Student Spotlight | Aryam: My Eight Years at CIS

What does a typical day look like for you at CIS?

As a senior student, I would say my schedule is pretty packed! This semester is definitely more stressful than the last. As soon as the bell rings, I start my day with Social Studies, followed by Biology, Economics, and finally, Art. Although it is a stressful semester, I am very motivated because not only do I get to spend time with my wonderful friends, but I also get to participate in sports, a much-needed break from our academic workload.

We know that apart from pursuing your favorite subjects, you also have a specialty in art, and you're a very active member of Grizzly Sports. How do manage to balance your schedule with many different aspects of school life?

Managing my time has been a bit tricky. The key was to ensure that I could fit in all my school work, including external classes, in one schedule. At first, I found it quite difficult to balance sport, art and my Grade 12 Alberta Diploma requirements but I found some creative ways to manage my time. Art is a handful of information to take in when you are only a beginner. I only started taking it this year, which added another layer to my already packed timetable! As a member of the Grizzlies, I participate in regular home and away games and tournaments. This helped me get a glimpse of what life in university might look like. I am well aware that once I go to university, I will need to juggle many tasks all at once. I follow my schedule to a T, and it helps me stay on track. 

Here are some tips that might be helpful for you!

- It’s always good to take a one-hour rest after school, before starting on homework.

- Make a list of all the tasks that need to be completed and cross them off as you complete them.

- Set a timer for each task accordingly. 

- Make sure to take breaks in between each task.

- Spending time in a quiet space, such as the CIS Learning Commons, to complete homework tasks is very useful. 

Well done! Of all your accomplishments at CIS, and there have been so many, what are you most proud of?

I first came to CIS in Grade 5. At that time, my English was very poor. It was considered my third language, after Mandarin and Arabic. But now, after 8 years of education in CIS, I can speak fluent English. This is my proudest accomplishment at CIS, because now English is considered my first language. I will forever be grateful for the opportunities and changes I experienced from being a part of CIS. 

Congratulations on your university offers! We know that you are looking forward to more good news. How did the CIS University and Careers Guidance Office (U-GO) help you with your university goals?

Thank you! I have many goals actually, but my biggest goal was making sure that I chose the right major that I believe fits me best. At the beginning, I struggled because I wasn’t sure what major I wanted to pursue. I am very grateful for the CIS U-GO team because they were very patient with me. I switched majors around probably 6 times but that’s okay, because that was how I was able to find the major that I truly want to pursue. With the help of CIS U-GO, I was able to receive advice on my personal statement and have practice sessions for my university interviews, which helped me get offers from universities!

How has your time at CIS shaped your understanding of leadership?

At first, I used to always think that in order to lead, I had to be a team captain, a class representative or have a title that denotes leadership. But I later realized that I can be a leader without having the title. In CIS, there are many factors that helped shape my understanding of leadership, such as joining the Student Council, participating in class projects, being a member of our sports teams and more. The CIS Student Council bestows upon us a myriad of opportunities to help us develop skills that we will need to become future leaders of tomorrow. I have been able to participate in service activities such as helping to organize our flea market, amongst others. I was able to get a visual of what leadership looks like in motion, and understand that I don’t need to have a title in order to be a leader and take authentic action.