IBChangemakers: ‘I learnt that progress comes through planning, practice, and perseverance’

The Personal Project and e-Portfolio are significant for IB students because they encourage independent inquiry, self-management, reflection, and real-world application of learning. They help students set goals, solve problems, track progress, and develop confidence through meaningful, hands-on experiences.

Meet one such student, Yuvraj Dugar of MYP-5 at Apeejay’s IB School, Apeejay School International, Panchsheel Park. In a candid interview, he shares how the 2025-26 projects helped him become more confident, organised, and reflective in his learning.

What was your Personal Project about?

My Personal Project (PP) was based on e-Commerce. I created an online clothing brand called Drippzyy, where I sold products such as T-shirts, jackets, and hoodies. I started working on the project in June last year and gradually learnt how to build and manage an online store.

Why did you choose this PP?

I chose this project because business has always been a familiar part of my life. Many members of my family are involved in business, so I was naturally interested in understanding how a business is created, managed, and promoted. I also wanted to explore e-Commerce because it allowed me to combine branding, marketing, product selection, and customer engagement.

What did you learn from your PP?

I learnt how to create and manage an e-Commerce business. I understood the importance of branding, website development, digital marketing, customer behaviour, and entrepreneurship. I also learned that perseverance is very important because building a business and attracting customers was more challenging than I had expected.

What challenges did you face?

One of the greatest challenges I faced was converting website traffic into actual sales. Although I generated more than 2,000 website visits, achieving my sales target was difficult. I also had a limited advertising budget, so I had to find effective ways to market my products through Instagram reels, photos, online research, YouTube videos, articles, and blogs.

What was the most interesting part of the project?

The most interesting part was building my own brand from scratch. It was exciting to see my ideas slowly turn into a functioning online store. I enjoyed researching websites, understanding how products could be sold online, and using social media to promote my brand.

Which subject did you choose for your e-Portfolio?

I chose Physical and Health Education, also known as PHE. It focused on improving my tennis performance, especially my footwork, agility, and movement, so that I could reach wide balls more efficiently.

What was the first step in your e-Portfolio process?

The first step was identifying the areas of my tennis performance that needed improvement. I conducted baseline tests, such as agility and footwork assessments, and then set SMART goals. Based on these results, I designed a training programme to improve my performance over several weeks.

What skills did the e-Portfolio help you develop?

It helped me develop self-management, discipline, and reflection skills. I learnt how to set goals, follow a training plan consistently, and evaluate my progress using fitness test data. These skills helped me become more organised, resilient, and focused on improving my performance.

How did your teachers guide you for both projects?

My teachers provided regular feedback and guidance throughout. For the PP, they helped me refine my goals, evaluate my progress, and improve my reflections. For the PHE e-Portfolio, they guided me in setting SMART goals, selecting appropriate fitness tests, designing training sessions, and reflecting on my performance improvements.

What was your overall learning from both projects?

My PP taught me about entrepreneurship, marketing, customer behaviour, and perseverance. My e-Portfolio helped me improve my discipline, self-management, and physical performance. Together, they helped me become more confident, organised, and reflective in my learning.