The Reflection
My action has been the most challenging task throughout my high school career. From the beginning, I chose a topic that I am truly passionate about-following my experience traveling to the Philippines and how I felt I was raised by the community. There were many nights of staying up late and staying home rather than going out but I would not have changed anything about the final result. I worked on my research paper endlessly, perfecting every sentence to make it the best of my work. I consulted with my advisor and teachers nearly every week to ensure my message was being correctly presented to my target audience. Upon completion of my research paper, it was time to decide how I would like to physically present my findings to others. After many chats with teachers and community leaders, I created the Summit, a workshop based on the values of Kapwa and Born of all Empires. For nearly three months, I worked on creating all of the lesson plans and necessary materials to execute the day. It went better than I could have ever imagined. I was so pleased to hear that my participants truly enjoyed themselves and were able to use the information they learned in their everyday lives following my action. In the end, both my research paper and action were accomplished to the best of my ability and I know so because I love the work I completed this year more than anything I have done before. It is truly empowering to know I am capable of completing such work and creating events such as mine to make an impact on my local community. As with any culture, but specifically with the Filipino culture, we must help those who are facing adversity with their identity and help them preserve the uniqueness of their culture while the world continues to evolve.