senior valedictory digital portfolio

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Honestly half of this stuff I made up just to fill up space. The other half is sort of an attempt at being true to myself. Though I don’t know who I really am, I tried to write truth- fully and how I felt. I wouldn’t want to write something that isn’t true because then I’m lying. I don’t like to blatantly lie in order to get a paper done. Whatever, this is me. This is Me “The inner machinations of my mind are an enigma.” -Patrick Star May 28, 2013 Volume 1, Issue 1 Meaning of Life 2 Time Capsule 3 Personal Reflections on People 4 Magazine Relfection 5 Newspaper Reflection 6 Art Reflection and Top Ten Kpop Groups 7 Top Ten Kpop Groups (cont. from pg. 7) 8 Table of Contents Inside this issue: Special points of in- terest: Who’s your role model? Read about mine! Five items. What’s in your time capsule? Interested in Kpop? Look at my top ten groups to get a good start! Read about what global events inspire me! Helen Eastes

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This is my senior val.

TRANSCRIPT

Honestly half of this

stuff I made up just

to fill up space. The

other half is sort of

an attempt at being

true to myself.

Though I don’t know

who I really am, I

tried to write truth-

fully and how I felt. I

wouldn’t want to write

something that isn’t

true because then I’m

lying. I don’t like to

blatantly lie in order

to get a paper done.

Whatever, this is me.

This is Me

“The inner machinations of my mind are an enigma.” -Patrick Star

May 28, 2013

Volume 1, Issue 1

Meaning of Life 2

Time Capsule 3

Personal Reflections on People

4

Magazine Relfection 5

Newspaper Reflection 6

Art Reflection and Top Ten Kpop Groups

7

Top Ten Kpop Groups (cont. from pg. 7)

8

Table of Contents Inside this issue:

Special points of in-

terest:

Who’s your role

model? Read about

mine!

Five items. What’s in

your time capsule?

Interested in Kpop?

Look at my top ten

groups to get a good

start!

Read about what

global events inspire

me!

Helen Eastes

Meaning of Life

Personal Reflections on Memories Part Two

Page 2 Helen Eastes Volume 1, I ssue 1

I have long wondered what the point of my life was. I’ve even attributed the fact that I don’t know who I am to my inability to make any adult decisions regarding my future. To me, the meaning of life is the idea that you need to find out who you are. Once you know who you are, you are able to under-stand so much more about the world and yourself. Me? I’m not quite sure who I am yet, but I shall continue to walk down this path of self-discovery.

The road to self-discovery

Personal Reflections on Memories Part One

Upon entering high school I was an eager

freshman, ready to learn and explore all

Fishers High School had to offer. Four

years later, I am not that wide-eyed fresh-

man, but a dreary-eyed senior who would

rather sleep the days away and who’s look

on life has drastically changed. Entering

high school I believed that I could do any-

thing that I set my mind to. I believed that

the world was my oyster. How wrong I was.

Through the long four years at FHS, I

learned that I have a poor sense of hard

work. I have come to realize that I am diffi-

cult to motivate, I have a hard time setting

myself to do something, and that I have sub-

par time management skills. Though these

changes sound depressing and disheartening,

there is some good in these changes. This

shows me what I need to fix within myself in

order to better myself. All these skills that I

am failing in are necessary for college.

Maybe my lack of ability in these skills is

what has me discouraged about college. If I

can find it in myself to fix these problems to

prepare for college, it might help me on my

road of self-discovery. (words: 204)

People generate opinions on

everyone, even if they are just

passing them on the street.

This is a fact of life. This judg-

ment also comes to pass in high

school, where you may not

know a majority of the people

around you. How will we be

remembered once we leave this

setting? I don’t think you

would want to be remembered

as vividly as some would like to

be. As a teenager, we can be

arrogant, self-centered, hasty,

and lazy. Teenagers are known

to make poor decisions and the

decisions they do make are of-

ten seen as unproductive by

adults or the more mature ones.

Do you really want to be re-

membered like that? Personally,

I could be judged as apathetic,

empathetic, easily annoyed, and

cold to people. This isn’t who I

really am; outside of school I

can be very happy and full of

laughter. If I had any say in

these one-second judgments, I’d

say hold off on the verdict.

Wait to form an opinion on me

and everybody else until you

really get to know them. Maybe

it would even be wise to wait

five or ten years down the line

to see the person they become.

(words: 200)

Judgment

Fishers High School

Time Capsule

Page 3 Helen Eastes Volume 1, I ssue 1

1. Print out my Tumblr blogs into booklets

I would like to print out my blogs because they exist to display my interests. My

blogs showcase my favorite TV shows, comics, movies, musicians, and even conversations

with people I’ve met over the Tumblr website. I have a hard time talking about my inter-

ests because people always act like they’re weird and that as a result, I am weird. Yet it is

these “weird” interests that define me.

