Portfolio

Meaning of Life..............................................................................................3

People

Who Has Influenced Me? ..........................................................................4

Describe Yourself as a Friend ....................................................................5

Memories

Childhood Memories……..........................................................................6

What will I Miss the Most/Least................................................................7

Achievements

The Moments that Define Me....................................................................8

Future Plans and Goals…..........................................................................9

Magazine Reflections

Xbox One: Microsoft’s Next Console......................................................10

How to Make Anything Disappear...........................................................11

Newspaper Reflections

Chicago on Alert After Boston Marathon Explosions ............................12

Teacher Impaled While Protecting Class.................................................13

Art Reflections

My Grandmother…………………………………………………….….14

Circle of Life Lyrics…………….……………………………..….…….15

Time Capsule Reflection…………….……………………………....……16

Top Ten List of Music……………………………………………...……..17

2

We are born, not by our own choice but by the decision of our parents. From the start, we

have no choices over our own life. We our told when to sleep, when to wake-up, and what to eat.

We learn that smiles and “yes” are better than frowns and “no.” We are taught the difference

between right and wrong and our parents hope that we learn from our mistakes.

Many people base their success on how much money they earn or how many items that they

acquire during their lifetime. Money and things can make life easier, but it is the things that can’t

be bought that I believe are of the greatest value. If we are truly lucky, we are born into a loving

household, with a family that loves you as much as you love them. My family and friends have

always been there for me. And, I want to help my family and friends to be happy and healthy. If I

can be part of happiness in other people’s lives, then this is how I can measure the success in my

own life. No amount of money can buy health, love, or friendship.

I want to make people smile. I want to make people happy. I don’t want to hurt people. To

me, this is the meaning to life. You give what you can to the people that mean the most in your

life. These are the values that I want to pass on to the next generation.

3

The most influential person in my life was someone that I only knew for a very short while. That person was my grandfather, Louis Breedlove. Unfortunately, he passed away in 1998, a few days after my 4th birthday. I have a few memories, but most of what I know is from what family has shared with me and the legacy he has left behind.

He was a mechanical engineer who worked on the heating and cooling system for the three buildings that they call the Pyramids in northwest Indianapolis. Grandpa also worked at AT & T. He was known for the chalkboard he kept by his desk. He loved to teach the younger engineers. He also enjoyed teaching the grandchildren. He had a laptop computer that he taught each of the grandchildren to use. Many days, we sat on his lap and drew pictures on a screen.

My mother always says how smart her father was when it came to mathematics and building things from scratch. I took a building class and found out that I very much enjoy building also. While I never got to build with my grandfather, I did receive several of his tools and my prized possession, the workbench which he built.

Every time my mom talks about him it makes me proud to even be related to him. I hope that I can make him proud of me. He had great expectations of his grandchildren. He wanted them to find a path that made him of them truly happy. While I know that I can’t be him, I want his memory to live in me and I want to be able to pass it on to future generations.

From what everyone has said about my grandfather, I have come to two conclusions. The first, he was a very smart man. The second, he was a very kind and gentle man. I just hope I can be at least half the man he was. (328)

4

As a friend, I want people to know that I am someone you can talk to without the fear of being judged by me. They can come to me about their troubles and I will really listen to them. I am a person you can ask for advice. But, if you don’t take it, I’m not offended. Everyone needs to be able to make his or her own decisions after weighing the facts. Someone’s right decision may be very wrong for someone else.

My grandfather and grandmother always believed in helping people. Whether it was helping dig a ditch, or helping someone mend from an illness. They never forgot their friends no matter how far away they moved. They taught me that friends may move away but are not forgotten. I want to remember my friends. I hope to keep them in my life for many years to come, even if I only get to see them and then. I want them to know that I will always be there should they need me. Regardless of the problem, I’m always willing to help out to the best of my ability.

I am the friend that you can joke with about any topic. But, I am also a friend that you can cry with when times are bad. To me a friend is there during the good times and the bad. (230)

5

Some of my fondest memories involve the same person, my grandmother. I was lucky to live near my grandmother’s house. She would come and visit us every Saturday morning. She always came with a smile and cheerful attitude. Grandma loved people and was good at showing them. She gave big hugs and kisses, only like a grandma can.

She always had time to talk to all of us, even the kids. Grandma wanted to know about school and how we were doing in sports. She came to my musicals at school to see me perform. And even though she had arthritis, she would take me outside to play ball.

One time, when she babysat me, we went out in her back yard. She made a game of us picking up rotten apples off of the ground and throwing them over the fence. I got so excited that at one point, I ran into a tree branch and cut my forehead. It left a scar on my forehead just like Harry Potters’ scar.

