A Bridge for Cultural Exchange

I have been part of ThinkQuest for the past two years—two great years that will forever have a very special place in my heart. I have learned so much from this program that when I think about it, I do not exactly know how to put it into words. But, try I shall.

The biggest takeaway for me is the experience of working with people from diverse cultural, religious, and geographical backgrounds. For me, it was just fascinating interacting with and learning more about people from all over the world. In this way, I believe that ThinkQuest acts as a bridge for cultural exchanges that deepen understanding and enhance the trust and friendship among the young people participating in this program. Having witnessed the kind of camaraderie that exists in an international team of students, I can say that this experience is truly invaluable and irreplaceable.

Putting Technology to Good Use
As we all know, technology is a double-edged sword. ThinkQuest showed me how it can be put to good use. Not only did I acquire valuable knowledge about a particular topic, I also experienced the joy of sharing what I learned with the rest of the world. Today, the ThinkQuest Library serves as a well-known educational resource for many, and I am happy to have had the opportunity to contribute to it. ThinkQuest has convinced me that technology, particularly the Internet, can allow seamless communication and collaboration between people living thousands of miles away from one another.

Participating in ThinkQuest has also enabled me to acquire and reinforce my problem-solving, people management, and web development skills. As a team leader, I learned how to motivate and cheer on my team mates during the course of the project. I also learned about setting deadlines, planning, and assessing the strengths of the various members of the team, and thus, assigning them suitable tasks that leveraged their positives. As a web designer, I learned what it takes to build an educational website and became familiar with the web development life cycle and information architecture. In the process, I uncovered a passion for web development, and this experience has given me the confidence to pursue freelance web design and development in my free time.

I believe that one is knowledgeable only after the knowledge has been passed on for the betterment of others. And this is what ThinkQuest has been doing year after year. I hope to continue to be part of this rewarding program, if not as a student participant, then perhaps as a coach. I would like to say a big thank you to the Oracle Education Foundation for organizing this competition, and I can definitely say that you are making a difference to the lives of many young people like me around the world.

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