2. My iPod

Though I can’t play any instruments, I love music dearly. I see music as a doorway

into other cultures, which I am always researching and looking up. At one point, my iPod

had over 14 different languages on it including Korean, Icelandic, Turkish, and Romanian

just to name a few.

3. My white tiger beanie baby

I received this stuffed animal as a gift from my mother when I graduated from

preschool. To this day I still sleep with it because it brings me comfort and it reminds me

that I am loved.

4. My German flag

In 2012 I was an exchange student for four months starting in August. The city I

lived in was Bochum, Germany, which is located on the western side of Germany. This

was truly an incredible experience. I met many new friends from around the world, saw

historic sites, and lived an entirely different culture. Having this flag reminds me of the

wonderful times I had in Germany.

5. My black belt

From 2004 to 2006 I took Tae Kwon Do with my family. Over those two years I

made my way up the ranks and finally achieved my black belt. My official rank was first

degree decided black belt. This belt represents the hard work and determination it took to

reach such a rank. Tae Kwon Do was probably one of the greatest and most difficult

things I have ever tried.

Known for his role as Cap-tain America in the Marvel movie series, Chris Evans is the epitome of bravery and courage. Captain America, dashing through the streets and knocking out bad guys, kicks fear in the face. Yet underneath this façade of bravery, Evans is an actor coping with an anxiety disorder. He panics at large crowds and has even gone to therapy to help deal with this personal is-sue. This is a difficult topic

for him to discuss, and yet he is honest about it and admits to accepting help for this very personal issue. I too struggle with a social anxiety problem. The idea of being in a large crowd for an extended period of time makes me panic and once there I feel a knot form in my stomach. One time I even declined going to a friend’s birthday party because I was so nervous about being around so many people I didn’t know.

Chris Evans plays a charac-ter that is brave, deter-mined, and runs straight into danger, not caring about what might deter him. Evans has inspired me to not let my shyness or anxiety hold me back and to face challenges head on like a real hero would. (words: 203)

ers. Since I couldn’t really follow the

material due to the language barrier, I

would fall asleep in class. My host

mom later told me that my classmates

would take pictures of me when this

happened and laugh at me. I also had

a difficult time coming out of my shell

and socializing. Despite these hard-

ships, I met some wonderful friends,

saw amazing sites, and lived an entirely

new culture. This trip was a triumph

for me because I typically don’t want

I have had many wonderful moments

in the eighteen years I’ve lived on this

earth. Yet the moment that stands out

to me the most happened quite re-

cently. In August of 2012 I left my life

and culture behind in Fishers, Indiana

to experience a new culture and life in

Bochum, Germany as a foreign ex-

change student. The challenges I faced

seem almost trivial then when I first

faced them in Germany. My school

was not generally accepting of outsid-

to go out and socialize in the world.

This change of scenery forced me to

come out of my shell and experience

the world. Though I couldn't stay

longer than four months due to per-

sonal reasons, my exchange is a mo-

ment in my life I will never forget.

(words: 209)

Personal Reflections on People Part One

Personal Reflections on Achievements Part One

Greek and English and at the end,

we have a candle-lit prayer. At

midnight, instead of blowing out

the candles, we leave the lit and

take them home with us, signify-

ing taking Christ’s light into the

world. When we get home, we

have a breakfast in the early

morning. Later on that morning

we have a real breakfast, com-

plete with juicy lamb and dyed

hard boiled eggs. Everybody gets

an egg and cracks one end on

another person’s egg. One person

will say “Christos Anesti!” (Christ

is risen!) and the other person will

say “Alithos Anesti!” (Indeed He

is risen!). The last person with an

uncracked egg wins and typically

wins an apple that is stuck in a

pig’s mouth. This is a tradition

that makes my family unique and

I look forward to it every year.

(words: 202)

Personal Reflections on People Part Two

We celebrate Easter like every-

body else in the United States, but

we also celebrate “Greek Easter”.

This date can fall anywhere from

the beginning of April to mid-

May. Typically my matriarchal

family will gather at my grand-

parents house or our house to

celebrate. The first thing to look

forward to is a Greek Orthodox

midnight service. At the service,

the pastors preach the Bible in

Page 4 Helen Eastes Volume 1, I ssue 1

Chris Evans

Cracking the red eggs

American and German flags

at the Brandenburg Gate

Personal Reflections on Achievements Part Two

Magazine Reflection Part Two

Magazine Reflection Part One

If you were to ask me what I

wanted to do with my life at

this exact moment, I wouldn’t

be able to tell you. I’m even

going to college undecided.

Though I may not have any

plans at the current times, I

have a few goals for the future.

