Catherine Porter
the heart of the matter
Catherine Porter 1301 South Delaney Ave. Orlando, FL 32806 catherine.e.porter@gmail.com (407) 267-7661
May 10, 2010 J. Brock McClane Director McClane Partners 215 East Livingston Street Orlando, FL 32801 Dear Mr. McClane, In a world increasingly defined by one’s competitiveness, the abilities and experience one has to offer contribute largely to his or her success. I am writing to see what types of opportunities your firm may provide to high school students wishing to further their knowledge in international law. If you have or are willing to create an internship position, then please accept the enclosed resumé for your review. As a rising senior I have had three years to improve my general skills, especially within the areas of writing and communication. As an editor on the Hi-lights Newspaper staff for two years, I have learned to interact with others, produce quality work on deadline, and create aesthetically pleasing graphic designs. I am a highly motivated person that takes pride in both producing work independently and within a group. In addition, not only do I possess the leadership skills and work ethic necessary for any successful career, but I am also actively cultivating those that pertain to my goal career within international relations and government. Throughout high school I have had the opportunity to be both an ambassador to the SAFE club and to Florida Virtual Schools, as well as be chosen for Girls’ State, where a select number of girls from the state of Florida get to attend mock government procedures in Tallahassee for one week over the summer. Through each of these experiences I feel that I have grown in abilities necessary for my chosen career, as well as strengthened my resolve that I do in fact wish to pursue an education in international law. Based on my quick learning ability and the skills that I already possess, I believe that I would be an ideal candidate for an internship at your firm. If you do in fact offer such a position or are inclined to create one, then please look at the accompanying resumé. Although it illustrates my background and accomplishments well, I feel that I could better demonstrate my abilities and zeal for international law through a personal interview. I would appreciate the opportunity to meet with you at a convenient time. Thank you for your time and consideration; I look forward to hearing from you soon. Sincerely yours,
Catherine Porter Enclosed: resumé
Catherine Porter 1301 South Delaney Ave. Orlando, FL 32806 catherine.e.porter@gmail.com (407) 267-7661
OBJECTIVE To obtain the knowledge and experience necessary to pursue a career in international law and relations through a part-time job or internship.
E D U C AT I O N Completed three years at Boone High School. Graduation date: May 2011 G.P.A. 3.87 unweighted, 4.52 weighted. Top 4% of class.
EXPERIENCE Technician Assistant, Conway Veterinary Hospital • May 2006-July 2009. Assisted technicians in various areas pertaining to veterinary medicine, such as filling prescriptions, drawing vaccinations, and caring for patients. Grader/Tutor, Kumon Learning Center • June 2009-September 2009. Graded mathematics and reading packets and explained or taught concepts to students. Resigned to focus on junior year. Newspaper Staff Member, Boone High School • August 2009-present. Campus and Local editor of campus newspaper. Designed layouts for the Campus and Local section, graded Journalism I articles, wrote stories, and assisted the staff in getting to press each deadline. • August 2007-May 2008. Business and Ads Manager. Designed advertisements that would appear in the newspaper, managed bills and money affairs of the business side of staff, communicated with customers as to what they sought in an advertisement in addition to performing all the normal duties of a newspaper staff member.
R E L E VA N T H I G H S C H O O L S T U D I E S Advanced composition and technical writing, firm basis in publishing and design software, background in student government and ambassadorial skills.
