“Collage de... Maddie”
“Awakened to: the World”
- Dr. Seuss Quote: I included this quote because I feel like it almost perfectly expresses my awakening to the world. In the winter of my sophomore year of high school, I moved to Virginia Beach. The experience made me realize how big the world really is. It may sound cheesy, but the world really is so much bigger than high school. The world is so much bigger than the town where one grows up. This quote became important to me because it encourages me to be my own person. No one can tell me what to do with my life because I make decisions for myself.
- Group Hug Picture: This picture is so important and special to me. Before I moved to Virginia Beach, I began actively participating in my church youth group. Sunday morning and evening, Wednesday night, and several Saturday afternoons, I would be at church. In the six months that I participated, I made so many irreplaceable and unforgettable friends. On my last Wednesday night before we moved, a few of those friends surrounded me in a group hug. Together we prayed and cried. That experience is special to me because I felt so loved.
- Martial Arts Picture: Ministry and Outreach Teams accounted for the majority of the time I spent at church. Martial Arts was one of the teams that I participated. In the few months that I trained, I was selected to perform the glass-walking demonstration. The demonstration consisted of my instructor placing a blindfold around my head and pointing me towards the broken glass, which I then would walk across. I included this picture in my project because it figuratively expresses my awakening to the world. Sometimes, in my journey through life, I come across certain situations that make me uncomfortable. I do not know where I am, what to do, or where to go. The glass demonstration describes this because I was in an uncomfortable situation without the ability to see where to go.
- “Bubbles”: These “bubbles” symbolize the metaphorical bubble that I live in. Currently, the bubble is Virginia Beach. I feel that people grow accustomed to living in a bubble. Humans are creatures of habit, which contributes to our bubble. Seeing the same people every day, going to the same places, and doing the same things may feel fine to some people, but I find that change is good. Change helps us to discoveries that would never have been possible in the “same old, same old.”
“Awakened to: Myself”
- Kelly Clarkson “Breakaway” Lyrics: My awakening to myself is an ongoing process. I believe that I will continue to learn about myself until the day that I die. The lyrics encourage me to discover myself. Part of the song talks about learning
to fly, and that is why I included feathers with the lyrics. I love listening to stories about people who truly “learned to fly.” It speaks to me because I hope to one day find my wings and take off through this crazy thing called life. My sixth grade ballet class danced to this song for our recital in 2007. I enjoyed the song so much; I would get home, go to my room, and sing the lyrics as loud as I could.
- Natasha Bedingfield “Unwritten” Lyrics: I included these lyrics because they are all about writing one’s own story. This song encourages me to develop my own ideas and opinions. I am the only one responsible for my life. The song gives me confidence to let go of all my fears about life, and to just live. During the awkward transition from elementary to middle school, I would listen to this song. It helped me overcome part of my own awkwardness and adjust to my new school.
- Collage: This collage is my way of expressing that there is more to me than what I appear. People are so quick to judge not only me, but others as well. Appearance is just one side of a person. Like a puzzle, each individual has many pieces that make a beautiful picture when they are put together. When I moved to Virginia Beach, I felt like people labeled me before they even knew my name. While it was painful at the time, now I realize that it has helped me to come out of my shell.
- Untitled Poem: Before I moved to Virginia Beach, I attended church several times a week. Then, I considered myself to be close to God. During and after the move, I felt myself slipping away. One day, in the middle of school, this poem practically wrote itself. It expresses how I felt about my relationship with God. Now, when I read the poem I wrote, it reminds me of the emotional pain that I went through because of the move.
- William Earnest Henley “Invictus" Poem: I find this poem to be encouraging. The last stanza is especially motivating to me. Similar to the lyrics included in the “Awakened to: Myself” part of the project, this poem makes me feel that I can accomplish anything. I heard this poem when it was included in the modern movie, “Invictus”. I found it inspiring because it was about a man, Nelson Mandela, who had served a long prison sentence because of his political views. After being released from prison, he was elected presided of South Africa. I am inspired by the courage of Nelson Mandela, and the “Invictus” poem describes it.