Goals, dreams, aspirations, call

them what you will but I will

call them visions. My main

vision right now that encom-

passes my other visions is that

I want to make my parents

proud of me. I’ve never really

been an active person in school

when it came to extra curricu-

lar activities and I don’t have

any exceptional talents or abili-

ties. If I were to work hard

and be successful in whatever

it is I plan to do, I think I

could finally make my parents

proud of me. This is not to say

that my parents aren’t proud of

me. They probably are on a

basic level, but there’s nothing

above average about me to be

proud of. My plan is to go to

college and study what I really

want to do with the rest of my

life. If I could prove to my

parents that I am a responsible

and capable adult, I think I

could finally achieve my vision

of making them proud of me.

(words: 218)

vant to me because Kpop is a

huge part of my musical taste

and I guess my life. I wait for

their comeback music videos,

photo shoots, and one day I

dream of going to a concert of

one of my favorite groups. If

you were to ask people if they

knew any Kpop songs, they’d

probably tell you “Gangnam

Style”, by PSY. While this is

an okay answer, there is so

much more than “Gangnam

Style” to listen to. There’s

ballads, rock, r & b, pop, the

list goes on. I hope one day

people will advance their hori-

zons and try to experience a

whole new culture through its

music. (words: 139)

http://www.billboard.com/

articles/columns/k-

town/1556571/bap-bringing-k

-pop-to-us-with-4-date-tour

~~~

In the month of May, Kpop

group, B.A.P, held four con-

certs in the United States. This

was their first time doing so in

the United States. This is rele-

been a part of my life ever

since I was about twelve years

old. I had seen anime on TV

when I was younger than that,

but I had no idea what it was at

the time. There are so many

different anime that it makes it

an entertainment media for just

about everybody. There are

stories about super heroes,

http://

www.animenewsnetwork.com/

news/2013-04-27/new-sailor-

moon-anime-delayed

~~~

This article discusses the un-

fortunate news that the new

“Sailor Moon” anime will be

delayed. Anime has always

giant robots, magical girls,

sports, mythology-based, and

so much more! The art style of

anime is also unlimited, no one

looks the same. Anime has

also pushed me to learn more

about the Japanese culture and

other cultures as well. (words:

118)

Page 5 Helen Eastes Volume 1, I ssue 1

Me being proud of myself

B.A.P members with their

mascots, “matoki”

Sailor Moon doing her

trademark pose

http://www.cnn.com/

interactive/2012/12/us/sandy-

hook-timeline/index.html

~~~

The Sandy Hook school shoot-

ing upset America on Decem-

ber 14, 2012. Adam Peter

Lanza ended up killing 27

teachers and students and then

himself. This event caused

people to seriously reconsider

gun control laws and to recon-

sider how safe we really are.

People argue there should be

more thorough background

checks while others reserve

their right to own a fire arm.

The government has had a

tough time deciding what to do

about this situation and the

Second Amendment has had a

large part in that. This incident

has also told us that the worst

can happen anywhere and at

anytime. I have learned from

this incident that I need to be

wary of my surroundings and

the people around me. This

shooting has changed the way

we live. (words: 129)

Newspaper Reflection Part One

Art Reflection Part One

Page 6 Helen Eastes Volume 1, I ssue 1

Newspaper Reflection Part Two

http://online.wsj.com/article/

SB10001424127887324767004

578490383689103360.html

~~~

With the recent death of its last

leader, North Korea has be-

come a more active country

recently. New leader Kim Jong

Un has upped the country’s

missile production and testing,

causing unrest in all parts of

the world. The UN continues

to sanction these acts as illegal

and urges the North to stop all

missile activity; and yet North

Korea continues. This volatile

country could very likely start

up where the Korean War left

off. Officially, the Korean War

was only put off, not actually

put to an end. If things con-

tinue to escalate between the

North and the South, things

could get ugly very fast. It is

also likely the United States

could get involved, seeing as

how we are the South’s ally. It

would be unbelievable to live

during a period of war on this

level. (words: 139)

