Throughout my four years at Fishers High School I have been blessed with incredible experiences and amazing friends. While working on this Senior Val project, I have been able to reminisce on all of these past experiences and how fat I have come as a student and as an individual. I hope while reading through this portfolio that you start to understand who I am and who I am striving to become.

The theme of my port-

folio is to “Take Ad-

vantage of Every Op-

portunity.” I chose this

as my theme because it is

a motto that I have been

trying to live my life by.

Our time here on earth

is limited and you can‟t

just live your life being

“lukewarm” or else you

will miss our on some

amazing experiences

Take Advantage of Every Opportunity

Take Advantage of Every Opportunity English Composition

The Meaning of Life Top 10

2

Personal Goals, Greatest Moment of Triumph

3

What I Will Miss Most, Time Capsule, Special Memory

4

Me As a Son, Most Influential

5

Personal Reflections on World Events

6

Personal Reflections on Pop Culture

7

Lyric Reflection Art Reflection

8

TABLE OF

CONTENTS

Inside this issue:

Special points of in-

terest:

God

Family

Friends

Music

Sports

Serve Others

Humble Yourself

Live Courageously

Nick Ouellette

Share the Word with others.

My purpose in life is to share

the news of Christ with others

and to follow Him with all my

strength. It took me quite

some time to realize my pur-

pose in life and I went through

15 years of my life without

understanding why I was here.

Fortunately I realized what it

meant to have a relationship

with Christ and this realization

lead to my later understanding

of the Meaning of Life. My

meaning is to show love to

others and to strive to be bet-

ter in my every day life. I un-

derstand that I will fail many

times but because of God‟s

grace I am forgiven and I am

not condemned for my trans-

gressions. Because of this love

shown to me, I know that I

must go out and attempt to

show this love to others.

There is so much pain and

disaster in this world and there

are so many people in need of

help. Even worse, there are

millions of people who still

have never heard of Christ‟s

love. This fact is why I must

strive to share the story of his

love to others. I do not want to

get to Heaven and not see my

closest family and friends next

to me.

The Meaning of Life

Top Ten Favorite Songs

Love—Bon Iver

7. Lay „Em

Down—

Needtobreathe

8. Praise You In

This Storm—

Casting Crowns

9. I Won‟t Let You

Go—Rascal Flatts

10. I Believe I Can

Fly—R. Kelly

1. Gravity—

John Mayer

2. Hallelujah—

Jeff Buckley

3. When I Get To

Where I‟m

Going—

Brad Paisley

4. Fix You—

Coldplay

5. Bitter—

Andy Mineo

6. Skinny

Brad Paisley—When I Get To Where I‟m Going

“Yeah when I get where

I'm going

There'll be only happy tears

I will shed the sins and

struggles

I have carried all these

years”

Page 2 Nick Ouel let te Engl ish Composit ion

of the moment start-ed to hit home when I looked up and saw someone descending from the sky. The per-son looked so little and unimportant from where I stood but in his position he probably felt like a gi-ant. The first thing we had to complete when we arrived was a short 5 minute instructional video. When it was my group‟s turn to go we all boarded the small airplane and prepared for the in-credibly experience ahead of us. The

Freefalling from miles above the ground at 60 mph with your life completely in the hands of a stranger is a short way to sum-marize the intensity of sky diving. For my 18th birthday I went skydiving with my girlfriend at the time and it was truly an amazing experience. I did not know how I would react to jump-ing out of an airplane but I tried to keep my composure.

We arrived at the hanger and the reality

hanger looked obso-lete as we started to ascend and eventually became impossible to see. In a short amount of time it was my turn to dive. I zipped through the clouds at 60 mph and fear was my initial reaction but it eventually turned in to joy and complete relief when I finally touched land. I accomplished something that only few ever will in their life time and it felt amazing. (230)

Greatest Moment of Triumph

Personal Goals

I have many goals for my future but only a few of them are truly important and meaningful for me. One of my goals is to share the Gospel with as many people as I‟m given the opportunity to. This goal is important to me because it is also the purpose of my life as a whole. One of my life long goals has been to go to Afri-ca and this year I might ac-tually be able to complete this goal. I have been given the opportunity to go on a mission trip to Tanzania,

Africa for twenty-two days to share the Gospel with schools in the area. I really desire to go on this trip and I pray that all the money will be raised by the power of God.

