Common App: Innovation Institute
Innovation Institute is "70% students, 30% teachers"; a highly rigorous and equally discriminant curriculum of an elite 28 students, forcing this select group to integrate class concepts and create connections to resolve global issues. The program seeks highly motivated students who enjoy challenge, collaborative work and environmental engagement which fortifies critical thinking and application. It’s primary purpose is to combine and apply key concepts from each core subject where the students, instead of teachers, advise each other through the frameworks of problem-based learning. Innovation Institute is organized into design firms to conduct team-based research instead of routine textbook memorization. The program is distinct from all other normal classes and the school transcript because it marks students based on three primary areas; knowledge and understanding, application, and critical thinking.
Under the hands-on approach of the Innovation Institute, students are encouraged to combine class concepts to apply to current and future real-life scenarios. However, this creative learning approach is not for everyone; apart from its rigorous workload it constantly challenges us to think beyond the confines of the classroom and on garnering a universal perspective. During the Pale Blue Dot capstone project, for example, we were appointed the keystone driving question of “how are humans able to justly endure on a finite planet” that required deep contemplation of integrating English, Asian history, geometry, chemistry and physics as well as digital and graphic design! It was an independent prerequisite of the students don’t need to be spoon-fed or constantly looked over by teachers.
Innovation Institute integrates class concepts garnering them onto a universal platform to tackle global issues, hence applying academic skills and historical events to design, collaborate, and innovate projects that reflect current dilemmas. The Institute is very much graded on one's thinking, which is one part I do not agree on for there is no specific, or "correct" way of thinking. Regardless whether the teacher agrees with my application of thought, Innovation has taught me to create connections with both concepts and people.
I am a pioneer by nature. More specifically, I am creative. I am artistic. I am expressive. And recently, I’ve been trying to take more risks. Hence why I was chosen for the newly introduced program of our school, the Innovation Institute.
The Innovation Institute is like building a plane as we fly it. It is promoting critical thinking and application of the educated materials that is taught in class. It is controversial for what has been taught in the past, where students memorized textbook upon textbook only to find themselves repeating the same-tedious cycle. Here, a select group of 28 students apply problem-based learning into real-life scenarios; After researching and learning to identify social/scientific issues, we foster the habit of presenting in front of large audiences as well as implementing our own projects, in which requires immense amount of creativity and articulacy. Instead of having teachers feed us answers, we seek to discover them for ourselves.
Clearly, both the expectation and workload are exceedingly more rigorous compared to normal classes, requiring much dedication, teamwork, and deep contemplation. Innovation has broken these traditional concocted laws and allowed me to fully understand material in a new light, subsequently leading to the application of it (designing projects, conducting labs, etc.) Moreover, the Institute is purposefully centered around team collaboration, not cooperation which in turn gave rise to my enhanced communication and leadership qualities. If one does not have a strong sense of leadership or work well in groups, they will most definitely not quality for the Institute.
I was inducted into the institute and joined its unconventional curriculum because I strongly believe that my character is revealed through my actions. I wanted to go beyond classroom walls, to implement and create with my own two hands. I wanted to go somewhere that does not limit me to textbook boundaries, where I can create my own knowledge and not have the teacher spit things at me only to have a mandate of throwing it back. Innovation Institute allows for a more advanced, more aspiring curriculum in which centers around critical-thinking. Even when I am competing against an outstanding group of 28 students, I strive to fully understand the content and application of such material, even if my grade does not reflect it. I wanted to make things happen and express myself through what I enjoy, my passion, my fervent zeal towards doing what I love, and loving what I do; which is the desire to create, to be innovative.
The Innovation Institute has propelled growth in all areas of my life, but most particularly, in my communication and leadership qualities.
The Innovation Institute has shaped me to take more risks and be comfortable with the unknown where I have not only broadened my academic acquisitions but more importantly, learned to transgress classroom confinements and to maximize available resources to cultivate my passions. It has given me the opportunity to become a valuable contributor in class and most importantly, it is a place where I truly exercised strong leadership, collaboration, and creative thinking skills.