So many things now a days revolve technology. Large screens in our living rooms, Medium screens in our cars, and small screens in our hands. How are we expected to look up at the world and enjoy it if no one can even take a second to look up from the "universe" they hold in the palm of their hands. Time is a silly thing: it may seem to zoom past our eyes or it may seem like a decade of time crawling by slowly. There is no changing time as it passes by--nor is there a way to get it back--but there is a way to ensure you use the time you have wisely and purposefully. We may not always notice the time being wasted, but we can surely notice it a few years ahead when we are thinking about what we would of, should of ,and could of done.
So, the question remains: should we modify our lives through envisioning the future we want to have?
As our high school years are coming to an end, and we are being sent off into the world to explore, study and become the people we have always dreamed of being, we must keep one thing in mind: our fundamental values. We are finishing one of the biggest and longest educational experience we will have: school. The schooldays we once loved, dreaded, stressed and laughed for, are all coming to an end. But, we can't just leave school and that be it. We have to remember who we are, how we got there and who we want to be.
In the IA, as you may know, no testing is done to measure our academic rigor; we work hard and push through projects, books, self assessments, and most important of all, reflection. We as the IA value the concept of learning from our mistakes, and pivoting as we experience different things. But, as we are coming to an end of our extraordinary 2 year experience with the IA, we must do one thing if not many: reflect. We've had two years in this program, we were the guinea pigs of it's result, we came into it not knowing if it would work, if we would get accepted into colleges (even though we always new that wasn't much of a concern), we were the risk-takers, we were the challengers, we were the ones who stood up when everyone else remained seated. It's hard to think that we will no longer be part of the IA since we take so much pride and self attachment to the academy; but what we have started nearly two years ago must come to an end, and what better way to exit the IA than to leave it modified, reviewed, and improved.
Over the next two weeks, we will deeply reflect on the IA and do our best to make it the best Academy out there. With all our knowledge and experience going through all the projects, reflections, good times and the bad times we want to leave something of ours behind, and to do so, we will give the academy our opinions, our suggestions and our worries all to help it grow strong and continue for a long time ahead.
Reflecting over two years can be challenging, but it's an experience that will allow us to truly open our eyes to all our failures, successes, high points, low points, what we most enjoyed and what we would have changed. This is our chance to leave our knowledge and experiences behind instead of telling our stories about the IA we can use them to make a difference for what the future IA holds.
These past two years have been two of our most influential years up to date. We have learned how to value time and develop a passion for working and innovating. I've learned the importance of pivoting and reflection, the importance of team work and independence, of leading yourself down the right path. In the Innovation Academy we learned much more than just regular content, we learned to apply and live the experiences we've had. It's been an incredible two years, unforgettable. So lets finish on the right note and head hard into what is our last few weeks in the place we've grown to love.