untitled, by t.w.

~~~

There was a time in my

recent life where I felt I

was at my lowest. I’d sleep

as much as possible, not

even try in school, and just

generally being stressed

about everything in life.

Not doing well in school

just added to my stress. In

my younger years, I had

always done well in school

and to suddenly be getting

D’s and F’s crushed my

self-esteem. I had always

had low self-esteem, but

now it had hit rock bot-

tom. Sleep was my escape.

It let me ignore my prob-

lems, if only for a few

hours. There were and are

times where all I want is to

fall asleep and never wake

up. Today I am doing

somewhat better, but I still

have a low self-esteem and

trouble being responsible

of all the duties I need to

take care of. I still have

days where all I want to do

is sleep and sometimes I

give in and nap for a few

hours, even when I wasn’t

really tired. Sleep is a drug

and I am an addict. One

day, no, today, I need to

cut myself off from this

harmful habit. (words:193)

A woman desperately tries to

call her sister who was in the

shooting.

Map of North and South

Korea

Art Reflection Part Two

Top Ten: Korean Pop Groups (cont. on back page)

Lyrics to “Take Me Away” by

U-KISS (translated from origi-

nal Korean)

I silently cried,

Everything I had reached the

end of the cliff,

It was dangerous

In a world that is raining,

I walked without an umbrella

Just following your eyes, those

eyes

Somebody take me away

Somebody take me away

Somebody take me away

Somebody take me away

Cuz I can’t take this pain

It feels, it feels so right

My shaking heart

is raising me up

In a world filled with darkness

I ran without fear

Just following your eyes, those

eyes

Somebody take me away

Somebody take me away

Somebody take me away

Somebody take me away

Cuz I can’t take this pain

Even if the world turns it’s

back on me and disowns me

Now I am not afraid-

because you’re by my side

I-I-I know exactly what you’d

say

Somebody take me away

Somebody take me away

Somebody take me away

Somebody take me away

Cuz I can’t take this pain

~~~

The origins of this song are

very depressing. Before

Page 7 Helen Eastes Volume 1, I ssue 1

Bigbang

Members include Daesung, T.O.P,

G-Dragon, Taeyang, and Seungri.

This was one of the first groups I

discovered that rekindled my inter-

est in Kpop.

B.A.P

Members include Zelo, Youngjae, Himchan, Yong-

guk, Daehyun, and Jongup. Compared to other

groups, they have a very manly appearance and

song style that is something different from your

generally happy, love-song type of groups.

Exo-K, Exo-M

Members of Exo-K include Suho, Baek-

hyun, Chanyeol, Kyungsoo, Kai, and Se-

hun. The members of Exo-M are Kris,

Xiumin, Lay, Tao, Chen, and Luhan.

Exo is one of a few groups that cater to

both the Korean and Chinese (Mandarin)

market, hence the “K” and “M” in the

name of the groups.

Block B

Members of Block B include Zico, Taeil, B-bomb, Jaehyo, U-

kwon, Kyung, and P.O. Block B has more of a hip-hop/rap

based sound. I’m not typically a fan of rap and hip-hop, but

Block B does a wonderful take on the genre.

Zico is also one of my favorite Kpop rappers,

along with T.O.P from Bigbang and Zelo from

B.A.P.

becoming an idol, one of the

members of U-KISS had a hard

time being accepted by the

scouting agencies. Nobody

would accept him, causing him

to fall into a deep depression. At

one point he even contemplated

suicide. This may seem drastic,

but it was his dream to be an idol

and to be in the music business.

One day, he heard his mother

crying for him and from then on

he vowed to work harder. This

song tells me that no matter how

low I get, there is always some-

one there to support me and take

me away from the sadness.

(words: 111, not counting lyrics)

Top Ten: Korean Pop Groups (cont. from previous pg.)

SHINee

Members of SHINee include Onew,

Jonghyun, Key, Taemin, and Minho.

SHINee’s hit single “Lucifer” was proba-

bly one of the first Kpop songs I heard. I

instantly fell in love with their sound and

they are one of two groups I’ve listened

to for a long time.

U-KISS

Members of U-KISS

include Soohyun,

Kiseop, Eli, AJ, Hoon,

Kevin, and Dongho.

Without knowing it, U-

KISS’s song

“Neverland” was a song

I heard a long time ago.

Now that my love for

them has rekindled, I

had a déjà-vu moment

with that song.

B1A4

Members of B1A4 include Jinyoung, Sandeul,

Baro, Gongchan, and CNU. B1A4 is a group

that I found only about two months ago. Their

music videos, like “What’s Happening?” and

“Beautiful Target”, have a very fun and color-

ful approach to match their lively songs.

Super Junior

Members of Super Junior include Leeteuk,

Heechul, Yesung, Kangin, Shindong, Sung-

min, Eunhyuk, Donghae, Siwon, Ryeowook,

Kibum, and Kyuhyun.

Super Junior was the group

that made me think “Now this

is a type of music I love!”.

Though members have left to

go solo or because of the

Korean military, I will always

have a special place in my

heart for this group.

JJ Project

There are two members to JJ Project and they are JB and Jr. Their

song “Bounce” combines hip-hop and rock to make an incredible

sound. Though only two members, the group still manages to be one

of my favorites.

2NE1

Members of 2NE1 in-

clude Bom, CL, Dara,

and Minzy. This is one

of the few girl groups

that I listen to because

they aren’t the real

cutesy type of group.

Their hit song “I Am the

Best” was the song that

introduced me to them

and I loved the dominat-

ing tone of the song.