I always enjoyed her company. She had this feeling of joy about her. Even if I was having a bad week, she would somehow make it all better by just being there for me. In March, she passed away. I will miss her so much, but will always have good memories. (223)

6

There are many things about Fishers High School that I personally will miss. The greatest of which will be missing friends. While Facebook and Twitter allows us to keep in touch, not being able to see them each day, having lunch, and laughing together will be a big change. Four years is a long time to meet all types of people. While each of us is going in different directions, starting the next phase of our lives, I hope that we don’t forget one another. I hope that my graduating class continues to get together through class reunion.

On the other side of the spectrum, the crowded hallways during which everyone is trying to make it to their lockers, catch-up with friends and make it in time for the next class will be one activity which I won’t miss. Traveling through the maze of people feels like a never-ending traffic jam or herding cats. Kids stop and gather in groups causing even more hiccups in some of the worst points in the hallway. I look forward to going on to Ivy Tech, being able to move among the buildings in a less stressful manner and have a little less ciaos. (200)

7

When I was much younger, I was a very hard headed child. I had trouble following the rules that were given to me. Although I was constantly grounded or put into timeout for not listening to my parents, I would deliberately run across the street without checking for cars. I fought with my father and sister more and more has the years went on. We would argue about the most ridicules things.

When I was in Kindergarten, I had a simple assignment to color a book with a flower on the cover for homework. When my dad saw my work, he told me that I was “scribbling” and not coloring. At that age, I did not know the difference between the two, so I just ignored him and I continued to “scribble.” I decided to color the pedals of the flower different colors. My dad tried to explain that flowers do not have different colored petals. He told me that I should use the same color.

While this wasn’t a major event, I stood-up to him and said “no”. The silly argument continued about the color of pedals of a flower on a Kindergartener’s coloring book. Even at the age of 5, I was arguing that I had the right to color however I wanted due to my rights under the Declaration of Independence.

While the fight started from something so small, I grew up to respect my father. And while we still have an occasional fight, I have learned better ways to speak-up for myself. Hopefully, I have gotten some of my rebelliousness and stubbornness in control for bigger issues in the future. (275)

8

My future goals are like many other students. I am going on to college to find a career that is both interesting and will give me a good wage. I want to get my own place and be independent. Hopefully, I will meet the right girl and one day get married and have children of my own.

To be more specific, I will be attending IVY Tech University beginning this fall. The basic studies will take about 2 years to complete. I plan to then transfer to IUPUI. My interest is to major in computer science and technology. I hope to get CompTIA A+ certified. This certificate will allow me to get a job as a computer technician. This is my dream job.

I have always enjoyed technology and how it constantly changes. I want to be able to stay ahead of the curve. I have taken a computer repair class at J. Everett Light Career Center in my senior year. This was a 3 hour class that let me see how I liked a potential career in the field. It gave me an opportunity to work hands-on computers, including a broken one of my own. Going through the class has inspired me to learn more about this every changing field. (211)

9

Microsoft has unveiled the new Xbox One. The new gaming system is more than just hardware. It goes further by integrating the new hardware with such things as Skype, television, and new ways to control the system. The president of Microsoft, Don Mattrick, said “the new Xbox is not just a gaming system; it is the ‘ultimate all-in-one entertainment system.’”

There is additional hardware to go with the new system, including an eight-core processor, 8GB of memory, a Blu-Ray player, and a 500GB hard drive. The Xbox One will now come with a new Kinect system, complete with a new camera and sensor.

I personally can’t wait to see the Xbox in action. I most likely won’t buy the new “all-in-one entertainment system” until the price drops and all the hype starts to die down. I enjoy reading about new technology. It is amazing to see how imagination can spawn machines that are this small and so much more powerful than what was used to send the first spaceship to the moon. I want to know more about technology and all of the advancements that come with it. It will be interesting to see how Microsoft will top this new system and the new inventions that my children will see as they grow-up. (213)

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/xbox-microsofts-console-home- entertainment-system/story?id=19226695#.UZ10dqbD_mQ

10

Creative people are trying to copy Harry Potter’s cloak of invisibility. Engineers across the world are trying to copy the same principle of this “magical” item from JR Rowling’s Harry Potter book series. Engineers are expanding the idea so the new invention would be a clock to stop light, but to also build ones that can conceal sound and ocean waves.

Duke University already has prototypes of an invisibility cloak and is in the testing phase. Their version of the cloak is built from a metamaterial. This metamaterial is a rigid synthetic polymer composed of tiny rods spaced apart by about 350 nanometers. It bends and flows around objects like water passing around a rock. This gives it the ability to change shape easily.

