Pearsall's Portfolio
Arianna Pearsall Period 6 I’ve always had a love for writing. It started in Kindergarten when I was chosen for young authors. I didn’t know what it meant to be a great writer. Not even a good one. I would just write and apparently people liked it. Mind you, I reread it now and say to myself, “What was I thinking?”. Nonetheless, its a passion of mine that I hold very near and dear to my heart.Just like the great Jean Louise “Scout” Finch said, “I never loved to read. One does not love breathing.” I have always found solitude within the pages of a book and been admired with the way that I can create absolutely anything with the gift of words. I’ve had marvelous English teachers throughout the years that simply believed in me. They encouraged me and that was all I needed to be pushed beyond limits. During the summer when I heard that I could not take journalism because it wasn’t offered to freshmen anymore, I was rather upset. I didn’t understand why. But then, you chose me and one other freshmen to be on your team and I was overjoyed at the opportunity to write and express myself to the student body. Throughout the school year I have been introduced to many different writing styles within journalism. I have a greater concept of writing and am more aware of every single word that may be in a literary piece. I understand better now that authors chose their words very carefully. With all of the lessons throughout the year and many trial and errors, I have come to a peaceful place with my writing. The following pieces are just some of my favorite throughout the year. Hope you enjoy.
ARTICLE ONE AGYMNAST DREAMS This is the fast-paced life of a gymnast. Hectic, crazy, fun-filled adventure at every flip and full turn. Alyssa Faron is a God-loving, hard working, driven young gymnast on her way to success. This level eight, 15-year-old gymnast pushes herself beyond the limits to achieve her goals of competing collegiately. “Gymnastics is a way of life,” Alyssa Faron says. “I love the challenge and having to push myself mentally and physically.” For Alyssa Faron, gymnastics is a tradition that runs through the family starting at a young age. “I started gym when I was seven or eight,” Alyssa Faron said. “I joined because my cousin was doing it and I thought it’d be fun.” Her level four year was a momentous year and the stakes were high. “I remember it was my level four meet and I always wanted to get first place,” Alyssa Faron said. “I hadn’t gotten that yet, when I had finally gotten it and when they said my name I looked at my mom and there was like, that mind message, you know? I ran up to her and I gave her this big hug.” Alyssa Faron’s mom, Adrian Faron, is her number one fan and supporter. “Not only did she get first place that season but she also was in the top 100 for the nation,” Adrian said. “We were so proud of her! Especially her grandma. She wanted to show Alyssa that hard work pays off.” Adrian has been there for her daughter since the very beginning level one practice at their first gym. “My mom is important to me,” Alyssa Faron said. “She is always there for me and she helps me with life. I tell her just about everything to be honest. I consider her my best friend.” Her family is another supporting piece of her backbone that is encouraging her every step of the way. “My family has always supported me and taught me to just go for it and never be afraid of new things. Especially new skills that I am sometimes afraid to try.” Gymnastics isn’t always fun and games. There’s a lot of time and effort spent towards getting better. “Yeah it’s challenging,” Alyssa Faron said. “It knocks you down but when you can accomplish a skill you get this amazing feeling.” She may be small but she is might through her pride and trust in Christ. “I think my faith in God has guided me a lot,” Alyssa Faron said. “When a skill is hard I know I just need to pray and that God will help me get through it. I know God has a plan for me and even though I can not see it now, I know he is guiding me on this path to greatness.” Through all of the late nights training, the improving every day and getting better and better there is a goal in mind. University of California, Los Angeles has been at the top of Alyssa Faron’s bucket list for as long as she can remember. “My dream is to attend UCLA on a gymnastics scholarship,” Alyssa Faron said. “UCLA is known to have one of the best gymnastics program in the country. That’s why I decided to be homeschooled for a semester, to grow as a gymnast and get better everyday. 1
REFLECTION Alyssa Faron holds herself to a higher standard than most. “There’s this Olympic gymnast, Nastia Liukin,” Alyssa Faron said. “She’s a tall gymnast and it’s much harder for taller gymnasts to be gymnasts so I always tell myself if she can do it and she’s tall, then I can do it.” Liukin is an Olympic gold medalist. She won the women’s individual all around gold medal at the Beijing 2008 Olympic games. “I just think that I’m a small town girl with big dreams. I work hard towards my dreams and I believe one day they will come true. Always do your best and God’s there for you so it’s going to be okay.” I am most proud of this article because it was my second personality profile. Alyssa has been a long time friend of mine and when I decided to write this piece I was ecstatic for the opportunity to learn more about her. I have a greater appreciation for her faith and dedication to gymnastics. She puts so much time and effort into it. The interview for this piece was a lot of fun because we know each other and it was definitely more personable and real. I believe this piece demonstrates good journalistic writing because it gives the reader all of the information about the specific topic, in this case, Alyssa as a gymnast and how her faith affects that. It gives the reader insight on her past and where she hopes her future is going and everything in between. I also believe that this piece connects to the reader more because it has “meat”. It’s not just facts and statements about a certain event that happened. It’s talking about specific things that affect a UHS student and other students might want to read about their peers. The only thing I could think of that could have made this piece stronger is a larger word count. I enjoy reading pieces that are longer and that don’t follow journalistic rules. I believe by talking more about other aspects of her life that influence her a as a gymnast could have been helpful and more intriguing. But, as a journalistic piece that does not follow the criteria and would be unnecessary for the piece as a whole.
