The “Personal Project” is an assignment that is done throughout 10th grade, the last year of MYP. According to the IB website, the longterm project is meant to formally assess students’ approaches to learning (ATL) skills to prepare for the DP.

It can be overwhelming, but if students “build their Personal Projects around something they are interested in, this learning journey will be one of the most rewarding from the MYP years,” says this year’s coordinator, Cristina Cuzuc.

To find out a bit more, we reached out to five grade 10 students to learn about their projects and their outcomes. Here’s what they had to say.

Carla A: ‘Skincare with Carla’ TikTok Account

“I’ve had a passion for skincare since 8th grade and literally everyone knows it. I know a lot of my friends have struggled with acne and it has been an insecurity, not only of theirs, but in society as well. I wanted to initially create a skincare line consisting of a cleanser, serum and moisturizer, targeting acne. However, after ordering my ingredients, the wrong ones came in and it was too close to the product deadline to continue. Therefore I created a TikTok account called ‘SkincarewithCarla,’ which uses all the research I did for the products, in little videos talking about tips regarding skincare. I wanted to make it seem like I’m not a teacher/lecturer, rather someone trying to help out as a friend just having a conversation with someone.”

Răzvan I: ‘Business Advice for Teenagers’ Website

“Business and entrepreneurship have been some of my passions for the past few years, particularly due to the fact that I’ve spent my last two summer breaks working and gaining experience in my father’s company. I felt that I might not be the only teenager nowadays who seeks help and useful information from older people regarding their future paths; therefore I created a platform entitled ‘Business Advice for Teenagers,’ where I host my interviews with reputable entrepreneurs. The main purpose of it is to deliver the advice offered by people who have a career in different business areas, having a diversity in quotes and life experiences.“

Luca M: ‘Who Said Diets Can’t Be Fun?’ Cookbook

“‘Who Said Diets Can’t Be Fun?’ is a fitness cookbook inviting everyone to make reaching their fitness goals much easier. Diet is crucial when it comes to achieving your dream physique and health goals, so you might as well make it enjoyable. I created these recipes specifically for those who are looking to put on weight and muscle, or to lose fat, and am really happy how it turned out.”

Deniz A: Paintings of Historic NBA Moments

“The idea of my personal project was to paint historic moments in the NBA. I split the history of the NBA into 3 eras, the 60s-70s, 80s-90s, 2000s-2010s. For each era, I chose a significant moment in NBA history and painted this moment in an art style that was popular in the time period. For the 60s-70s, I painted Wilt Chamberlain’s 100 point game in a pop art style. For the 80s-90s, I painted Michael Jordan’s 6th championship in a classical realism style, and for the 2000s-2010s, I painted the Cleveland Cavaliers 3-1 finals comeback in a graphic design style.”

Maarten Z: Robotic Arm

“My product is a robotic arm, with the goal to imitate a human arm. Its uses could be for amputees or in humanoid robotics, which have loads of uses. The fingers, thumb and wrist can be controlled by motors, and the wrist is flexible and can turn to many positions. I learned a lot about mechanics and 3D printing to complete it.”

Tai T: Online Course on Intersectionality and the Roma Community

“My project is about equity. Specifically, it focuses on two often-ignored topics: Intersectionality, which is the idea that forms of discrimination are actually connected with one another, so to eliminate one type of oppression we must eliminate them all; and how discrimination affects the Roma community in Romania. The course I have written goes into detail about these topics, and it is my hope to include it in AISB’s High School Advisory Curriculum to help further educate people on these issues.”

We hope that you enjoyed seeing these great pieces of work! If you’re a student who will be starting the Personal Project in the next year or two, make sure to read this article with tips from former 10th graders.