will apply to become a lifeguard at a local children's treatment center near my school in order to gain experience in how a medical facility is run and the common treatments and medicine used for different types of disorders and illnesses. These steps in the future will help me build my experiences in previously unsimilar environments, gain more knowledge in topics I am passionate about, ensure that I am ready, interested and financially stable for my life after high school.