- “Life is Good” Sticker: My best friend, Katie, gave me this sticker. At the time, she had just returned from a one-month stay in a physical therapy center in Boston, Massachusetts. Previously, doctors diagnosed her with a rare disease in her right leg. The disease made her leg unbelievably sensitive to any form of stimuli. Sometimes, a simple flow of air would bring her to tears. Before her diagnosis, she had been on the cross country and track teams at our school. Her disease even made it impossible for her to walk without the aid of crutches. Most people in her situation would find it extremely difficult to find happiness. Katie remained one of the happiest, most optimistic people I knew. Now, almost four years later, she had returned to cross country, track, and recreational running. Katie encourages me to stay strong and optimistic. Whenever I see the sticker, I think of her sitting on her couch, unable to move, saying, “Life is good.”
“Awakened to: Love”
- Photo strips: These pictures remind me of the people I love. Some of the pictures are of me and my friends, and one strip is of my family. I love these people with my whole heart. Without them, my life would definitely not be the same. These pictures remind me of the love that I have for them, as well as the love that they have for me.
- Heart: The heart represents my love. My heart is affected by the people I surround myself with, my environment, and my attitude. It is scarred from broken relationships. Some people and events have been permanently tattooed on my heart.
- Dr. Seuss Quote: This quote is without a doubt my favorite of all. It expresses how everyone on the planet is strange. I feel that the quote breaks the imaginary wall that prevents people from being their own crazy selves. When I found this quote, I immediately thought of my closest friends and a few past relationships. I love this quote because it perfectly describes me.
- Bracelet: For the first seven months of 2011, I dated someone from my old town. He gave me this bracelet on one of the few occasions that I saw him. While we may not be dating anymore, he is one of the people that are a part of my heart forever. The bracelet he gave me represents all the relationships, romantic or not, that I will always carry with me.
- Dr. Seuss Quote: I included this quote because I feel like it almost perfectly expresses my awakening to the world. In the winter of my sophomore year of high school, I moved to Virginia Beach. The experience made me realize how big the world really is. It may sound cheesy, but the world really is so much bigger than high school. The world is so much bigger than the town where one grows up. This quote became important to me because it encourages me to be my own person. No one can tell me what to do with my life because I make decisions for myself.
- Group Hug Picture: This picture is so important and special to me. Before I moved to Virginia Beach, I began actively participating in my church youth group. Sunday morning and evening, Wednesday night, and several Saturday afternoons, I would be at church. In the six months that I participated, I made so many irreplaceable and unforgettable friends. On my last Wednesday night before we moved, a few of those friends surrounded me in a group hug. Together we prayed and cried. That experience is special to me because I felt so loved.
- Martial Arts Picture: Ministry and Outreach Teams accounted for the majority of the time I spent at church. Martial Arts was one of the teams that I participated. In the few months that I trained, I was selected to perform the glass-walking demonstration. The demonstration consisted of my instructor placing a blindfold around my head and pointing me towards the broken glass, which I then would walk across. I included this picture in my project because it figuratively expresses my awakening to the world. Sometimes, in my journey through life, I come across certain situations that make me uncomfortable. I do not know where I am, what to do, or where to go. The glass demonstration describes this because I was in an uncomfortable situation without the ability to see where to go.
- “Bubbles”: These “bubbles” symbolize the metaphorical bubble that I live in. Currently, the bubble is Virginia Beach. I feel that people grow accustomed to living in a bubble. Humans are creatures of habit, which contributes to our bubble. Seeing the same people every day, going to the same places, and doing the same things may feel fine to some people, but I find that change is good. Change helps us to discoveries that would never have been possible in the “same old, same old.”
