Let’s get personal.
For starters, my name is Peter Leslie Staggs; I am 5’8, 134 lbs. with blondish hair and blue eyes. I have a birthmark on my lower left waist that is shaped similarly to an amoeba (or the nation of Luxembourg), as well as an uncommon circulation-disorder that turns the skin on my hands and arms neon orange/purple when the barometric pressure changes. Some of my favorite things include listening to music, reading, long walks on the beach, and clichés. But what I really adore, my passion, if you will, is writing. After high school, I expect to attend a CSU in Southern California (hopefully San Marcos State; my fingers are crossed!) and major in English. Once I have earned a degree there, I will attend UCLA for a Masters in Journalism. Obviously, I’ll need to somehow support myself in college, which, like many of my peers, is an issue I am quite worried about. My best bet? I’ve done some research, and I think that the most favorable course of action would involve supplementing some bogus day-job with a career as a burgeoning freelance writer, possibly earning myself enough money to afford college funds and a studio apartment in LA. Or maybe I could model. I mean, I would probably need to work out more, but I can already grow a pretty rugged beard in a matter of days. And I used to do Osh-Kosh ads, so I have experience in the industry.
One could liken my academic career thus far to simultaneously playing Guitar Hero, Jeopardy, and the Sims: Hot Date. After struggling through my first secondary-educational experience at Justin Siena High School in Napa, California for two and a half (2.5) years, I transferred to New Technology High School (also in Napa) as a Junior. New Tech is actively helping many of the aspirations I mentioned in the first paragraph to reach fruition. Despite its focus on project-based learning, this school has helped me to develop the critical and technological skills necessary to being an independent learner. To wit; at Justin Siena, I would be told to complete a worksheet on the Great Depression; at New Tech, I would have to solve the Great Depression, and then create a PowerPoint to demonstrate how I did it. While the epic scope of such assignments seems daunting at times, a much higher level of understanding, competence, and teamwork is required for the work’s completion, which (for me at least) keeps school more fun, challenging, and realistic. The unrestricted structure and Project-Based Learning employed at this school is nothing short of revolutionary, and I genuinely believe that many more secondary schools will begin to follow New Tech’s example.
That said, I’ve proven to be a moderately horrible student at every school I have attended thus far. But that is not to say that I am hopeless. Actively attempting to improve my scholastic conduct since the beginning of the current semester, it seems, I believe, that I am glacially creeping toward personal improvement. It should be noted that I have always performed remarkably well on tests, but take great pleasure in blowing-off homework. Several theories have been developed to explain this occurrence. Personally, I would have to attribute a combination of ADD, laziness, females, ennui, and ADD to my inability to complete homework assignments. Though I have yet to develop the self discipline and correctional tendencies needed to conquer these stigmas, New Technology High School has made me hopeful. My strong desire to succeed (or, more specifically, graduate) has forced me to accelerate my personal growth, and the New Tech Faculty and Staff have been more than accommodating.
Specifically, I would like to write cultural reviews, articles, interviews, and news stories if and when I commence the aforementioned freelance writing career. Clearly, I will need to further develop my abilities as a writer over the next few years- one of the aspects of writing as a profession that actually appeals most to me. Writing is an art form when done by artful people; it demands both creative ingenuity and a firm understanding of set rules to effectively convey meaning. With sustained practice, I may be able to acquire enough proficiency in the logical and creative sectors of written communication to have a real, lasting impact on masses of people, and use writing as my own sort of art. If I eventually enter the field of mass-media journalism, I could participate in the most dynamic job ever conceived. Using corporate funds to travel the world in search of the interesting, I could conduct Gonzo journalism like Hunter S. Thompson, or boldly bring to light injustices like Edward R. Murrow. And I would try all the while to make everything I wrote stylistically my own-always varied and full of idiosyncrasies-because that’s how I roll.
In summary, I am a hopeful student from New Tech High in Napa, California that aspires to be a writer and journalist, and am grateful of my high school for helping me mature. I hope that you enjoy my portfolio, which is fish-market themed.