wesley sawyer's valedictory

Wesley Sawyer’s Senior Valedictory Portfolio

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As I am ending my four years in high school getting ready to graduate, I look back on everything that has made me who I am today. When I look back, I see both good and bad things that I have learned from and grew as a person. I will take the things that I learned to help me live a better life.

Keep Smiling :)

My overall theme for my valedictory project is keep smiling.

Smiling and laughter helps you be more positive and live a happier life.

Whoever said that laughter was the best medicine was a very smart person.

The key to life is having a positive attitude and don't let the little things bring you down. Whenever something bad happens, just smile and appreciate the life you were given making the best of every situation.

Along with smiling, enjoying the little things is another way to live fulfilling life.


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The Meaning of Life

We are put on this planet for a reason, each of us having a

different role to play in the grand scheme of things. Some may never

find out what it is, but each and every one of us needs to learn the

true meaning of life. Enjoy it.

Life a magical gift that can not and should not be replicated.

Each life is sacred and should be treasured, but at the same time have

fun. Enjoy the little things is a phrase I like to live by. Your life

would be so much better if you take the time and just enjoy it. Think

about all of the good times you had and reminisce, then think about

the bad times and how you grew stronger from them. There is

always room to overcome what life has thrown at you, it just depends

on your attitude and how you want to deal with the situation. Having

too much stress can be a good thing, but only if it is not for very

long. If you are having a rough day, just take the time and just enjoy

yourself. That is what life should be about.

Make the best out of every situation and enjoying the little things

are why we are on this planet. A miserable life is no life at all.

Being compassionate towards others and loving each other is life’s

gift to us. Finding people you care about who care about you back is

a vital role that we must play in each of our lives. Making the lives of

others worth living for and living to enjoy the little things are why

we are on this earth.

Family is the reason

to live. Smile with

them, laugh with

them, be with them,

love them.

Being there for

friends and family is

the key to having a

very happy life and

making the best of it.


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Growing up in a house like mine has been nothing shy of a great life. I was always

well nourished and usually if I wanted something, my parents would be able to buy it for me.

I was always pressured just the right amount in school which made me a better student today.

This is all thanks to my wonderful dad. He graduated from high school being the salutatorian

in his high school and had defiantly showed in his life. He is a very successful and wise

computer engineer and makes a good amount of money to live desirably.

While being hard at work, he still had time to be my dad. We would always throw

around the football or shoot hoops and despite the fact that I wasn’t very good, he still played

with me. This increased his mood and more importantly my mood. He would joke around

here and there, regardless the fact that some were extremely cheesy, which made him more

enjoyable to be around. Being so successful in his life inspired I to be more successful than he

already was. My beliefs and attitudes don’t vary to far from what my dad’s are because they

had such a great impact on my life that I want to have for myself.

Personal Reflection Prompt: Who has influenced you the most?

Personal Reflections on Influential People

Being in high school, I have many friends. All of my friends are ones that

I like and have formed a strong pact with which will stick with us for a long time.

Whenever one of my friends needs my help on something, I am always willing to

assist them; no matter what the circumstance. In doing so, people who I grow close

to are aware that I am generally a good person and come to rely on me if they ever

have any problems. There is never a time where I wouldn’t get my friends back if I

had the opportunity. Being there for my friends is something that I will always do.

The absence of disadvantages leaves more room for advantages. Strong

bonds and the sheer loyalty to each other is what makes all friendships worth wild.

Almost all of the friends that I have made will become lifelong friends making each

of our lives more meaningful. Making the friends that I have makes us and

especially me a much better person. I was given the opportunity to sympathize with

an assortment of different types of people that helps me become more compatible

with everyone that I meet.

Personal Reflection Prompt: Describe yourself as a friend. What are the advantages or

disadvantages to this position? How is your relationship to others as a result?

Ladies and gentlemen, this is a

picture of four people with the

same name. Ranging from Me

John Wesley Sawyer VII to John

Wesley Sawyer IV.


