The first project was creative project where I could express myself and told the reader a story from my life. This projects main goal was the make the reader feel like they were in the story. My story was about when my high school hockey team and I wont the state championship back-to-back. I chose this story in my life because hockey is my favorite sport and I was excited to share my experience with the readers. This story was perfect for this assignment because there were so many point in the game that were exciting and nerve racking which I was able to use very descriptive words in order to bring the reader in and make it feel real. My audience was aimed towards sports fans and people that enjoy a captivating story from a solid writer. When writing about the State Championship hockey game and our amazing come back, I was trying to hit the emotional level with the readers. I was able to make the reader really feel what I was feeling during the game.

The second project was different than all the others because it did not have to be a simple essay. We were given the freedom to use visual rhetoric to express ourselves on a certain topic of our choice. We also had the option to work with a partner. My partner was Shea. We decided to do our project on “Going Green in the Dorm Rooms”, we called in “ Green Fluence”. Our writing choice was a power point and our audience was college students and anyone else in a dorm-type setting. Which choice to have that be our focus audience because they have the most potential to listen to us about saving money and being safe in dorms. It is a well-known fact that the majority of college students are not only broke but at times very unsafe with their actions. Our power point was supposed to be a tool for those students to use in order to educate themselves on the safety hazards of certain items that can be in a room. We chose to do a power point for a few reasons. Not only is it versatile and easy to understand, but with the technology capabilities that we have today we are able to put it on the internet so millions of people can see it and be educated. Another reason why we thought a power point would be the best option was because it saves paper. When talking about going green it is important to take into consideration how much paper would be used if we were to hand it out. We picked this logically because it helps show students, faculty, and anyone that sees this power point that if everyone does a little to help “go green”, then everyone’s world in the long run will be better.

For project three we did a group project with five members. This was fun because we got to work with more than one person. When having more then two members in the group it is really interesting because we all have different writing experience and styles and all brought forth different aspects to our paper to make it amazing. We decided in the paper to write about a couple different things pertaining to how they affect ones grades. We split up the paper and had each different person have a few topics to write about. I wrote about the correlation between how many nights a week a student drinks and their grades, the correlation between a student’s attendance to class and their grades, and students’ involvement and their grades. When writing about how many nights a week a student drinks with the correlation to their grades we found that there was a negative correlation with drinking excessively and GPA. We chose to do this topic because being on a college campus it is inevitable that people are going to drink. Some choose to only drink when their studies are complete but some also drink all the time. We were interested to know what type of impact this would have on students’ grades. The next topic was the correlation between students’ grades and their attendance to class. In a college setting with classes being in lecture halls it is easy to get the mindset that it is pointless to go to class. That is why we chose to do this topic; we wanted to see if students were to not attend class as often if it would have a negative or positive affect on their grades. We found that there was a negative correlation on one’s grades when they do not attend class. The last topic I discussed was students’ involvement and the way that affected their grades. We discovered that student’s that were involved in sports or student body government or any extra curricular activity tend to try harder in their schoolwork. We thought this might be true because when one is doing these outside activities, he/she is forced to budget their time wisely because they do not have as much free time and work harder to do better both in school and in their activities.

Project four was the final project before we began our portfolio. There were a few options when beginning this project. The first option was to do the research project with the class and create a webpage. The second option was to work alone and come up with a topic you wanted to research. I decided to do an individual research paper on dietary and performance enhancing supplements and the affects on the human body. I decided to do this topic because I was working out and I wanted to see if there was any performance enhancing or dietary supplement that would be good to take while working out without the harmful side effects. In doing this research I discovered that there is really no performance enhancing or dietary supplements that have good effects on the body in the long run. The main reason I decided to write this paper was because after doing a little bit of research I realized how serious the side effects really are. Being a teenager I know that it is very uncommon for people my age to be educated on these facts. Without these facts students and adults are left using these products without realizing what they are doing to their bodies. I did find one helpful tip that was that the body does not produce enough protein especially when working out in high amounts. To replenish that, one can take protein powders and mix them with water to regain the protein one has lost. I chose to write this essay not only to educate people but to also reveal the harming nature of these performance enhancing drugs and dietary supplements. I chose to do the harsh facts and truths to hit the emotional side of the reader. I really wanted to show them how serious using these products could be so appealing to their emotions was the only way to accomplish that. In writing this paper I was able to find many very credible sources in order to back my statements and facts up.

Looking back on this semester, I realized that even though it all seemed like very hard work at the time, it was worth it in the long run. Through out each project we were forced to use different techniques of writing and pushed out of our comfort zone. This not only challenged me but it also made me grow as a writer. By including ethos, pathos, and logos in my writing I have now learned what those are and will never forget them.