Another goal of mine is to be the best father I can be to my children and the best husband I can be to my wife. I grew up with my par-ent divorced and I do not want my kids to ever go through that. This world is broken with decaying mar-

riages and I do not want to be part of that trend. My children will grow up with their father in the same house as them. (208)

Page 3 Nick Ouel let te Engl ish Composit ion

Friendships, which are pivotal

to the growth of most people,

are what I will miss the most

when I leave Fishers High

School. Throughout my high

school career, I have developed

friendships with some incredi-

ble people that have helped

carry me through difficult situ-

ations, providing love and sup-

port countless times. My best

friend since preschool, Jake,

will be rooming with me at the

same college this upcoming

fall. This friendship has been

the most impactful on my life

by far and I am glad that I have

the opportunity to continue to

invest in this friendship for the

many years to come. Unfortu-

nately, the other close friend-

ships that I developed in Fish-

ers High School might not

endure as long.

The number of friends on my

Facebook page does not define

who I am as an individual. In

my opinion, a man who has at

least one trustworthy and hon-

est friend is a man with im-

measurable wealth. It is a

shame that some of my friend-

ships will diminish as I embark

on this new journey of my life

and as they also start their own

journey. I will dearly miss these

friends but I am confident that

I will continue to make new

friends that will shape me into

an even stronger and more

developed man. (215)

What I Will Miss the Most

feel the wind and take in the refreshing

smell that could only be found near the

ocean, our annoyance turned in to an

overall emotion of excitement.

This vacation was especially great

because not only was I going with my

mom; I was also going with my best

friend, Jake, and his mom. All of us

stayed at a condo resort that was right

on the beach. From the balcony you

could look out and see the incredibly

One week of complete relaxation on a

beautiful beach with the people I love

stands out in my mind as one of my

fondest memories with my family. As

we approached Gulf Shores, the ex-

haustion from the sixteen hour car trip

turned into pure excitement. From

trying to find impossible “sweet spots”

to nap to staring at endless cars on the

high way, the mood in the car was one

of annoyance. However, once we were

able to roll down the windows and just

blue waves, the pristine white sand,

and the mass amount of people. This

vacation was hands down one of the

greatest memories of my childhood

and the only downside to this vacation

was that we didn‟t schedule it for more

days. (205)

Special Memory

Time Capsule

big part of my life.

3. Family Photo

I would put a picture of my

family in the time capsule be-

cause it would show how im-

portant my family is

to me.

4.iPod

I would also place

my iPod in the time capsule to

show my passion for

music.

5. Remember the

Titans

Putting the Remem-

ber the Titans DVD would

show people that it was my

favorite movie. I have seen

Remember the Titans a ridicu-

1. My Bible

My Bible would rep-

resent what I lived

my life

based upon

2. Guitar Pick

Putting a guitar

pick in the time capsule would

show that I played guitar for a

“My Bible would

represent what I

lived my life based

upon.”

Page 4 Nick Ouel let te Engl ish Composit ion

Me as a Son

There are many disad-vantages and ad-vantages of being the youngest son between my brother and me. Living in a house as the youngest child with a single mom has been a great experi-ence for me. I have had the privilege of witnessing my broth-er‟s mistakes and mak-ing sure that I do not commit the same mis-takes so I do not re-ceive the same punish-ment. To be honest, it

seems as if I am the „favorite child.‟ I have always had a closer bond with my mom and this has brought many advantages. However, I do not take advantage of the love that my mother gives me.

