CHRIS BRIDGE

Me in my Senior year of High School (2013)

The reason I chose “Change the World no Matter How,” to be the theme of my

portfolio is that I truly do believe that the most important thing in life is the impact

we leave on this world when we are gone. Also, I think people need to think about

and respect the power they have when it comes to changing the world, whether it

is for everyone, or even just one person.

Change The World,

no Matter How

Senior Valedictory Portfolio

05/23/2013

Meaning of Life Most Inspirational Me as a Friend

2

Formal Education Value Goals Forbes Response

3

IB Times Response “Lose Yourself” Response Dr. Seuss Response

4

Changes Free From Camp VT Shooting Response

5

787 Dreamliner Re-sponse Time Capsule

6

Top 10 Rappers 7-8

TABLE OF CONTENTS

REQUIRED

Inside this issue:

Obviously, there is not one clearly defined meaning of life, otherwise everyone would know it by

now, but I think everyone develops their own idea of what life is about as they grow up. As for me,

I believe very much in the importance of every effect each person has on this world. In fact, I be-

lieve that the meaning of life can be, and has to be that simple. Everyone gets one life, each one

different from the next, but the almost universal goal we have is to have some sort of impact on the

world. Though it may seem a daunting task, “changing the world,” can actually happen every day, at

any time. I am a firm believer that every action we take can have great impact on everyone around

us by making tiny differences, which lead to larger ones, the “butterfly effect.” Even if we never

make that large impact on the world, I think what can be just as important is making a difference to

even just one person. Standing up for someone, giving a gift, or even a smile can change someone’s

day, which believe it or not, can mean the world. But in the end, when our lives come to a close, and

we can look back on our lives, whether we made a difference or not will be the most important thing

there is. Because after we have lived our lives, what we will see is that to have made a difference in

this world was to have mattered.

(256 words)

I have always believed that a large part of who you are is who you are to other people. As a friend, I

believe that this has held true over the past few years. A large part of my life has been formed by

spending time with people my age, as a friend. This time has taught me a lot about how to see

things from others’ points of view, and really imagine myself in the shoes of others. As a friend, I

believe my friends see me as someone that really knows how to let loose and have fun, which I be-

lieve is one of the best qualities of a friend, since there really is nobody better to have a good time

with than one’s friends. In fact, I see this as one of the greatest advantages of being a friend, which I

am. I get to hang out with these people that are my friends, and share some good times and some

laughs. Then, I get to go home to my family where I have a completely different, separate relation-

ship with them, and my friends do the same.

(190 words)

The Meaning of Life

Describe Yourself as a Friend

Most Influential Person Throughout high school, my interest in politics has greatly increased, and as it has, I

have followed Senator Ron Paul of Texas. In the beginning, his message of small government

spoke to me, and I began to look further into just what he stood for. When I did this, I found

that he had been constantly delivering the same message for decades. Even though he had un-

successfully run for president multiple times, and had at no point been considered as a real candi-

date, I found him as he was running for president once again. What I took from this was that he

was doing this, not necessarily to become President of the United States, but to advance his ideas

politically. I saw, and still see this as a noble and selfless commitment, something that is often

missing from politics. Since I first saw Ron Paul on television, in a presidential debate, I have

changed politically, and personally. My mind made up, I began to make up my own political

opinions based on what I thought to be right, rather than what one of two political parties

claimed was right. Also, I have grown personally, seeing that sometimes I must work hard at

something, not because the reward may be great, but because it is what is right.

(217 words)

“I saw, and still see

this as a noble and

selfless commitment,

something that is often

missing from politics.”

Page 2 CHRIS BRIDGE

Me at a soup competition being

held at my uncle’s house.

Playing Frisbee golf in a foot of

snow

Value of my Formal Educaiton

Response to CHARGED magazine’s article

Goals for my Future

I believe that a price cannot be put on formal education, as it teaches too many life lessons to even

have a value placed on it. Over the last 13 years of school, I have learned things I would have never

thought possible about the world, other people, and myself. An example of this is what being in for-

mal education has taught me about working with others. I think there is no better preparation for stu-

dents that will soon have to work with others in the real world than group activities and projects in

school. It helps students, like me, realize what a group dynamic is like, and what they themselves have

to contribute in order to help the group flow smoothly and accomplish the tasks. Also, I have realized

that dedication and hard work will pay off in the end, as I have learned in some of my harder classes,

but at the same time, I must find a balance between my formal education and the rest of my life, and

not let the two interfere with each other. The formal education I have received has prepared me for

my transition into college next year, but more importantly has prepared me for what the real world is

like.

(209 words)

Being towards the end of high school I, and most of the other seniors, have had to do a lot of think-

ing about where we want to be in a few years. For me, this has included what area I want to study in

college, what college I want to go to, and what kind of job I want in the future. The first of these

decisions I made was that I wanted to go to Indiana University, which I loved since I visited the

campus. Then, I decided that I wanted to study economics, after discovering that this was my favor-

ite subject I had studied throughout high school in my second semester as a senior. Finally, the ulti-

mate goal I have is to get through college, and be in a position to land a job in a legal field. I know

this goal will be difficult, because there is somewhat of an influx of lawyers in the job market, but

this is why I will have to distinguish myself from my fellow students. I will have to maintain excel-

lent grades, but also get an internship that pertains to the field I am pursuing, and be active in the

community and extracurricular activities at college.

