Andrew Cruz Core Competencies Response 2023-03-06

Personal Awareness & Responsibility

Strengths:
1. "I can set goals, regulate my emotions and persevere in difficult situations."  
During my first semester of Grade 12 year, I have to overcome the difficulty of handing in
multiple assignments as the learning material from my courses becomes challenging.
Sometimes, I hand in assignments late, therefore, my work habits prevented me to successfully
complete certain tasks. But, I can take this to account by using study block time to finish up any
missing assignments. Moreover, I can create a planner from my notes app to track upcoming or
missing homework. Advocating my schoolwork is considered essential for me in order to be
successful.
2. "I use my variety of strategies to manage my personal well-being."
As an individual, I should be able to find solutions for me to overcome my sleeping
problems. Every school day, I set my alarm clock around 10:30 PM as it is an ideal time to get 8-
hour sleep for me since I often wake up around 6:00 AM. If I struggle to sleep because I don’t
feel sleepy, I can practice breathing exercise, drink chamomile tea, and turn off my
smartphones 2 hours before my sleeping period. I become less fatigued and more concentrated
on my studies/work.
Area of Improvement
1. "I understand my decisions and actions can affect me."    
During my grade 12 year, I have been experiencing stress and anxiety in the process of
graduating high school. Due to post-secondary applications, whenever I tried looking for
universities related to my Film major, the admission rate was very competitive. Two months
ago, I wanted to apply to SFU because their tuition fees are cheaper than other schools. After I
submitted the necessary documents and the questionnaires, my confidence level has gone up.
In the end, I checked the email that I didn’t get in because of the competitive application for 24
spots for Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film Major. In that case, it triggered me a sense of defeat and
guilt and I worked so hard to get into my dream school. If I want to overcome my mood swings,
I could go for a walk in the park, listen to music, and apply to other schools. Those key things
help me to overcome my dilemmas.
Andrew Cruz Core Competencies Response 2023-03-06

Social Responsibility
Strengths:
1. " I am aware of my community and environment and work independently and collaboratively for the
benefit of others.”

Whenever an assignment is considered, group based, I should be able to get along with my group by
asking thoughtful questions. When I was doing a presentation for my Dystopian Unit, we are separated
into different tasks. My groupmates, Jun, and Willy, are going to collab each other to create a code for
the Q and A. For me, I would have to do a lot of research and put in a PowerPoint presentation. Usually,
if some of my groupmates are going to be away, I would message them on TEAMS or Instagram if they
need me to work on. For example, during class, I will focus on finishing the research and create a
PowerPoint slide. After that, I can contact them to notify my group that I completed it.

2. I have positive peer and intergenerational relationships

I joined a study group that included students from various grade levels and backgrounds. The
group met weekly to discuss coursework, share notes, and help each other prepare for exams.
This diverse environment allowed me to build positive peer relationships and learn from
individuals with different perspectives and experiences.

Area of Improvement
1. I can identify and appreciate different perspectives on issues and use and evaluate
strategies to resolve problems.

I think this is one area that I struggle to overcome since I have a lot of issues in the past when it comes
to discovering problems in my life. Sometimes, some group members may contact us and notify us that
he/she might not be able to show up for group work. In fact, what I should have done is to create a
group-chat and message each other for updates.

Critical Thinking
Strengths:
1. I can explore and create new ways to represent my learning around a variety of
problems, events, issues, and needs.

I have an interest in raising awareness such as climate change. To be more specific, I wanted to raise an
issue regarding the consumption of plastic bottles and how it affects our planet Earth. So, if I want to
investigate my topic of choice, I will create a 7-min documentary with scientific explanation such as the
carbon cycle and find a target audience that will impact the community such as environmental activist.
Andrew Cruz Core Competencies Response 2023-03-06

2. I can ask good quality questions, gather relevant information, and come up with
well-developed conclusions.

If I struggle to understand a complicated task in school or workplace, I will ask certain questions
from individuals and hear stories and perspectives from them. For example, when I was reading
“Hamlet,” I didn’t grasp the content of the script since the original script for the play was written in an
Old English Language. I asked my English Teacher for some suggestions, and he said to me that I should
break down the words and analyze what the character is saying.

Area of Improvement
1. I can analyze and critique my work and my learning.