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One of my biggest life goals is just to have a simple life, marry a loving wife and have a nice family with financial support. There are many different paths that I could take to have this dream a reality, but the one that I see fit is for me to go to Purdue and become and engineer. Purdue’s engineering program is very competitive and I will have to work extremely hard to keep up with it all. I am confident that my next four years will be successful and help me achieve my life goals.

I have always loved dealing with technology and engineers make a lot of money will send off my children to college one day. The best for my future children and wife will help me through my four years of college getting me the best education preparing me for the real world. I am willing and able to work this hard for these goals and I know that someday I will achieve them.

Achievement Reflection Prompt: What goals do you have for your future, and how do you plan to achieve these goals?

Personal Reflections on Achievements

One of my shining moments that I had was starting playing soccer. I didn't have much interest in soccer until I started getting involved in it. My parents would always take me to practice and come to my games. This taught me how important family was and helped me gain friends. There was never really any specific moment in which defines me as a person, it was the whole experience.

I played travel soccer for FC Pride and we practiced hard three times a week. We would start out with a run that was probably a mile and a half. That taught me how to keep my pace and not to be impatient. We learned drills that helped value the importance of teamwork. Throughout the season, we were to practice dribbling at home on our own time. This taught us how to be independent which made me a better person to this day. All of my time at FC Pride showed me how to be a responsible and hardworking adult

Achievement Reflection Prompt: What moments can you recall that best define your development as a young man or woman?


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Reaching the end of my high school career, there are many things that I have taken

for granted. When I graduate, the one thing that I am going to miss the most is my mom’s

cooking. She has been cooking for a long time now and she has seemed to perfect it to the

best. Almost every week night, she prepares a nice whole hearty dinner for my father and me.

We always eat around six thirty every day and I have got accustomed to this schedule. My

mom’s cooking, which to me is the best, is going to be hard to live without in college.

The thing that I will definitely not miss about high school is the “kids”. There are too

many students in high school that I do not like and honestly would be better off if I weren’t

around them. I know that there will still be those people in college, but I am hoping that there

will be less of them. Some people just haven’t had the time to grow up yet and that is one

thing that I would like to see change in at college.

Memory Reflection Prompt: What special memories do you have of your family or childhood?

Personal Reflections on Memories

Throughout my life, I always loved to play soccer. As a kid, I was always training to

make myself better in every way I could. My parents always supported me and even pushed

me towards being the best player I could. I had practice Monday through Thursday and my

parents would always seem happy to take me there. I had games on most Saturdays and it

seemed to me like both of my parents went to every single game. It really meant a lot to me

back then, but now that I look at it, makes me appreciate them so much more.

When I was around 12 or 13 years old, my family took a trip to Florida. I can still

remember what the condo looked like, its beautiful view and fancy furniture. It was my first

time there and at the instant I saw where we were staying, I never wanted to leave. Spending

time with my family and going jet skiing in the Gulf of Mexico; that was one of the best weeks

of my life. Being there made me realize how lucky I am to have the family that I have.

Memory Reflection Prompt: What will you miss the most and least about high school when you graduate?


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Smartphones are a craze that has been growing ever since they started making them. This

article says that almost half of American adults have smartphones which is an increase from

25% only two years ago in 2011. The rapid growth of smartphone users is to be expected.

Coming from a smartphone user, I check it a lot. I would not say that I was addicted to it, it is

just that I really like it. With the increasing technology, I can see smartphones being in

everyone’s hand in about ten years. They are getting more advanced and cheaper to produce

and buy. Smartphones are going to be around for a very long time and I think that it is good

that we are getting a good start.

This article also states that there can potentially be people “hooked” on smartphones, but

still remains unclear. The fact that someone could be addicted to a smartphone frightens me.

In know that some people may love their iPhone a little more than they should, but it is just

stupid that someone could suffer withdrawals without one. They are also limiting the amount

of human interaction that occurs within our society. Even though I may not like that fact, the

amount of smartphone users is only going to go up and we will have to just learn to live with

it.

