1. A peek into Nicole’s Life Ms. McGee AP English Literature

2. Dear Reader, This is a look at my evolution as a human being, as a woman, and as a writer. In my early years, I wrote in simple not complex sentences, where a sentence was comprised of a subject, noun and a few other words like articles and adjectives to help formulate a coherent thought. My biggest challenge as I grew older was spelling and too this day, I still have mini battles in my writing but I have certainly grown stronger through the years. In middle school the natural creative flow and ease of writing started to begin. It only strengthened when I got to high school. My writing has broadened from mainly narratives and summaries to analytical and critique styles. I am now at the point where I finally get to judge and interpret other people’s writing instead of just someone examining mine, but I guess I can make an exception for this portfolio, so go ahead and examine some of my previous works.

3. Table of Contents My Life List My Six Word Life Story My Name is Nicole The Name Jay Alexander Research PaperThe Name Jay Alexander Research Paper My Writing Process Creative writing My Soul Artifacts

4. Life List 1.Visit all 50 States 2.Eat a crepe in France 3.Graduate from VA Tech in the top 30%VA Tech 4.Ride in a hot air balloon 5.Go skiing 6.Go to the Mall of AmericaMall of America 7.See a play on Broadway in N.Y. 8.Go to the Caribbean for Christmas 9.Scuba dive 10.Go to the top of the Eiffel TowerEiffel Tower 11.Fly in a private plane 12.Watch the ball drop in Town Square 13.Be the1 st one to go into a store on Black Friday 14.See the Pope 15.Ride a motorcyclemotorcycle 16.Go to Fashion Week 17.Own two dogs 18.Find true love 19.Swim with dolphins 20.Ride an elephant 21.Win a food contest 22.Learn how to make wine 23.Learn how to swing dance 24.Witness a miracle 25.Save somebody’s life

5. 6 Word Life Story

6. My Name is Nicole My name is Nicole. I am not named after anyone in my family. I am my own person. My parents thought I was going to be a boy and they were going to name me Nicholas, but since I was a girl they named me Nicole. I like my name because it is not really common that there is someone else with the same name in my class. It is also a good name because it is easy to pronounce. No one butchers my name. The name Nicole is pretty short just like my stature. It can be spelled N-i-c-o-l-e or N-i- c-h-o-l-e. I t also lends itself to the nickname Nikki which my mom frequently calls me. I like the name Nikki because my mom always calls me by that name when is in a sweet and loving mood. I hear the name Nicole when she is mad at me. Overall, I like my name. It is what I identify with. I wouldn’t want to change my name. I would feel like I lost myself. My name gives my confidence. When people remember my name, it makes me feel good, like I had a lasting impression on them. My name is Nicole and I love that!

7. Research Paper The Name Jay Alexander

8. It’s all in my Head!

9. An Untitled Poem

10. My Soul

11. Artifacts My Year in First Grade (novel) The Case of the Diamond Bracelet (novel, 4 th grade)The Case of the Diamond Bracelet Lesson for a squirrel named Nutty (moral story, 7 th grade)Lesson for a squirrel named Nutty

12. 1 st Grade

13. 4 th Grade

14. Lesson for a squirrel named Nutty

15. The End I hope you have gained new insight into my writing and who I am!