Evergreen Personal Statement

I believe that my academic career as a whole has prepared me for studies at Evergreen. I attended Alice Carlson Applied Learning Center and Applied Learning Academy for elementary and middle school. Alice Carlson was a unique elementary school, where teachers evaluated out progress without giving us a simple letter grade, and emphasis was placed on creating a portfolio at the end of each year that would display our progress through learning. At both schools, we were all encouraged to learn and think creatively. As an individual student, I was nurtured and challenged by all of my teachers. I was taught to value curiosity, individuality, personal improvement and creativity. Learning in such positive and non-traditional environments played a large role in my going to be a successful student in high school.
Similarly, my junior and senior years of high school as an International Baccalaureate (IB) have readied me for Evergreen. As an IB student, I have engaged in interdisciplinary curriculum that is interesting,
I have always been a more reserved person, and as I began high school, I realized that beyond being just quiet or shy, I was dealing with social anxiety. With support from my family and friends, this is something that by acknowledging, I have been able to work towards improving. Being surrounded by a community of students made up of such unique, accepting, and intelligent individuals has also helped me with this. I have been very fortunate to have been a part of such an amazing group of students and teachers during my years as an IB student. While my social anxiety may be something I still struggle with daily, I have learned that it takes nothing away from the smart and kind individual that I have become as I have grown up, and I hope that as I continue into college and into my life, that more people will be able to see such things in