In this blog post, I’ll summarize what I learned by focusing on my academic efforts, school activities, and experiences with empathy and collaboration during my high school years.

Academic Experiences and Reflections

Studying in high school wasn’t easy. I often felt frustrated because my grades didn’t seem to improve right away, no matter how hard I worked, and I frequently felt at a loss about what to change or how to go about it. So, rather than looking for quick fixes or secret tricks, I decided to focus on cultivating “consistency” itself.
I was already someone who made daily plans and stuck to them. However, the hardest part was repeating that process consistently, day after day. Eventually, I became convinced that my grades wouldn’t improve unless I changed my habits, so I decided to mark the amount I studied on a calendar that my whole family could see, allowing me to visually track my daily study load.
Once I started marking the calendar, my whole family naturally saw how much I was studying, and at first, it felt like a burden. But the thought that someone was watching over my studies made me manage myself better. I began increasing my study load by setting small daily goals, such as “do a little more than yesterday.”
After consistently doing this for about six months, my grades—which had barely budged—began to rise gradually. As the number of problems I could solve in a day increased, memorization tasks that had previously felt overwhelming became a bit easier. Marking the calendar helped me develop more than just diligence; it created a sustainable habit—consistency—and through that experience, I realized just how powerful consistency can be.

Major School Activities and Reflections

I wasn’t naturally the type to display strong leadership. Although I was calm and diligent, I never thought of myself as someone who should step forward to lead. However, after being recommended by my friends, I took on the role of class president. My homeroom teacher at the time told me, “There are both outgoing and quiet styles of leadership,” which changed my perspective. I learned that a calm demeanor can also play a crucial role in guiding the class stably.
What surprised me most while serving as class president was the fact that everyone has their own circumstances. As I handled paperwork assigned by teachers and encountered my classmates’ situations, I came to realize firsthand that each person’s personality is shaped by their individual circumstances and background—for example, even a student who seems outgoing might have difficult family issues, while a quiet student might come from a comfortable home environment.
After that realization, I made an effort not to judge based solely on outward appearances and strove to be a class president who connected with my classmates on a deeper level. Rather than prying into their personal lives, I tried to acknowledge and understand that everyone has their own pain and worries, and that attitude helped deepen my relationships with my classmates. As a result, some classmates began to open up to me, and we came to understand each other better.
I served as class president throughout my first and second years, and in the middle of my second year, I decided to run for student council president. Although I sometimes felt inadequate, I believed that effort was what mattered most. As student council president, I gained a deeper understanding of my peers, teachers, and the school’s circumstances. I witnessed firsthand the reality that while teachers want to do a lot for students, they face limitations, and the school must follow rules to ensure smooth operations.
As student council president, I took on the role of mediating conflicts between students and teachers. I learned a great deal through the process of listening carefully to each side’s perspective, refining our positions, and reaching a consensus. By approaching my duties with a sincere desire to serve those around me, I was able to fulfill most of the campaign promises I had made at the beginning, and the sense of accomplishment I felt at the end of my term was deeply rewarding.

Examples of Consideration, Sharing, and Cooperation, and My Reflections

While serving as class president and student council president, my primary focus was finding reasonable compromises between students, the school, and teachers. Students often requested solutions to their concerns, but the school was unable to accommodate every request due to practical constraints such as guidelines from the Board of Education and budget limitations. Striking a balance between these parties was no easy task.
A prime example was the issue of indoor temperature on campus. Due to school policy requiring compliance with the temperature set by the Board of Education, we could not freely turn on the air conditioning or heating in the mornings and evenings, making it difficult for students to concentrate in class on hot or cold days. I sought a solution that would alleviate the students’ discomfort while also respecting the school’s constraints.
As a result, I proposed “allowing students to wear T-shirts.” Since the school couldn’t adjust the temperature at will, I suggested allowing students to wear T-shirts so they could regulate their own warmth and ventilation. However, to prevent confusion, I attached the condition that colors and designs be limited to a specified range and that the rules for wearing them be clearly defined.
After discussions, T-shirts were permitted, and we launched a campaign encouraging students to wear them while explaining the education office’s temperature standards and the school’s position. By posting flyers and spreading the word on social media, we quickly changed the culture. As a result, many students began wearing T-shirts in the designated colors, and they were able to focus on their classes in a more comfortable environment. The school also made some concessions.
Through this experience, I learned that finding a compromise begins with listening to both sides and understanding each other’s perspectives. I also realized how important it is to explain the reasoning in detail and build consensus, rather than simply trying to push through a demand. This experience in negotiation and communication became a valuable asset for my future leadership and relationship-building.