Gabrielle Codalata IB Program Writing Prompts

1. The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programs vision is to help students gain a global perspective of their world while developing inquiring, knowledgeable, and caring people who help to create a more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. How can you, as a student, contribute to achieving this vision?

The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programs vision is one that I have worked to build all my life. Ive been raised around people that see skin color, culture, and languages as things that set a person apart from others. Thinking back to as young as I can remember, I never understood what made someone that was African-American, Hispanic, Asian, or even Muslim, so different from everyone else. In school youre taught that everyone is the same, but even this isnt true simply by word choice; we are all only equal. No one is the same, which is what makes the world so great. If someone would partake, or even just observe or learn about the different cultural ways of life with open eyes, and an open heart, I believe they would see the world as something more than the average person might, and they might have more peace at mind about the world today. The thing I want most in life is to show people that just because they believe in their own way of life doesnt mean it is the only way to live. The world is filled with diversity. I want to help people understand that you dont have to have the same lifestyle, skin color, or cultural activities as another individual to be respectful of theirs. Your choices effect many people, and if an individual would stop to think in the eyes of another person, and from a different perspective, they might just make a decision that is not only superior, but also one that could possibly adjust the peace of our world in the right direction. Being in the IB Diploma Program will not only assist me with developing the skills to help others see the world and the people in it as more than they appear, but would also help me fulfill my greatest dream; teaching other intercultural understanding and respect for our diverse world.

2. There are many global issues that concern the youth of today. Choose one issue or cause that you are particularly interested in, explain what it ism and share how you might help to address this issue.

Of the many issues that concern the youth of today, one that particularly interests me is Undocumented and Unafraid; the children in the US that have been immigrated illegally with their parents as babies. These children grow up as American children on US grounds, and most graduate and attend colleges and universities. They have to go through life without a job, a license, documentation, and legal status for a choice they had no say in. This is a huge issue all across America, and one that has affected me directly through close friends and relatives. These children go through grades K-12 and most graduate. They have been taught by our licensed, American teachers about the government and society, and they have done well enough in school to graduate, which only about 72% of legal American students managed to do in recent years. I do not see how these people cannot be considered Americans. The US Citizenship Test is based majorly on our government. Someone that lives on the streets because they arent qualified enough for work, or has spent their life as a convict, or has married a citizen for legal status probably couldnt pass this test. But a very significant majority of the undocumented and unafraid children attending our universities have breezed through the online practice test. I want to help with the Undocumented and Unafraid act in college where it is mostly promoted. I hope to someday help start a movement to open the governments eyes to these children and help them show our country what they can really contribute to our society.

3. The International Baccalaureate Diploma Program helps students become independent learners and prepares them for the rigorous curriculum offered at the university level. What are your post-secondary education plans and career goals? What is your vision for achieving these goals?

I have many post-secondary education plans and career goals in life, all of which are what have driven my desire to be in he International Baccalaureate Diploma Program. Attending a university in the states is definitely in the picture, but what I really want to do is transfer overseas as soon as possible. I am planning on studying abroad in the near future for the summer, and I want to travel around the world as soon as possible. Going overseas for college education is something I have heard amazing things about, and is something I see being in the IB Program taking a huge part in. Visiting the different parts of the world and learning new culture, and languages, is something I look forward to doing in college and for the rest of my life. My goal is to learn at least 2 more languages, and to live in another country. As for career plans go, Im exploring my options for a field I can use my language skills in, but am also very interested in many science fields where those skills could also be very useful. The world is an amazing place, and I have been waiting to experience it for what is really is. Graduating from high school with the experiences the IB Program has to off is something I see contributing vastly to my largest goals in life.