Why I want to be in the 4C Challenge Program

Answers to the 4 Questions

Q: What is important to you? Describe any hobbies, extra-curricular activities (ex. sports or clubs) or passion projects you are working on. What motivates you to engage in these activities?

The most important things to me are my family, and being able to attend university at an advanced institution. I’d really like to satisfy my curiosity, alongside others who think similarly.

I like to do electronics design, 3D modeling, graphic design, woodworking, computer programming, and old fashioned arts and crafts. Sometimes with my dad for the electronics projects, and woodworking, but also sometimes just by myself. My dad and I are building and coding a wheeled robot right now (we’re not done yet though). In my free time, I like to tinker with a spintronics kit, building mechanical circuits to solve challenges. I also enjoy playing around with the idea of motion. Lately, I have been very interested in the big bang, and what came “before” it. I've been playing soccer competitively for 6 years. I’ve been learning Chinese so that I can connect with locals during an upcoming trip to China.

The thing that motivates me to do these things is the satisfactory feeling after I complete it, or just the pure joy of the process of it.

Q: Describe what you like most about school and why. Describe what you like least about school and why.

I love doing math, and working through problems until I find the solution. One of the things that I love about it is there’s no question about what’s right and wrong. There’s almost always one singular clear answer. Math has been my favorite subject for as long as I can remember. I also love science, for the same reasons. I like the social aspect of school. I also love reading. I often help out my friends when I have completed all my work, especially in math.

The parts that I don’t like about school are the times when we are doing a review of something we already covered, and I have already finished all of the work that we are reviewing. When the class is moving slowly, it's usually boring for me. That’s why I think having a faster pace, and more challenging material for multiple subjects would expand my love for math and science, and maybe for other subjects as well.

Q: Tell us about who you are. How would your family, friends, and/or members of your community describe you?

My family and friends would describe me as: Curious, outgoing, interested in deep/technical subjects, highly motivated, deep concentration, sporty, a problem solver, a leader, engaged.

I have been the student council treasurer for the past 3 years at Shoreline. I have been in French immersion since kindergarten. When I was 9, I participated in an entrepreneurship program called Kidovate. I sold these tech starter kits. I had to debug multiple problems many times. I wrote an instruction booklet (refer to electronic kits in the projects tab) that told you how to go from opening it up, to building and coding 7 different awesome things. After Kidovate, A company called The Victoria Literacy Connection asked if I could make more for them, and I went through a whole transaction with them, and I sold 10 kits to them.

Q: What goals are you currently working towards?

I have put a lot of consideration into what I want. I have adopted a set of habits to make steady progress toward my goals. I have been tracking them in this app called TickOff that helps me keep track of what days I have done my habits. I often have streaks that last for many days, where I have completed all my habits. Here are some of my goals: Staying creative (being creative often), practicing soccer, and my saxophone in my free time at home (preferably daily), getting better at becoming more cohesive with my sister, drinking more water daily, working out weekly, and of course, getting into the challenge program!

I hope you will help me to achieve my goal of going to an advanced institution, by accepting me into the challenge program. -Ella