I am Claire Chung, a Taiwanese-American student from Kaohsiung American School, Taiwan. As a first-year IB diploma student, I will be regularly posting entries on this blog to record my CAS experiences. This is my initial CAS profile!

Academics

My favorite subjects are math and science. Nerdy? Maybe. Still, I’ll have to admit that math and science have significantly affected how I perceive my surroundings. Looking at the world through a scientific angle fulfilled my insatiable appetite for knowledge, as it opened a door for me to explore every crevice in the world. Though I hope to pursue a scientific career in the future, I’m still not very sure about which field I should go into. Through CAS experiences, I hope that I can gain a clearer picture of my specific interests in science.

I believe that my strongest asset is my ability to discipline myself and self-study. My favorite learning method is self-studying because it gives me the feeling of actually mastering knowledge on my own. It’s amazing to feel my cells working vigorously in my brain! Through self-studying, I can not only push myself to my limits and force myself to stop excusing my mistakes, but also dissect them by analyzing why I had made them in the first place and how I can avoid them in the future.

Arts

This year marks my 11th year playing the violin, and even now, I spend at least four hours every week playing the violin. Playing the violin helps my mind unify and throws everything behind for a short while. Music can make my heart flutter, make my guts wrench, and make my eyes dwell with tears (cheesy but true!). Playing on different occasions has taught me the art of leadership and collaboration, making me more patient and compassionate than I ever was before.

Besides music, I also interested in photography and culinary arts, which I hope to explore in my future CAS experiences.

Athletics

Soccer is my favorite sport. I’ve played in both defensive, midfield, and forward positions, but my favorite position has always been the right defender. When I am at the very back of the field, I can see the big picture of the game, observe patterns in the game, and come up with tactics for my team. At home, I like to keep a soccer ball under my desk so I can fidget with it as I do homework. I also do jogging routines in the evenings and/or mornings.

It might seem like I know a lot about myself, but deep down, I know for sure that there is so much more to this that is waiting for me to explore. As the title suggests, I’m still not quite “Claire” about who I am, but I’m on my way to figuring it out!

P.S. i know The pun is old, but please appreciate it. 🙂