I am not too certain how being a son has affected my relation-ship with others be-sides the possibility that I may be more social than usual. I

have never had a prob-lem with communi-cating with people old-er than me and this can be due to the fact that I am a younger child and have seen how my brother has interacted with adults. My mom has always said that she always wanted boys and never a girl because having a girl would be too much of a hassle. (202)

Most Influential meaning of a Christian. He has molded me into the man that I am today and I will be forever grateful of Him. (211)

directly into the eye and rejected it. Christ, taking the cruelest of punishment, never succumbed to the pressures of the world.

My life completely changed from the moment I accepted Him and I have never been influenced by anyone or anything more than Him. I found purpose and whenever I am in a place of darkness I know that He is still there and will listen to my cries for help. Christ‟s example and sacrifice inspired me to show more love to others and to exemplify the true

He is more than just a name. His name has changed the world and He has completely changed my life. He hasn‟t just changed my life; He has given me life. His name is Jesus Christ, the Savior of this world and my life. Christ has always been there for me. Through the good, through the bad, He has always been by my side. Jesus Christ lived his life with one purpose and he lived it to perfection. How can the only perfect person not be the greatest influence in my life? He looked the filthiness of sin

“He has molded me

into the man that I am

today and I will be

forever grateful of

Him.”

Page 5 Nick Ouel let te Engl ish Composit ion

Tragedy shook the United

States of America on Sep-

tember 11th, 2001 when

two airplanes piloted by

terrorists crashed into the

World Trade Center build-

ing in New York City. I do

not remember much of the

actual day when this hap-

pened because I was only in

the 1st grade but this event

completely changed how my

life, and the lives of all

Americans, would pan out

from that day forward. All I

remember from this event is

coming home from school

and seeing my mom in the

living room, with a look of

shock on her face, watching

the television.

I always thought it was cool

how the world came togeth-

er after this event. There

wasn‟t Democrats or Re-

publicans...it was just Amer-

icans.

There were many ripple ef-

fects from 9/11. We still

have some soldiers deployed

in Iraq and it took years to

find Bin Laden and Saddam

Hussein. Our national secu-

rity has greatly improved to

help an incident like this

from ever happening again.

The images of 9/11 are

shocking and tragic and it is

hard to imagine how my

generation‟s life would be if

this tragedy never hap-

pened.

http://

www.nytimes.com/2001/09/12/us/us

-attacked-president-vows-to-exact-

punishment-for-evil.html

Personal Reflections on World Events: 9/11

Personal Reflections on World Events: Syria

Our government is still

debating whether or not

to provide aide for Syria.

President Obama says he

cannot find any substan-

tial reason to send forces

into Syria. In my opinion,

I think that is ridiculous.

The pictures, the num-

bers, and the killing of

innocent lives are enough

reasons. I‟m proud of the

fact that our country has

always extended a hand to

those in need and that we

are known as one of the

most powerful nations in

the world. Because of

this, we should help Syria

and try and stop this war

so no more humans are

slaughtered.

I pray that the conflict in

Syria gets resolved some

how. It is sad to see so

many die and I could not

even fathom what it

would be like if this hap-

pened in the United

States. If it did happen I

know I would be praying

for someone to help.

(230)

Many tragic events have

taken place in history

over the course of my life.

However, one event has

been very under looked

recently and that is the

civil war that is taking

place in Syria right now.

Syria is in the midst of a

horrible civil war and the

amount of violence taking

place there is unbelieva-

ble. Innocent people are

being butchered and the

exponentially rising num-

ber of deaths is sadden-

ing. Even worse, no one

is coming to their aide.

Page 6 Nick Ouel let te Engl ish Composit ion

Personal Reflections on Pop Culture: Magazine

Personal Reflections on Pop Culture: Magazine #2

Time Magazine wrote an

article titled Me, Me, Me

about how the generation of

today is mostly focused on

their own needs and wants.