H O N O R S , A WA R D S , M E M B E R S H I P S • Latin Club, 2007-present; National Latin Honor Society, 2008-present • Board Member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, 2008-2009 • German Club, 2008-2009 • Founder and President of The Haven, 2009-present Community service club on-campus at Boone High School. • Math Club, 2009-present; Mu Alpha Theta, 2010 • National Honor Society, 2009-present • Girls’ State recipient • Projected National Merit Commended Scholar, 2010
After three years in high school I can honestly say that I have progressed more in this year than any other. Not only do I feel as if I have finally grasped the process of producing a paper, but I also feel as if I have truly come into my own as a leader. As each deadline arose on staff, I grew as a writer and designer. Looking back on my very first stories (“The Best Of” and a book review), I was still a very average writer. When going through the line of editing, I did only what was necessary in order to continue through the process. Rarely did I feel the need to truly delve into my topic; my goal was to produce a piece of quality work in the easiest way possible. In comparison to my final deadline, not only did I complete work early, but I also strove to cover my topic as thoroughly as possible. Similarly, my designs also progressed. In the October issue I used fairly basic designs, whereas in later editions I created more advanced layouts, such as student photography in the December issue and human trafficking in the February issue. I believe that my skills vastly improved in every aspect of production. Similarly, my ability to handle deadlines also progressed. Under pressure to not only handle my difficult studies but also succeed on staff, I chose to improve my skills in time management. Although it took me the better part of the year, I have successfully met most deadlines, done fairly well in school and even participated in Winter guard. In the final edition in particular I excelled at meeting deadlines; in fact, I was early on the majority of them. I am extremely proud of my progress this year. To be completely honest, when I returned to staff my initial concern was how well we would cooperate as a whole. I had heard that there was a lot of drama and aggravation the previous year, which concerned me. Although the first few months were not the picture of perfection, I do believe that the staff grew as a family. Though we often disappointed those above us, sometimes bickered and occasionally fought, by the end of the year we were a changed family. I became excited each day to come to class, not just to create an amazing paper, but also to see the people that I have come to love. I personally know that I have come leaps and bounds in cooperating with the staff; I truly respect those around me, even if I may not always agree with them. Perhaps the only part of my work that I am not proud of this year is the level of effort I put into selling advertisements. Though it is one of the simplest tasks on newspaper, I only managed to sell about $300 of my total $500. I put off selling all of my ads over the summer because I had sold the initial $250. However, I quickly learned that if I don’t sell ads over the summer, I will almost certainly not sell them during the school year. This summer I will definitely not repeat last year’s experience; I will sell them as soon as possible. What I am most proud of is the level of dedication that I feel I exhibit each day. It is no longer enough to do my work adequately; instead, I want to put my best effort into everything I do. It is not that I am a perfectionist, merely that I am extremely excited to see our paper grow to its full potential. I try to be ethical in each step of production, from keeping identities a secret (such as in the peer pressure article in November) to not cutting corners (as one could easily do in the writing process). I am proud of the level of ethics and dedication that I maintain everyday, and happy to call each of my articles my own; I would rather my work be flawed than be someone else’s. Everything about staff can be transferred to any career in the future. From my experiences on newspaper I will be able to better cooperate with and lead those around me, manage my time, meet deadlines, produce professional work and communicate with others. There is not a single element of staff that does not prepare one for the future.
Although this story could still use a fair amount of work, I feel that it is my most significant for several reasons. First of all, the subject is one that the staff rarely covers. I loved how we had the chance to recognize student achievements in artwork through the photography program rather than just a highlight of one student or the program itself. Also, I felt that my design was innovative; the use of the film strips and polaroids is a unique way to actually showcase the four students’ work. However, the process of getting to this point was a rough one. The article was intended to show how students are becoming increasingly involved in photography as a hobby, yet I had a very difficult time communicating this in the way that I wished without bringing in the program at school. Also, it was hard trying to find students who truly pursued photography as a hobby that weren’t either my friends or upperclassmen. From the very first draft to the final one, my story underwent numerous revisions. In my initial draft, my story took the angle of a focus on photography from the art program standpoint, with little tidbits of information from four different students. Gradually, though, it evolved to show each student’s hopes and dreams concerning the hobby, as well as ways for others to get involved in photography. I knew all along how I wished the page to look, so the design was not a huge alteration from draft to draft, although my beginning design just had the film strip, and not the polaroids. Through this process I learned to clearly establish before writing the story exactly what is expected from the piece. Doing so will help guide me in the writing process and also hold me accountable to stick to the initial direction of the article. Looking back on this piece, my favorite part is still the design. I think that it is very creative and is cohesive with the theme.
