Ryo Kiriake
SL: Biology, Math, Global Politics HL:Chemistry,English,Japanese
Why did you decide to pursue an IB diploma?
During my years at HIS, I didn’t think much about the IB diploma course which was offered at HIS. I knew its existence, but just assumed that I was going to take it along with graduating highschool. At the end of grade 10, I couldn’t find any reason not to pursue it. Moreover, I knew that having an IB diploma would highly benefit me when applying for universities. Therefore, pursuing an IB diploma was not a hard decision to make.
What advice do you have for current IB students?
To be honest, as long as you stay organized and complete tasks by the deadline you should be able to receive your IB diploma. However, the struggle and effort students put into their IB years will definitely impact the universities you apply and get accepted to. Therefore, staying organized and having a certain level of time management are the least skills that are required as an IB student. If you have a future goal in life, which was something that I couldn’t set, that would surely give you the motivation to reach higher. During your IB years, I definitely would recommend asking questions to your teachers and classmates whenever you begin to get lost with class materials. Teachers are there to help you get through the IB. In addition, CAS should not be the main focus. Challenging yourself and trying new things is a great thing to do; as long as it doesn’t disturb your studies. Just “show” that you have reflected on your activities, and you should be able to get through CAS without any problems.
How did you reach where you are today?
During my IB years, I honestly wasn’t the most hardworking student. I didn’t have a future career which I wanted to pursue. I struggle even to this day thinking about what I want to do in the future. However, there are always opportunities to think about how you want to shape your future, and what you need to do in order to achieve that. Meeting new people in university and talking to past friends has allowed me to think about what kind of person I want to be now, and how I can change in order to step up as an individual who is gaining responsibility in life. Personally, I believe that shaping the type of person I want to be will lead me to the careers and goals which I set for myself. Keeping positive and taking life opportunities has allowed myself to reach where I am today.