Magazine Articles: http://www.webmd.com/balance/guide/addicted-your-smartphone-what-to-do

Personal Reflections on Magazine

Becoming more popular than ever before, reality TV is growing into a new way that we all enjoy TV. There are a plethora of different types of reality TV you can watch. It ranges from keeping up with the Kardashians to show about fake internet relationships called Catfish000ing. There is a reality TV show for pretty much everyone out there.

This article states that reality TV is making us dumber and it could not be more right. Personally I have only seen a few reality TV shows to see how bad they were, but some of the headlines of the shows makes me face palm myself. In today’s society, it seems like they make a TV show about anyone who is remotely interesting. It is encouraging teenage pregnancies because of shows like “16 and Pregnant” and “Teen Mom”. Shows like these need to be put to an end because of the harmful message they put on Americans.

Magazine Articles: http://www.psychologytoday.com/collections/201108/does-reality-tv-make-us-stupid


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Starting out with a complete failure, North Korea is making nuclear weapons that they could go to war with. With their attempt at firing a missile and having it crash in the middle of the ocean, it is hard to take him seriously. On an app that I like to use called ifunny, pictures 40 pictures a day are posted that are usually funny. When Kim Jong Un made the missile, he was made fun of. He was almost instantaneously made a meme or something that you make fun of on the intranet. There were pictures him making funny and stupid comments about his “missiles”. I just love to see that he is not taken seriously and that we can laugh about it.

Going along with my meaning of life, we can smile at Kim Jong Un. We have the technology to track and take down the missiles that he might shoot if they ever get off the ground. Not only that, but the way he handled it in saying that he didn't have any missiles even when we could see them. Some are afraid of Un, but I think that most of us Americans are or should be laughing at him.

Newspaper Events: http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/782755.shtml

Personal Reflections on Newspaper

Happening on the annual marathon hosted in Boston, two terrorist blew up a bomb on April

15, 2013. The bomb killed three people and injured 264. It left many without limbs and

scared even more lives. The two people who did this are truly bad people and both should be

punished with the death penalty. The fact that this happened and many lives were scarred

really saddens me. This tragedy affected the lives of many across the nation. This event also

brought many families together because through pain and destruction, people grow stronger.

Other countries can learn from this because even though we suffered, we bounced back twice

as strong. Whatever life throws at you, you can always grow from it. Whatever doesn't kill

you makes you stronger is a great way to explain this tragedy. America as a whole grew from

this and made us closer and stronger than ever before.

Newspaper Events: http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2013/05/dzhokhar-tsarnaev-

http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/782755.shtml

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2013/05/dzhokhar-tsarnaev-confession-note/65283/


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This quote is by someone who I look up to in life. He revolutionized the smartphone and did so many other great things. This quote tells you to follow your dreams and do what you actually want to do. These are great words to live by which everyone should try and do. Jobs’s quote drives passion into my heart and assures me that I can be anyone who I want to be. He is trying to tell us that we don't need anyone else running our lives and we should be in control. It makes me want to become a better person and affects my decision making in a good way. I have a better outlook on my future after reading this quote. This is a really good quote to use for my project because of how inspirational it is and how you feel after reading it.

Art Reflection: “What doesn't kill you” Kelly Clarkson

Personal Reflections on Art

You know the bed feels warmer

Sleeping here alone

You know I dream in colour

And do the things I want

You think you got the best of me

Think you've had the last laugh

Bet you think that everything good is gone

Think you left me broken down

Think that I'd come running back

Baby you don't know me, cause you're dead wrong

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger

Stand a little taller

Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone

What doesn't kill you makes a fighter

Footsteps even lighter

Doesn't mean I'm over cause you're gone

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, stronger

Just me, myself and I




Art Reflection: “Your time is limited, don't waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living the result of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinion drowned your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition, they somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” Steve Jobs

You heard that I was starting over

with someone new

They told you I was moving on over you

You didn't think that I'd come back

I'd come back swinging

You try to break me, but you see







What doesn't kill you makes you stronger,

stronger





Thanks to you I got a new thing started

Thanks to you I'm not the broken-hearted

Thanks to you I'm finally thinking about me

You know in the end the day you left was just

my beginning

In the end...







