IBChangemakers: ‘I wanted to use my personal project to carry on my family legacy’

Personal Project and e-Portfolio allow students to connect classroom learning with personal interests, family stories, culture, and identity. They encourage independent thinking, research, creativity, and problem-solving. More than completing an assignment, students learn to express their ideas with confidence and understand the value of their voice. Meet one such student, Saanvi Sharma, an MYP-5 (now in DP-1) student at Apeejay’s IB School, Apeejay School International, Panchsheel Park

In a candid interview, she talks about how these projects for the academic year 2025-26 helped her explore identity, tradition, and self-expression.

Tell us about your personal project.

My personal project is about embroidery, which is a family legacy of mine. It has been passed down from my grandmother to my mother, and I wanted to use my personal project as an opportunity to carry on that legacy. I also wanted to explore why embroidery has many stereotypes, like being seen as an old person’s craft. I wanted to show that it can be for young people as well. That is why I chose this topic.

Did you face any challenges or difficulties?

The main challenge was during my creation. Selecting the right kind of fabric for the embroidery was tough. I could not find a shirt in such a fabric. So I had to choose a thinner fabric with thinner holes. I was able to take my needle through it easily to embroider.

What is your e-Portfolio about?

It was on embracing uniqueness, which was the theme Ivy had given to all of us this year. Through this theme, I tried to understand how every person, culture, and experience has something different to express. For me, embracing uniqueness means accepting differences and also seeing how those differences can connect people in some way.

What were the main areas you focused on?

I focused on cultural identity, personal narrative, gender and selfhood, and emotional polarity. These areas helped me understand how people express who they are and how their background shapes their thoughts and emotions.

What idea did you explore through it?

My e-Portfolio explores unity and difference. I looked at how different cultures show different things and motives, and how these cultural expressions can have their own meanings. I also wanted to show that even when cultures are different, they can still connect people through emotions, memories, and personal experiences.

How did culture and emotion come together in your work?

I explored how different cultures can express different emotions across the world. Some ideas may look different from one culture to another, but the feelings behind them can be understood by many people. That was an important part of my work because I wanted to show that uniqueness does not always create distance. Sometimes, it helps people understand each other better. I tried to show how individuality and connection can exist at the same time.