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ARTICLE TWO Gabriella Mannuzza is your typical teenage girl. She has her quirks and unique personality from a hectic and strange, yet perfect 18 years. Gabby has a lot of hobbies and interests outside of school. “I like writing, reading, I crochet, and I play online games.” Gabby says. “I collect books, and yarn. I have, a really. Big. Collection of yarn.” Gabby says of her unique love for the art of crochet. “Crocheting was just kind of a thing to keep me busy, but now I’ve found I really like it.” It’s an eclectic hobby to hold close to the heart. Gabby has a love of writing. For her, writing is another fun outlet to help express herself. “Writing helps me get my emotions out and I really just enjoy writing for the fun of it.” Gabby’s love of writing started with her love of reading. She can’t choose just one specific book to call her favorite. “A series of unfortunate events, I love them! Peter Pan is one that I’ve loved since I was a kid. I really don’t have favorites because I read too many and it’s hard to keep up.” She hopes to continue on with her hobbies and make a career out of it. “I plan on either being a journalist or an author, probably both.” Gabby was lucky enough to have the chance to take advantage of the opportunities that were in front of her. The news program here at University would definitely help her progress in the writing business and help her get her voice heard. “I joined the news team last year and I wanted this to help me get better, and knowing that maybe someday, somebody in this school would read my article and be like, ‘Wow, that’s really good.’” Gabby looks to her books for inspiration and strength. “One of the main characters from ‘A Series of Unfortunate Events’, her name is Violet. I mean, she kept going no matter what and she always found a way out of things and she always found a way to fix the problem.” She finds herself in this character and always reminds herself, of the sacrifices she’s made. Gabby is one we’d call different, and strong-willed beneath the surface. She may credit “Violet” with the strength of a lioness, but Gabby’s mother is one to hold the torch to. “My mom just taught me to be a good person and to stay strong through tough times.” Her life hasn’t always been butterflies and peaches, but she could always look to her mother for support and advice. “The past few years watching my mom fight to get me and my sisters in a better situation, just watching how hard she works for us. I really admire that and she’s just really strong-willed.” Gabby’s outlook on life changed last year when things started looking up. “My junior year, a few months into the year everything changed. It changed for the better. I moved in with my mom, so basically my grades went up, my attitude was better. She just kinda made it better for me.” Her family has been dysfunctional to say the least. But she can always count on her mom, through the good times and the bad, to look to for hope. Gabby would not dock herself as “social”, but she has a close group of friends that she credits with helping her through the tough times. “I don’t keep a lot of friends but the ones that I’ve had here and there, keep me going and make me smile.” Gabby is a special one. She can bring the best times to brighten your day, and a light reality check that might very well be needed. She is the definition of loving, proud, intelligent, wise, and steadfast. A bull-headed butterfly. 3
REFLECTION I am extremely proud of Gabby’s personality profile. This was my very first personality profile and it was my first time experiencing story telling through journalism. I didn’t originally think I would enjoy writing about her because I thought it would be difficult to find an angle. After the interview I sat with it for a few days because I still had no idea what to do. I typed up all of the quotes and categorized them. I then started with my lead and quote, transition, quote, repeat. After that first time, it all came naturally to me. I then found no difficulty writing about people’s experiences. I quite enjoy writing this style and may want to write biographies or memoirs when I am older. I think by writing this piece it opened up the readers minds to the very quiet life of Gabby. Grace (my editor) was also super proud of what I had written and that made it even better. After writing Gabby’s piece it sent me on a path of writing tons of other personality profiles, (as you can tell by my other reflections). I really enjoy this writing style and hope to be continuing it on the future. The only critique I have for myself would be to add more to the last transition before the summary because it was kind of out of left field and “confusing”. When I was writing it it just flowed and I didn’t think that it was a disconnect but it was. I would still want to leave it that way but add more just before it to make it relevant.