[2x]

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger,

stronger





In her song, Kelly Clarkson is singing to her ex-boyfriend saying that she doesn't need

him and he was a bad thing that happened in her life which she grew from. The other theme is

that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. This is a very good phrase to live by because it is

so true. If you have the willpower, you can overcome anything that life throws at you. The key

to achieving this is having a positive attitude towards life. The main idea behind the phrase is that

when something bad happens to you, only good comes next. You can learn from your mistakes

and hardships by not letting them get you down. This song is not only a great song, but I agree

with the message it conveys. It goes along with what my theme is and has a great impact on my

life.


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Time Capsule Reflection

The objects that I put in my time capsule are memorable items that mean a lot to me and play a big role in my life. Through these items and what they represent, I have grown more as a person, gained lifelong friendships, and helped others in ways that I could not imagine. Each of these items plays a unique role in my life.

Time Capsule Piece 1: Soccer Ball

I played soccer for a lot of my childhood and it really made an

impact on how I live my life. It shows that I really like playing

sports, especially soccer. I really like to play soccer and I have

gained many friends from it.

Time Capsule Piece 2: Xbox Controller

I played a lot of Xbox in my life and it would symbolize all of that

time that I spent on it. It would also show how much I liked to

play video games. I have been playing Xbox for a very long time

now and I could not see my past without it.

Time Capsule Piece 3: IPhone 5

I really love technology and it would be cool to compare today’s

smartphones with the ones of the future. I am going into a field of

technology and it would be a cool memorabilia to have.

I know that everyone loves money, but I like to save my money

and collect different types of it especially coins. It would also to

be cool to compare the money we have now to whatever it will be

in the future.

Time Capsule Piece 5: Pictures of my family

I really love my family and they mean a great deal to me. It would

seem nice to put memorable pictures in there so I can remember

all of the good times we had. Family is the most important thing

in my life and it would be nice to look back at the times together.

Time Capsule Piece 4: Money

This movie was very similar to Memento in the fact

that it made you think about what was happening

and the plot twist at the end came out of nowhere.

This movie was unexpectedly hilarious and had

great small talk scenes. The actor who played

Django played it really well and made it a great

movie.

This was a really inspirational movie and had one

of my favorite actors in it, Morgan Freeman. This

is a movie that I think should get an award for best

movie ever.

I guess I really like movies with great plot twists

because this one had an amazing one. Brad Pitt

played a great role and I would watch this move a

million times.

Tom Cruise is an iffy actor because some of his

acting is good and others not. This was a good

movie for him. The cinematography was great and

I had an amazing ending.

5 - Shutter Island

2 –Fight Club

1 - Sawhshank Redemption

3 - Django Unchained

4 - Oblivion


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I have always enjoyed watching movies. My sister and I watch pretty much every Disney movie when we were growing. I’ve been to many midnight premieres and when I have nothing else to do, I sit down and watch a movie.

The whole series is fun to watch and its cinematography

was amazing. I am a big fan of action and sci-fi movies.

I can still remember watching the entire series with my

sister.

My dad first introduced me to this movie and I’ve seen

it many times since then. It has interesting and different

humor that makes unique and very entertaining.

This movie was very confusing and actually made you think about what was going on. The plot twist at the end made it really good and it was well made.

Being a chick flick, I was skeptical on watching it. But

right after I did, I had no regrets. It was a very good

movie and Jennifer Lawrence is my favorite actress.

.Batman has been one of my hero's growing up. His

lifestyle and suit are really cool and the movie was

amazing. It had a great plot and amazing action scenes.

10 - Star Wars

7 - Silver Linings Playbook

6 - Memento

8 - Monty Python and the Holy Grail

9 - The Dark Knight Rises

Top Ten Movies


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Valedictory Pictures

Ending Credits Date: 05/19/13

No matter what you do with your life just remember these

two things.

1. Keep Smiling - Try and make the best out of every

situation with a positive attitude. Enjoy the little

things.

2. Friends and family come first - Having people who

care about you and you caring back is the most

important thing in life and makes it worth living.