Collaboration:
During the Apprenticeship program, I participated in two key group projects: a Zoom challenge that required collaboration with the entire class and a hands-on tower-building task with Angelo. In the Zoom challenge, my role was primarily as a participant, where I engaged in discussions and contributed to the collective problem-solving effort. While I didn’t take on a leadership role, my active participation helped ensure that multiple perspectives were considered, ultimately leading to a well-thought-out solution.
For the tower-building task, I took a more involved approach by actively pitching my ideas. Angelo and I had to work together to design and construct a stable tower using only sticks. My contributions focused on brainstorming potential structures, evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of different designs, and ensuring that we had a balanced and sturdy final product. Through effective communication and collaboration, we were able to build a functional tower, demonstrating the importance of teamwork and shared decision-making.
Both experiences reinforced my understanding of collaboration—whether in a large group setting where listening and adaptability are crucial or in a smaller team where direct contributions and problem-solving skills drive success. These lessons will help me in future teamwork situations by ensuring I stay engaged and vocal while also valuing the input of others.
Communication
During the Apprenticeship program, I worked on a short horror film clip, which required both creativity and collaboration. One of the biggest challenges was merging my ideas with my partner’s vision. We both had different concepts for the film’s atmosphere and storyline, so we had to find a way to blend our ideas while maintaining a cohesive final product.
At times, I doubted whether my creative choices would effectively contribute to the suspenseful tone we aimed for. However, instead of letting self-doubt take over, I remained open to feedback from my partner. We discussed each of our ideas thoroughly, identifying the strongest elements from both perspectives. This process helped me realize that creativity isn’t about sticking to just one vision—it’s about refining ideas through discussion and compromise.
Ultimately, we adjusted our approach by incorporating a mix of both our ideas, making the film more dynamic and engaging. This experience taught me that constructive critique and collaboration can enhance creative work rather than limit it. Moving forward, I’ll continue to embrace feedback and use it to strengthen my creative projects.
Critical Thinking
During the Apprenticeship program, I faced tasks that required critical thinking, such as deciding what to bring for survival on an island and playing a game of Gomoku. Both challenges required careful analysis, but in different ways.
For the survival task, I had to evaluate each item’s usefulness based on factors like food, shelter, and long-term sustainability. Instead of just picking items at random, I considered their practicality—would they help me find food, stay safe, or build tools? I also thought about how multiple items could work together, such as using a knife to cut wood for shelter. This exercise taught me to break problems into smaller parts and weigh different factors before making a final decision.
In Gomoku, my approach was more strategic. I had to anticipate my opponent’s moves while planning my own, constantly adjusting my strategy based on the board’s layout. This required pattern recognition, patience, and the ability to adapt quickly.
Both experiences reinforced my ability to think critically in different contexts. Whether making decisions based on survival logic or strategic gameplay, I learned the importance of analysis, foresight, and flexibility in problem-solving.
Communication
Communication is essential in any team setting, but I learned just how important it is when verbal communication isn’t an option. One example was a murder mystery puzzle I worked on with Jason, Angelo, and Alex. We had to solve the mystery without speaking, which forced us to rely on nonverbal communication like gestures, facial expressions, and writing. To ensure our ideas were understood, we developed a system of pointing to clues, nodding in agreement, and using brief written notes. This experience taught me that communication isn’t just about talking—it’s about making sure your message is clear, no matter the method.
Another experience that strengthened my communication skills was reading to elementary school students. Unlike the murder mystery, where I had to be concise and strategic, this task required engaging storytelling. I had to adjust my tone, pace, and expressions to keep the kids interested and ensure they understood the story. Their reactions—whether confused looks or excited responses—helped me gauge if I needed to slow down or explain something differently.
These experiences showed me that good communication isn’t just about expressing ideas but also about ensuring the audience understands them. Whether using nonverbal signals or adjusting my speaking style, I learned to be more adaptable in my communication.
Resillience
Over the past semester, I’ve grown in resilience by learning to adapt to challenges without giving up. I’ve faced setbacks but developed a stronger mindset, managing stress better and staying focused on my goals. Each obstacle became an opportunity to grow, making me more confident and determined.
My friend and I decided to make our own short horror film after doing case studies on a few existing successful examples.
In this task we had to take town this tower without touching the cups, and we had to make sure the cups nested into each other.
People around the world like to plau games, In America many people play tic tac toe. In England a dimilar game is called Noughts and Crosses, In Japan, it’s called Gomuku.
This is a survival game which revealed my priority when it comes to my chances of survival (Task #14, 30 points)
I was on stage performing for a lively audience. I performed with my band which consisted of 30ish people. We played pop music like Bad Romance and Cake by the Ocean to cheer the crowd up during IF. I feel like I committed to the community by cheering the audience and hyping up the coward.
Today me and 2 schoolmates acted out a skit, which is about online security, such as not sharing your password and leaking your personal data. It was easy to learn about this serious topic in such a fun way.
In this skit, there were 3 characters, one of which asked the another person for their password to copy their homework. The third person sees this and talks about the danger of sharing and leaking online data.