When I was assigned this story, I envisioned something that I thought would have a fairly good final product. And although I am mildly happy with the outcome of this process, there are still several things that I wish I could fix. Firstly: the graphic. From submission to submission, the map of the world changed, from a globe-like map to a box, then back to a globe-like map again. However, the part that I dislike most about it is the key. I wish that I could have come up with a more creative way to show the trafficking status of several countries; I feel that the final product looks plain. Second of all is the actual content of the story. I tried so hard to get an interview with Dr. Bersia from UCF, yet not once did he grant me an interview like his staff said he would. I called more than twenty times over three weeks, scheduled appointments and conducted follow-up calls, yet he did not come through each time. If I had gotten that interview, I feel like my story would have a much larger picture, for I would not be confined to school opinions for the story. Perhaps the biggest thing that I would like to change was the glaringly obvious spelling mistake in the headline. For three submissions there was a mistake, yet not once did I see it. This aggravates me most of all because it is such an easy thing to fix, yet I did not even see it. However, despite its many mistakes, I still am relatively proud of this article. I like the secondary coverage box (“Top ten . . . ways to combat human trafficking�), as well as the graphic with statistics floating around. I feel like I did the subject justice, yet the little mistakes and what ifs add up, making me wish that I still had a chance to do it over. Lesson learned: SPELL CHECK EVERYTHING. Or else be prepared to face extreme amounts of embarrassment.
This picture is one that I am especially proud of, and for many reasons. Not only does it represent the countless games I attended and the sense of spirit that existed at each one, but it also possesses elements that one looks for in a good photo. The track provides leading lines that guides one’s eye up the photo, there is repetition in the position of the Bravettes and the girls’ expressions communicate the tangible excitement from the game. Newspaper>2010 Original pics>pre-game football_ cport>DSC_0019.jpg
I took this photograph for the last issue of the year. Intended for the “Most Influential Student” cover, I feel that this photograph really captures Caley Brock’s emotion and sense of connection to the book. I like this picture for its composition and the expression that the subject possesses. I love how one can almost imagine the subject giggling while I was shooting the photo. Although it may not be an action shot, I feel that I still did a great job at capturing a short-lived moment of excitement. Newspaper>2010 original pics> Most influential CHOSEN> IMG_7018
For the final issue of the year, Emily O’loane asked me to take some creative shots for her “Letter From the Editor” picture. I hadn’t previously taken creative shots per se, but I was excited to see the results of the shoot. I chose this picture because it is a significant one for me in that it is symbolic of the end of many things: the end of a year, a beloved editor and this year’s issues. The leading lines, symmetry and filling of the frame with the subject makes this a good photograph from an artistic standpoint, but from an emotional standpoint it means much more. It is symbolic of the memories I have, from past yearbooks to the end of the Emily era. Newspaper>2010 original pics> Emo_ CatherinePorter> Emo>IMG_0673.jpg
One’s junior year often presents the most difficult challenges in high school. Not only are there grades to maintain, colleges to think about and tests to complete, but for those on staff there are also deadlines to meet. Personally, I feel that I stepped up this year and completed my work to the best of my ability. Although I took a one year hiatus, I feel as if the stories I wrote and pages I designed met our high standards. Looking back on the 2009-2010 school year, I believe that I was an asset to the newspaper in more ways than one. As an editor, I produced designs that I am very proud of, such as the article on student photography in the December issue. As a staffer, I feel that my writing grew as I attempted sports articles such as the one on silk aerial artistry in November and another on girls’ lacrosse in March. This entire year I made a conscious effort to truly commit to staff, even when my schedule felt overwhelmingly packed. Whether this meant I elected to stay after school five hours to get the paper to press in October or I turned in work early in anticipation of Advanced Placement exams in May, I always made sure that I submitted work that I could be proud of. I also did not stop with the completion of my own work, but went on to complete other tasks so we could go to press on time. I edited senior brags for content and style, took pictures for Emily, guided Cooper and took on the prom story.
I honestly feel as if the greatest hardship I faced this year was attempting to juggle four AP classes in addition to being on Winter guard. Through my experience I learned that work absolutely cannot be put off until a later date. I learned that any spare moment I had needed to be not only utilized, but taken advantage of efficiently. I no longer had enough time to draw out assignments, but instead I was forced to complete work in a timely manner. Fortunately, time management is a skill that is applicable in any area and one that I will always be able to use in the future. When confronted with a situation where I am pressed for time, I now know that I must have a time line for executing the assignment. By doing so, I can break up my work into smaller, more manageable pieces, relieving much of the stress that results from waiting to complete an assignment. Overall, I feel as if I managed my hectic schedule fairly well. I know that the February and March issues during the third nine weeks were my roughest, for I had a difficult time meeting deadline. However, I pulled it together for the final issue and am proud of the results of my work this year.