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ARTICLE THREE ABIGAIL JUNE KELLIE Paris. London. Tokyo. New York. Great cities filled with innumerable stories that have stemmed from humble beginnings because after all, everything has to start somewhere. One freckled girl’s story began in Altamonte on May 9, 2000 at 12:03 am and has since then turned into the thrilling, confusing, astoundingly beautiful life of Abigail June Kellie. Growing up, Kellie wasn’t particularly close with any family. She says life was “normal” and she appreciates the little things now. “I value it more because we were together.” Kellie said. “My parents used to be a big influence in my beliefs but I have grown and formed my own opinions and ideas.” Sometimes people will go out of their way to be harsh but Kellie does just the opposite. She loves and accepts everyone for whom they are and what they have to offer to the world. “There is never an excuse or a reason to be mean,” Kellie said, “You can’t tell me it’s wrong to be nice and accepting. If you’re ever having a bad day, you can always make someone else’s day brighter.” Kellie has a multitude of opportunities to make other people’s days brighter. “I am a cheer coach at Fuel Athletics. I coach a mini level two team and a junior three team,” Kellie said. “I also volunteer as a cheer coach for pop warner, so about 15 hours per week is dedicated to coaching. I also work for Efinity Events doing office work and I have to speak Spanish at the register!” Kellie has been cheering for 11 years. Since she was five years old, her spunk and sass has held pompoms and teammates high in the air. “I eat, sleep and breathe cheer,” Kellie said. “Cheer teaches me a lot about teamwork and how to be a leader without being aggressive and I love meeting a lot of different people.” Along with being a competitive cheerleader, she is an avid member of National Honors Society, a varsity cheerleader and a Lady Titan weightlifter. She was a bright face seen in the beginning of the year as a Spirit Squad member. She is also a proud member of the Biomedical academy. “Abby is thoughtful and kind without expecting anything in return. She’s a rare gem that I’m honored to know and teach,” STEM co-director Jessica Clayton said. “I wish I had a thousand more like Abby in my career as a teacher. She is an excellent student, but more importantly an amazing individual. Her character is second to none.” Kellie is looking forward to continuing on the medical field path in the future. “I want to be a registered nurse that focuses on post-delivery.” Kellie said. “There’s so many interesting things in the medical field, so being an RN I could get certified in multiple areas and I might just do that.” Kellie has a variety of skills including dance, musical talent, and artistic abilities that she also plans to pursue in the future. “I would also love to do something with art when I’m older,” Kellie said. “When I can express what I am feeling and thinking without actually having to say it, it’s an amazing thing.” Kellie has been expressing herself through art for as long as she can remember. “I’ve been drawing since my daycare days!” Kellie said. “I didn’t really get ‘good’ until 2015. It was hard for me to talk about certain things in my life, so I needed to get it out and I do art as a way to let what I feel inside be expressed in a safe way.” 5
REFLECTION She has learned how to cope and persevere through things like challenging AP classes, extensive extracurricular activities, and a hectic family life. “I used to be so bad at managing my stress,” Kellie said. “After having some meltdowns I finally taught myself how to breathe and move through personal stuff [easier]. I’ve developed a carefree attitude and I don’t worry about things as much anymore, what happens, happens.” Many fictional characters are also very influential in her life and in creating her sense of self identity. Just like the witty and charming Doctor from Doctor Who, Kellie is one to make the best out of any situation. “[The Doctor] is very childish and keeps everything light and fun,” Kellie said. “He is comical and keeps everyone in a happy mood and jokes about everything.” As said by the Doctor himself, “The way I see it, life is a pile of good things and bad things. The good things don’t always soften the bad things, but vice versa; the bad things don’t always spoil the good things or make them unimportant.” I am most proud of this piece because I learned about Abby on what I’d like to think was, a deeper level. She told me personal things to get me to understand who she is and give me enough information to portray who she truly is to the readers. This piece is even more relevant to the student body because Abby is a regular face seen in the crowd and most people don’t know the real her. She may always have a smile on her face but do we know why? This piece touched my heart and I know Abby felt extremely honored to be chosen for this piece. The aspect of this piece that I would change is the word count. It was just a tad long and some parts of it were “irrelevant” to the piece as a whole. All in all I am still super proud of it and what it turned out to be.