“Awakened to: Myself”
- Kelly Clarkson “Breakaway” Lyrics: My awakening to myself is an ongoing process. I believe that I will continue to learn about myself until the day that I die. The lyrics encourage me to discover myself. Part of the song talks about learning
to fly, and that is why I included feathers with the lyrics. I love listening to stories about people who truly “learned to fly.” It speaks to me because I hope to one day find my wings and take off through this crazy thing called life. My sixth grade ballet class danced to this song for our recital in 2007. I enjoyed the song so much; I would get home, go to my room, and sing the lyrics as loud as I could.
- Natasha Bedingfield “Unwritten” Lyrics: I included these lyrics because they are all about writing one’s own story. This song encourages me to develop my own ideas and opinions. I am the only one responsible for my life. The song gives me confidence to let go of all my fears about life, and to just live. During the awkward transition from elementary to middle school, I would listen to this song. It helped me overcome part of my own awkwardness and adjust to my new school.
- Collage: This collage is my way of expressing that there is more to me than what I appear. People are so quick to judge not only me, but others as well. Appearance is just one side of a person. Like a puzzle, each individual has many pieces that make a beautiful picture when they are put together. When I moved to Virginia Beach, I felt like people labeled me before they even knew my name. While it was painful at the time, now I realize that it has helped me to come out of my shell.
- Untitled Poem: Before I moved to Virginia Beach, I attended church several times a week. Then, I considered myself to be close to God. During and after the move, I felt myself slipping away. One day, in the middle of school, this poem practically wrote itself. It expresses how I felt about my relationship with God. Now, when I read the poem I wrote, it reminds me of the emotional pain that I went through because of the move.
- William Earnest Henley “Invictus" Poem: I find this poem to be encouraging. The last stanza is especially motivating to me. Similar to the lyrics included in the “Awakened to: Myself” part of the project, this poem makes me feel that I can accomplish anything. I heard this poem when it was included in the modern movie, “Invictus”. I found it inspiring because it was about a man, Nelson Mandela, who had served a long prison sentence because of his political views. After being released from prison, he was elected presided of South Africa. I am inspired by the courage of Nelson Mandela, and the “Invictus” poem describes it.
- “Life is Good” Sticker: My best friend, Katie, gave me this sticker. At the time, she had just returned from a one-month stay in a physical therapy center in Boston, Massachusetts. Previously, doctors diagnosed her with a rare disease in her right leg. The disease made her leg unbelievably sensitive to any form of stimuli. Sometimes, a simple flow of air would bring her to tears. Before her diagnosis, she had been on the cross country and track teams at our school. Her disease even made it impossible for her to walk without the aid of crutches. Most people in her situation would find it extremely difficult to find happiness. Katie remained one of the happiest, most optimistic people I knew. Now, almost four years later, she had returned to cross country, track, and recreational running. Katie encourages me to stay strong and optimistic. Whenever I see the sticker, I think of her sitting on her couch, unable to move, saying, “Life is good.”
“Awakened to: Love”
- Photo strips: These pictures remind me of the people I love. Some of the pictures are of me and my friends, and one strip is of my family. I love these people with my whole heart. Without them, my life would definitely not be the same. These pictures remind me of the love that I have for them, as well as the love that they have for me.
- Heart: The heart represents my love. My heart is affected by the people I surround myself with, my environment, and my attitude. It is scarred from broken relationships. Some people and events have been permanently tattooed on my heart.
- Dr. Seuss Quote: This quote is without a doubt my favorite of all. It expresses how everyone on the planet is strange. I feel that the quote breaks the imaginary wall that prevents people from being their own crazy selves. When I found this quote, I immediately thought of my closest friends and a few past relationships. I love this quote because it perfectly describes me.
- Bracelet: For the first seven months of 2011, I dated someone from my old town. He gave me this bracelet on one of the few occasions that I saw him. While we may not be dating anymore, he is one of the people that are a part of my heart forever. The bracelet he gave me represents all the relationships, romantic or not, that I will always carry with me.