There is a specific example that led me not able to independently critique my personal work for
multiple reasons. First, I had suffered from this idea of perfectionism, where I value quality work
without no flaws or issues, so that other people will appreciate what I’ve done. When the
teacher assigns a rubric for most assignments, I must make sure that my assignments should
target around 80% of my grade or else, it will impact my average grade if I’m going to university.
Although, I should ask for help if I struggle or being behind with the learning material that will
support my learning needs.

Creative Thinking
Strengths:
1. I can take my ideas evaluate, develop, and refine them and make something
productive out of them.

When I have an idea, I usually jot it down onto a piece of white-lined paper, to organize
my thoughts. I put my ideas into bullet points and select which idea is the most feasible. When I
choose an idea, I have to utilize the 5Ws and 1H (What Who, When, Where, Why) and what are
some resources that I could use when I create a product.

2. "I can use the environment around me, including others, and my unconscious mind to
generate new ideas.”

I can think of some activities that I can spend time outside exploring nature. I can study plant growth
and analyze animal behaviors which can be just observation, and I can walk in the sunset to relax. These
are the ones that will help me focus more on sustainability issues and can explore different hobbies such
as gardening.
Andrew Cruz Core Competencies Response 2023-03-06

Area of Improvement
1. I can persevere and understand that failure can be productive.

• In my personal life, there are occasions when I might have setbacks or fall short of my goals. But rather
than seeing these situations as irreparable failures, I would see them as opportunities for growth. I
would try to figure out what I might do better the next time, and I intended to persevere. I can
overcome momentary setbacks and strive to accomplish my goals if I have an upbeat and motivated
outlook.

Communication
Strengths:
1. I can work with other students to plan, inquire, and solve problems.
When I was in the group with 3 people in my video class, we usually share some ideas out loud.
Therefore, we respectfully listen to the person who is talking about something, and we discuss some
question as to how we can prevent any problems that will arise in the future.

2. I can reflect on the processes of learning and share what I have learned

Normally, I would think about keeping a journal or blog to keep track of your reflections on your learning
journey. As a result, I might share entries with others to give them an inside look into my experiences,
difficulties, and development. Keeping a running journal of my reflections can support my growth and
learning.

Area of Improvement
1. I can listen, learn to contribute meaningfully to discussion and debate, consider
different perspectives and build consensus.

It’s important for me to evaluate some patterns that hinder me to progress on wanting to excel at
effectively managing my time. Moreover, I would consult with a mentor, teacher, or a parent that will
help me gain insight towards making good changes. For example, it can be a realization that my
consumption on social media is limiting my productivity. If I want to eradicate an issue of looking at the
phone (social media usage), I will just turn the phone off and venture into different hobbies that I
enjoyed.

Personal & Cultural Identity

Andrew Cruz Core Competencies Response 2023-03-06

Strengths:

1. I understand that culture is a broad concept that includes things like my geographic
region, nationality, sex/gender, age, ethnicity, sexuality, language, and religion

I have to acknowledge that the countries and cultural backgrounds of my friends and classmates
vary. In addition, I listen to music from a variety of musicians who come from various ethnic
backgrounds. Different nationalities' musical artists speak their native tongues, which is a
distinctive feature of their culture. They have a unique musical taste that may not seem familiar
to me.

2. I know my strengths and what makes me unique

There was a time that I was using this software called Davinci Resolve, and I was editing a video
production project that my group decided to make. It’s a narrative film that is based on
overindulgence. One person wanted me to help on creating some interesting visuals. So, what I
did is I used some of the tools that I learned from previous lessons and integrate it into my
editing skills. Afterwards, it turn out to be positive for me from my group because they trust me
as a human being, who was able to proficiently master an editing software that is complex and
not accessible for beginners.

Area of Improvement
1. I understand how what I value has and will shape my choices.

I trust my friends, family, and my cousins a lot in my entire life, unfortunately I struggle
with an idea of communicating to others more since I’m always perceived as an
introvert. Whenever someone ask me something, I tried my best to process my thoughts
to speak something clearly. It took more than 5 seconds to respond to the person whom
I knew. If I wanted to fix my communication skills, I will seek help from the counselor
and get some support that I need. In addition, establishing relationship is a must since it
will help me become happier and satisfied in life.