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PERSONAL ESSAY Growing up in my household was a hectic lifestyle filled with inspirational quotes on every wall, new children every week, listening to Z 88.3, eating the secret recipe of Italian spaghetti, flavorful Spanish rice and beans, proud patriotism, appreciation for heroes, Yankees, and love. Both of my parents were born and raised in New York, only to meet years later in Florida. They met on the side of the freeway next to a McDonalds. It is a long and complicated story to say the least, that led to my beautiful self and, all right, brother. My mother is the second child born to an eleven children family. Even though my mother comes from a rather large family my parents decided to keep theirs small. She was separated from her mother at an early age and raised by her father until her stepmother came into the picture at the age of ten. Growing up in a somewhat dysfunctional household led her to be introverted and unsure of herself. When she found out that she was pregnant with her first child she made the conscious decision to raise her future family differently than hers. Her children would grow up with the mindset that they can do anything that they set their heart to do. That hard work leads to success. She never wanted us to feel that we were lesser than or second class citizens. She wanted us to carry ourselves with confidence and a level of grace, and for us to never be afraid to speak our minds. And that is exactly what she did. Around the age of seven, I started to notice that my mother brought home “random” children that I now introduce as my brothers and sisters. She worked at a middle school and met children that were going through rough patches in their own lives. She acted as a mentor and gave them the support that was lacking in their own homes. Every Wednesday night we would come together as a family for our weekly meetings. We would discuss the upcoming events for the week that filled our busy calendars. School. Friends. Politics. Interests. We would talk about our lives and how we were feeling. Each week my mom would give us an article or quote to read. She would make us sit there, highlight, and talk about what it meant and how we should learn from it. One specific Wednesday she gave us this special poem. And from that day forward, it forever changed my life. “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that 7
WHAT DO I NEVER LEAVE THE HOUSE WTHOUT is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”-Marianne Williamson This poem sums up everything that I stand for and everything that I ever wish to be and show the world. It is about being passionate and powerful. And about not letting our own fear of our passion and power discourage us. God blessed every single one of us with the gift of life and he blessed us with opportunity. As the great John Green once said, “What is the point of being alive if you don’t at least try to do something remarkable?” I strive every day to let my light shine. I am not afraid to be who I am. Growing up with all of my siblings I had to fight to make my own identity and stand out from the crowd. I may be known as the loud, crazy one, but that’s just me. I show my confidence every day and I hope when other people see my confidence they have the courage to be confident themselves. I have given them the unconscious decision to let their own beauty shine. That is what I take with me every day going into the world. I never forget the confidence, grace, patience, passion, and power that my mother instilled in me. I will be the best version of myself that I can possibly be everyday. Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who am I not to be.
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EXTRA! EXTRA! Here are five photos that I have taken throughout the year and feel they describe my photography style.
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EXTRA! EXTRA!
I extremely enjoyed this portfoio and I learned a lot more about inDesign! The photoshoots were a great way for me to better understand from a photographers perspective.
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I believe that I have grown a substantial amount this year. Through my numerous clubs and sports. Through my extensive volunteer hours. Through my own trials and tribulations. I am where I am today because of where I was yesterday. Because of where I come from. Everything that I’ve been through has affected me and brought me to where I am today. Journalism, as defined by Google, is the activity or profession of writing for newspapers, magazines, or news websites or preparing news to be broadcast. This past year in journalism has taught me many lessons to take into my future. I will forever be thankful for the opportunity to write for your team and provide my writing capabilities. One lesson that I learned this year, was that I am most definitely, 100%, not a journalistic writer. I came to this conclusion during the early stages of your class. I chose to persevere and continue on this path to see what else it held in its many depths. I have learned that I, Arianna Pearsall, am a narrative writer and poet. I enjoy telling stories that have meaning and emotion behind it. Journalism is just the hard facts and some peoples opinions on it. I find satisfaction in reading it and I will always. But unfortunately, I do not find fulfillment. I will forever be grateful for the opportunity to be a part of your team because if I wasn’t given this opportunity I would have continued on the path wanting to pursue this as a possible career option without finding that my passion does not lie in writing journalistic pieces. I am looking forward to writing pieces with limitless boundaries of creativity, imagination, and outside of the box thoughts. Thank you for the experience and memories made. Arianna Pearsall
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