March 16, 2019

2728 Campus Ridge Road

Matthews, North Carolina, 28105

Judges, NC Graduation Project Board

Levine Middle College High School
2728 Campus Ridge Road
Matthews, North Carolina, 28105

Dear Judges:

Although I still have a few months until graduation, I feel though it was just the other day when I beginning
my senior year. I have definitely learned the importance of time management and planning for assignments
far in advance. I have previously heard that senior year is a breeze, but I can personally attest to this
commonly held statement and kindly disagree. Senior year has been anything but easy, although I can say
that I have learned a lot about myself because of it. When a difficult situation arises, I know that I have
what it takes to overcome it with lots of hard works and perseverance. Although the real world is a lot more
complex than high school, I feel that I will definitely be able to take the lessons I’ve learned over the past
four years to help me overcome the obstacles I will face in the future.

Throughout my high school years, I faced a lot of adversity. From my parent’s divorce to my dad being
diagnosed with cancer, I felt that I wouldn’t be able to make it through four years of high school. I felt as
though someone of something was against me, and that I had no way to control what was happening to me.
Throughout most of my adolescents I never really had any friends, so I never really had anyone to talk to
about what was going on in my life. After finding the strength to persevere through the challenges that were
thrown at me, I was able to come out stronger and wiser on the other side. I attribute my strength to a soon
to be ten-year-old boy with autism. His continuous joy, despite his circumstances, humbled me. I have
learned more about the kind of person I am because of my relationship with him.

The choice of my Senior Project on special needs relates to my career goal. I want to be an occupational
therapist for children with special needs. I volunteered for two summers working with children from ages
five to fifteen and enjoyed it so much that I knew I had to pursue a career where I work with children with
disabilities. Too many people today don’t appreciate, let alone respect, individuals with special needs. They
are often misunderstood because of commonly held stereotypes that are placed on them. This is my reason
for writing about the stereotypes that are placed on children with autism for my junior paper.

Although I had to occasionally cut back on babysitting in order to allow myself enough time to complete
school assignments, I am glad that I did. I knew that it would more important to figure out what I wanted
to spend the rest of my life pursuing.

Thank you for taking the time to read my portfolio and for listening to my presentation. I hope you have
found them interesting.

Sincerely,
Alexandria Mae Ashley
Alexandria Mae Ashley