I would mostly agree with

this article because the peo-

ple in this generation, me

included, are primarily con-

cerned with their own inter-

ests. Our generation has

become more selfish and

less selfless. For example,

kids are now more con-

cerned about their own

wellbeing than the wellbeing

of others. I was also guilty

of this as well, but children,

even teenagers, demand

things to be given to them.

Because of this lack of con-

cern for others, the morale

of society has drastically

declined. We are more nega-

tive, pessimistic, and lazier

than ever. The obesity num-

bers are ginormous and this

is in part of our concern for

only us. Even our country is

only worried about our-

selves. Instead of helping

Syria in a time of desperate

need, we are doing nothing.

Previously, our country

would quickly lend a hand

to a country in need. Yes,

we still do this from time to

time but I believe Syria is in

such desperate need of help

that we should provide aide

before the situation there

gets even worse. This is in-

credibly sad and hopefully

the attitude of “Me, Me,

Me” turns into an attitude

of helping and concern.

(217)

known as one of the

greatest baseball pro-

spects of all time and his

future looked very bright.

He was the first pick in

the MLB draft out of high

school and he was in-

stantly making millions.

Unfortunately, his life

became revolved around

drugs. He turned into a

heavy addict and eventu-

ally was kicked out of the

MLB due to his heavy

addiction. Long story

short, Josh turned his life

around and committed

his life to following

Christ. God completely

changed his life and Josh

Hamilton is now back in

the MLB and was named

MVP two years ago. To

me, this story is very in-

spirational and it shows

the immense love that

God has for everyone and

how He takes care of His

children. I have looked up

to Josh Hamilton ever

since I read his story and

I hope God continues to

be a giant presence in his

life. (223)

A few years back I read an

incredible story about

Josh Hamilton. It was the

cover story for Sports

Illustrated and it was ti-

tled “The Unbelievable

Josh Hamilton.” Josh

Hamilton has been one of

my favorite athletes for

some time now. His

strength, story and faith

are all incredibly encour-

aging and amazing.

The story in Sports Illus-

trated talks about the life

of Josh Hamilton and all

that he has overcome.

Josh Hamilton was

Page 7 Nick Ouel let te Engl ish Composit ion

“And we are His portion

and He is our prize,

Drawn to redemption by

the grace in His eyes,

If grace is an ocean, we're

all sink-

ing.”

represent my brother and I. I also wondered

why the two angels were looking upwards

and now I believe that they are looking at

God, their father.. It seems as if they are

listening to Him talk and watching Him

intently. This picture being in my mom‟s

room shows her desire to raise my brother

and I in a strong Christian household.

Whenever I see this picture I now think of

my mom and my brother.

This painting has always had meaning to me

because it has been hanging in my mom‟s

room for most of my life. When I was little I

always wondered why she had this picture

and what the significance was to her. I

thought it was strange that she had to baby

angels hanging above her bed.

Now as I‟m older I understand the meaning

of this picture to her . The significance of

this picture to her is that the two baby angels

This painting is very famous and I under-

stand why. I bet a lot of parents treasure this

painting because it reminds them of the

blessing they have been given with their

children. I have great respect for this picture

and what it portrays. (202)

Art Reflection — Painting

David Crowder—How He Loves Us

These lyrics from the song How He Loves Us by

David Crowder band have great meaning to my

life. First off, this song has become one of the

greatest Christian songs of all time over the

past couple of years. How He Loves Us is a

great song to remind people of the love that

Christ has for them and the magnitude of that

love. I chose the lyrics to the right because it

sums up the meaning of the song in just a few

lines. I love the last line of these lyrics: “If

grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.” This is a

powerful message alone because it shows the

vastness of his grace and that we cannot es-

cape from his grace. His grace is so wide and

deep that we just sink in it. If I had to “drown”

in one thing, I would be completely comfortable

with drowning in the forgiveness of my sins. I

also love the line about him being our prize.

This is an important line because it shows that

God isn't forced on us. We don't HAVE to accept

him into our lives because his love for us is a

gift and we can either accept this gift or not.

(208)