I think that the extracurricular activities that I have found to be the most meaningful involve areas where I have had to be a leader and where I’ve had the ability to apply my creativity in a constructive manner. One of my leadership roles that I believe I’ve had the most growth in is being the Vice President of Culture & Diversity Club. I began as a member my freshman year and I discovered that although many of us as students belonged to the same ethnic group, there was still so much that we could learn from each other when it came to culture. What diversity came to mean to me that year encouraged me to pursue a leadership position in the club my sophomore year and I was the club’s Social Media Coordinator. I not only had the opportunity to build skills creating posters and finding ways to engage audiences, but I was able to learn what leadership looks like from the other members on council. In junior year, I had a more executive position as Vice President and we were able to get the whole school involved through events such as the Holocaust Remembrance Assembly and the FIFA Game Watch and Cultural Day we are hosting in June. As President next year, my goal is to make sure that every student has an environment where they can feel safe to share their ideas and thoughts. Along similar lines, something else I’ve been passionate about is learning new languages, especially Spanish and American Sign Language. While we all learn Spanish in school as a requirement, I’ve been dedicated to truly becoming proficient in it, having the honor of being part of our Spanish Honor Society as well. The other language I’ve been dedicated to learning is American Sign Language and I hope to work towards fluency over the summer with the advanced college classes I am taking. The reason learning these two languages has been so meaningful to me is because within healthcare fields, while volunteering and riding on a rescue squad, I’ve seen the language barrier that is often present between patients and healthcare providers and how difficult it can make communication and comfort for the patient. Something I’m currently working on is a free app that teaches medical professionals common phrases and terminology in Spanish and ASL that will hopefully work towards mitigating this language barrier so often seen. My app is designed with sections for different parts of an assessment like greeting a patient, asking about symptoms, taking vitals, explaining procedures, and giving follow-up instructions. My goal is for someone like an EMT, volunteer, nurse, or student in healthcare to be able to quickly find a phrase, watch how to sign it or learn how to say it, and use that to make a patient feel more understood in a moment that may already be stressful for them.
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