Halfway through the year I thought that my greatest weakness was getting along with those on staff. In December, much of each week was dominated by one person getting mad at another. As the year progressed, however, much of the problem dissipated. I believe that we began to get along with each other more as a collective effort than as any one person’s doing. Personally, I made a strong effort each day to encourage those around me. I felt that it would not help anyone to have a negative voice hanging over staff; I believe that positive encouragement has better effects than criticism. Although constructive criticism is necessary for improvement, I felt that it was my role as a fellow staffer to prompt better work through suggestions and positive feedback rather than degradation of someone’s work. Also, I worked harder to improve the relationship I had with each person on staff. For instance, when I was not on the best of terms with one staffer, I spoke with this person and resolved the issue rather than letting it build up and become a problem that would impact everyone. I now feel like newspaper has become a family. I may be oblivious to the truth, but it certainly seems as if we all enjoy each other’s company now.
N12 Personality profile: Most influential junior-Alexa Rossi May 14 issue, page 12
N24 Editorial cartoon: Racial Profiling May 14 issue, page 5
In this piece, I explore the accomplishments that led Alexa Rossi to be chosen as a “Most Influential Student” by our staff. I think that this is a great representation of my skills because it is one of my final articles of the year, thus making it the culmination of all that I have learned in my two years on staff. I feel like I captured Alexa’s spirit and described her in a way that guides the reader to believe that she is worthy of the title. By showing the reader instead of telling him or her, I know that I accomplished a fundamental task in writing a personality profile.
One of the reasons why I chose to enter this piece is because I have had no prior experience in drawing any cartoon, much less an editorial cartoon. For this reason I think that the final product was notable because I had to represent the editorial’s argument through a drawing, which is not always a simple task. Furthermore, the image provides symbolism that is central to the idea of racial profiling against Hispanics. The fence, border and passengers in the truck provide commentary for the reader to interpret as he or she may.
N64 Portfolio of work (news designs): Senior checklist: October 9 issue, page 8; Student photography: December 18 issue, page 8; One year: May 14 issue, page 8 When I was deciding what to enter in for the third category, I wanted to choose something that would showcase the work that I have designed this year. However, I could not choose just one, so I picked my three favorites from Campus and Local to submit as a portfolio of work. I am proud of all three works because I think they show creative use of space on the page; none are either overwhelmingly busy or overtly simple. I chose the checklist because it shows a kind of collage-theme that one might expect to see along with a checklist on a desk. The photography design I picked because the secondary coverage (film strip and polariods) are cohesive with the story and act as an extension of its material. The final design I selected because it is a unique way to visually represent the year-end totals.
Looking back on my freshman year portfolio, the first question that strikes me is how I ever got an A on it. Although simplicity is sometimes underrated, this portfolio was excessively so. My design consisted of three lines of varying shades of green. That’s it. Also, the essays are riddled with errors (see reflection four), not to mention embarrassing instances of “insightful” commentary complete with a reference to zits. In addition, I tended to misuse words-especially adverbs (again, see reflection four). Needless to say, my work speaks for itself. Horrendously basic designs, sloppy compilations of articles and frequent errors dominate my 2007-2008 portfolio, a fact that I find both intensely comical and simultaneously humiliating. However, my abomination of a portfolio gave me much room to improve on this year. Not only does this portfolio showcase the skills I’ve gained in my writing and designs through my stories, but also through the overall portfolio design and accompanying reflections. The paint splatters and vector designs I used in this portfolio are far more advanced than lines; I was able to utilize my increased knowledge in Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator to create a product that truly shows my growth in publication related tasks. The overall appearance of my work is more professional as well. I neatly glued in my articles instead of slapping them on the page, and I also used PDFs to show the entire page, which adds a clean and streamlined element to my portfolio. I definitely believe that my stories, designs and portfolios have shown considerable growth, for I know much more now about language, aesthetics and design than I did my freshman year.
october
november
december
february
march
may
designs
the stories, the photos, the designs, the deadlines: all made my life difficult each issue
but the heart of the matter is . . . I love staff.