Tahiya Mustafa

AP Literature

03/08/23

Period 5

Global Citizen Essay

ASGL puts importance on the Learner Profiles and has taught us to put them to use in school and

everyday life. The vision of ASGL is to prepare all students to be ready for college and our

future careers. Our school educates on how to thrive in a diverse community and be able to

engage in a rapidly changing world. The school's mission is to give students awareness on how

the real world works by letting us experience diverse opinions and cultures. In AGSL, I have

grown to be globally competent with constant exposure to different people around the world. A

global citizen is someone who is a risk-taker, is caring, reflects on their actions, is principled,

communicates properly, and keeps an open mind to all things.

A Global Citizen to me, is someone who understands the world by being an active role in making

it a better place. They are aware of issues that affect people globally such as racism, poverty,

climate problems, and gender and sexuality rights. They use their voice to make sure these issues

are heard and take action to help resolve them. Kim Namjoon, professionally known as RM, is a

musician, rapper, songwriter, producer, and philanthropist. He is the leader of the South Korean

band BTS and someone I believe to be a Global Citizen. RM is a caring person who donates

thousands every year. To celebrate his birthdays, he often donates to charities and organizations

to help aid minority groups. He donated 100 million Korean won to the Seoul Samsun School to
help students who have hearing impairments receive music education. He also donated 100

million Korean won to the National Museum Of Modern and Contemporary Art Foundation in

South Korea. This donation helps school kids get access to books all over the country. RM and

BTS as a whole has also campaigned with UNICEF for their #ENDViolence campaign is aimed

at the protection of young people so they can live without the fear of violence. With their

support, the campaign earned 4.2 billion won. He has also spoken up about Asian American hate

and the Black Lives Matter movement by donating 100 million won to charities. He shows he is

principled through the songs he produces and writes. The majority of his self-written and

self-produced songs discuss socio-political issues found in contemporary society such as mental

health, toxic masculinity, women's empowerment, self-love, capitalism, burn-out, and the

struggles of growing up among other things. This also makes him a risk-taker seeing many of

these topics are still taboo in a culturally-conservative South Korea. He has faced backlash from

the whole of Korea for speaking about these things but he continues to use his music as a way to

speak on these issues. He along with his group members have successfully utilized their music

platform to spread the message of social inequality and injustice, which the youth often face. By

speaking up about these issues, Kim Namjoon is not only breaking societal stereotypes and

creating awareness, he is also urging his fans to do the same.

As an ASGL student, I am continuously learning about the world around me and growing as a

person. In these 4 years, I've turned into a completely new person with new ideals and values that

make me a global learner. I've always shied away from taking risks and always stayed in the

shadows rather than speaking up. But being in ASGL has fundamentally changed how I face

challenges and has changed me into a risk taker. I met new friends and stepped out of my

comfort zone. I joined clubs that interest me and make new friends instead of being scared of my
voice. I make my own decisions and don't just follow along with what others say. Before, I

would let others speak for me and was always scared to say anything to others. But now I have

learned to communicate better. I've become a lot more confident and speak my mind outside and

inside of school. I propose ideas during group projects and take the step forward when no one

else is willing to speak. I take my knowledge and make sure others hear my thoughts and

opinions on topics. I'm no longer afraid to meet new people and enjoy conversing with people

from different backgrounds. ASGL has helped me grow into a very open-minded person. ASGL

has students from widely different cultures and ethnic backgrounds, meeting these people has

really opened my mind and made me respect other cultures. Before, I had a very closed-off

perspective on the world. I grew up seeing and hearing mostly people of my own race and ethnic

background. After meeting people from all over the world, I got to experience new things,

people, and cultures. I gained more knowledge of foods, languages, customs, and values. I know

I'll keep growing into a global citizen in the future by meeting and experiencing new places and

people. I see myself as an adult who will be confident in who they are and someone who plays an

active role in changing this world for the better.

The knowledge I have on IB Learner Profiles will make me a greater contributor on the

global stage in the future. I see myself as someone who knows how to properly and adequately

balance my academic life and my personal life. Going to the medical field is a mentally and

physically challenging career path. By being a speech therapist, I would be able to work with

smaller children and improve their speech in the long term. Though I'm not doing something as

intense as being a doctor or a surgeon, I know that college itself will be a struggle no matter

what. I know how to prevent my mental health from deteriorating from the stress of academics
and my career. I've grown to know how my body and brain work and how to successfully keep

my personal life from clashing with my future plans. I always keep a strict schedule for my

school work and keep time for myself and my loved ones. I know how to keep myself from

burning out and have people I can reach out to if I ever need help. I learned that instead of being

confused, it's better to step out of your comfort zone and ask questions. By being an inquirer, I've

learned how to ask rather than be scared of what people say of me. I am naturally curious and

take the time and effort to ask questions and research things that compel me. This is helpful

career-wise because I want to be able to be confident and ask questions instead of getting

something wrong due to my shyness. I've gained a lot of knowledge about myself and about the

world in the 4 years I've been at ASGL. Those years have taught me how to be a global citizen

using the IB profiles and gain global awareness.

Global competence is crucial for students to have. It is knowledge, skills, and values that

are successfully applied to global issues and intercultural scenarios. It pushes students to take in

more than just what they experience and see. It forces them to open their eyes and see others'

opinions, experiences, and views. Students need to know how to thrive in a diverse community

and be able to engage in a rapidly changing world. If all students are able to be globally

competent, they can make a huge difference in the world. Using IB Learner Profile to gain

knowledge on the world, a globally competent citizen exhibits habits like open-mindedness,

being inquirers, having balance, communicating their opinions, taking risks, and being

principled. By taking the time and effort to actually implement these profiles into your life, you

can grow exponentially as a person and in your future.