This technology may allow our troops to infiltrate an enemy base without being detected. This is a big stepping stone in technology history. If it can be made to work, this will revolutionize the next generation of technology ideas. I am very interested to see how this will spawn new technological ideas and advance future inventions. Just like ideas shown in Star Wars and Star Trek movies have become realities within my lifetime, items from Harry Potter may become real for my children’s generation. (209)

http://discovermagazine.com/2012/jul-aug/06-how-to-make-anything-disappear

11

Reaction to the Boston Marathon Bombing has caused the Head of the Boston Marathon to say that the security of major events should be higher. Some people like Carey Pinkowski disagree with this statement. He feels that the starting and finish line are both fully secured, but once he saw the aftermath of the bombing he as a different opinion on the matter.

He, and many people around the world, was shocked that anyone could do such a thing. He said that the marathon was a celebration of humanity and friendly competition between people. What happened at the marathon was devastating to say the least.

I believe that many people had the same questions that I had. When I first heard news reports about the Boston Marathon Bombing, the first thing to run through my mind was the question “why?” Why would someone do this? Why do people want to hurt others so much? How could Americans purposefully hurt Americans.

Life in the United States changed greatly on September 11, 2001. The next generation will have many more worries than this one. (182)

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2013/04/15/two-explosions-at-boston-marathon-finish-line/

12

This is a recent article about the resent tornado that devastated

Oklahoma. A teacher, Suzanne Haley, used herself to shield her

students from the debris caused by the storm. She compressed the kids

under desks. Suzanne and another teacher put themselves in front of the

desk the students were under. The tornado caused a wall to crash down

upon the desks that the she and the students were. At first she thought

she was trapped underneath, later she was told by her daughter that

there was something in her leg. She was able to stay calm through the

whole situation. She had the leg of the table surgically removed, and is

currently recovering from her injury. I was very fascinated by this story.

If I was in the same situation as this teacher, I would defiantly do the

same thing she did. I am more than willing to save people, even if it

means putting myself in danger to do so.

http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/us/2013/05/22/pmt-oklah-

tornado-suzzane-haley-intv-leg.cnn.html13

This is a picture of my recently deceased grandmother. Her name is Mary Breedlove.

She was the nicest person I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. You could have been having one of the worst days ever, but one

hour with my grandmother would change that right around. She had something about her that

could just brighten up anyone’s day. At her house, her and her neighbors would sit on her porch to fix the world’s problems. Even after we admitted grandma into a retirement home,

her neighbors would still go and visit her at the home, still trying to fix the world’s problems. It was a devastating moment when she passed away. Everyone from that side of my family were all packed in her room. Even my aunt and 2 cousins from Chicago drove in during the big snow storm we had in March. I was

there from about 5 pm Tuesday to about 1 am Wednesday with her. It was not until the about

8 am when she finally passed away. The funeral was that Saturday. Even though it was all of a sudden many people showed up, and

not one had anything bad to say about her. This made me even happier to have known her.

14

The circle of life has a pretty good grasp of

my life. As one life begins another ends.

The life grows, has children then dies. The

cycle just continues over and over again.

The cycle never changes. For me, the cycle

started with my grandparents Louis and

Mary Breedlove. Two kind and gentle

people, they always had smiles on their

faces. They raised my Uncle Brian, my

mom Brenda, and my Aunt Lisa. They were

taught to always try your best and to always

to be kind to the people that you meet. The

three children grew up and had children of

their own. Both of my grandparents on my

mom’s side of the family have both passed

away. Now my parents are teaching their

children the same things that they learned as

they have when they were growing up. Thus

the cycle continues. Someday I will have

children of my own that I will teach life

lessons to.15

1. iPod touch

◦ I want show the type of music I listened to. Music has influenced my life so much. When I

was younger music was just there for car rides, now I listen to it just to listen to it.

2. Hand tools

◦ I am a very hands on person. I enjoy taking things apart in order to discover what makes

them work. Unfortunately I am not always able to put them back together again. I also

enjoy building things out of wood or any other materials; it does not really matter to me.

3. Xbox 360 game cases

◦ Games have been a big interest to me. Without video games I would not have gotten

interested in technology. I am also able to connect with friends that are far away.

4. My hp pavilion laptop

◦ I am going to college to study computer hardware in order to become a computer

technician. I have been trying to fix this computer for awhile. I have taken it apart a

few times trying to repair it. It is not yet fixed but I am very close.

5. $2 bill

◦ This is a tradition my grandma started. The $2 bill is a reminder to me that I have a

family that loves and cares for me. It means even more to me because this is a tradition

that my grandmother started, and not to long ago she passed away. So now the $2

reminds me of her.

16

1. Five Finger

Death Punch

2. Godsmack

3. The Offspring

4. Drowning Pool

5. Trapt

6. Korn

7. Seether

8. Disturbed

9. Three Days Grace

10. Nickelback

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