(205 words)

In this article, the CHARGED.fm magazine outlines some of the most important movies that will be coming out this summer that movie-goers should keep an eye out for. It then lists ten movies that will be coming out sometime between May and July, and has a brief description of what the movie will be about, along with a short analysis of how they expect the movie to fare, and why. I always enjoy going to the movies and seeing lists such as this one helps me know what I will want to see this summer. Spe-cifically, the magazine said that “Star Trek: Into Darkness” was one of the movies to go see, and after recently seeing it, I completely agree with them. The summer looks like it will be dominated by science fiction films, and with the lineup of competition that I can see for the summer, I cannot see any of these other films matching up to the plot and action that is packed into the new Star Trek film. Because this summer I will be completely done with High School, I think it will be filled with lots of relaxation, and I cannot think of any way for me to do this better than seeing many of these movies previewed in this article.

(215 words)

http://www.charged.fm/blog/post/3886/chargedfm-summer-movie-guide-may

"CHARGED.fm." CHARGEDfm Magazine RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2013.

“Being towards the end

of high school I, and

most of the other

seniors, have had to do a

lot of thinking about

where we want to be in

a few years.”

Page 3 CHRIS BRIDGE

Poster for the 2013 movie,

“Star Trek: Into Darkness”

Me before 1st period at

Fishers High School

Zach Braff, the former star of the hit sit-com “Scrubs,” faced some backlash after his Kickstarter account raised a large amount of money to help fund his next movie that he will be directing. IB Times magazine reported that in less than half a day, Braff’s Kickstarter account had raised over $850,000. Kickstarter is a website which is typically used to help those with ideas for businesses or inventions get the funds to start the production or development of these ideas using donations made by people who see their ideas, and think they have potential. The first video that Braff directed was “Garden State,” which was well received, and his next movie is said to be a sequel to it. However, many people are upset, thinking that this is an abuse of the website, seeing as how he could fund the whole movie himself, and still have millions left over. I, personally, see this as not wrong, but rather misaligned with the intended purpose of the site. I think those who are donating to support this are throwing their money away, and these donations could be going to people on the site who need it more than Zach Braff does.

(200 words)

http://www.ibtimes.com/zach-braff-kickstarter-campaign-twitter-backlash-wish-i-was-here-tests-limits-crowd-funding-1215021

"Zach Braff Kickstarter Campaign: Twitter Backlash As 'Wish I Was Here' Tests Limits Of Crowd Funding." International Business Times. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2013.

How did it get so late so soon? It’s night before it’s afternoon. December is here before it’s June. My goodness how the time has flewn. How did it get so late so soon? ~Dr. Seuss

In this poem by Dr. Seuss, he emphasizes his central theme quite well given that the poem itself is very short. In fact, the theme is brought forth in both the first and last lines when he asks “How did it get so late so soon?” The introduction of his idea itself is almost an oxymoron, the contradiction being the fact that it has gotten late, but has done so surprisingly soon. The three lines between this statement and its repeat are essentially elaboration, and emphasis on “How did it get so late so soon?” I believe Dr. Seuss’s message behind this poem is that time flies right by us, and we cannot slow it down, so if we do not take action now, and chase our dreams, we will soon be looking back, much like he is, wondering where all the time has gone. One interesting point in this poem is in the line “My goodness how the time has flewn.” “Flewn” is not a word, but the author takes the initiative to make it up in order to fit the rhyme scheme he is looking for, and also perhaps because he liked the idea of using the word “flewn.” (201 words)

Response to IB Times’s Article

Response to Dr. Seuss Poem

Response to “Lose Yourself (Clean) by Eminem” Lyrics: Lose Yourself (Clean) by Eminem

Often in rap songs, it can be difficult to cut through the lyricism and metaphors and find the true meaning behind a rap, if there even is one. In Lose Yourself, however the complete oppo-site is true. With every line, Eminem is expanding on his message, which is dedication to your goals and confidence in yourself to achieve them. This positive message is perhaps one that has been underused recently in music, not only in rap, but in all genres. He starts by describing the feelings he had leading up to, during, and after one of his poor performances, where he choked in a rap bat-tle. In the chorus, the message is echoed when Eminem says “you only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow.” He places importance on how imperative it is to chase your goals now, be-cause if you miss that chance that you have to really make something great, you will never be able to undo that. This song also holds some additional significance to me, as this was the first song I actu-ally heard by Eminem several years ago. Since then, he has become my favorite artist, and com-pletely transformed my taste in music.

(201 words)

“You only get one shot,

do not miss your

chance to blow. This

opportunity comes

once in a lifetime.”

-Eminem

Page 4 CHRIS BRIDGE

Zach Braff, whose Kickstarter

campaign caused much contro-

versy with some fans of the

site.

Dr. Seuss is my favorite

author of all time.

Changes

Virginia Tech Shooting Response

Free From Camp

At first glance, four years does not seem like a very long time, but when I look back and reflect on

four years ago, I see how much has really changed since I began high school. One of the biggest

changes that come to mind is how I then viewed, and now see college. Before high school, I knew I

would eventually go to college, but it seemed like something distant and irrelevant, at least for the

time being. Now, college is just around the corner, and every week brings me closer to making a

commitment to one university, and moving on to the next part of my life. Much like my perspective

on my future at college, my thoughts on a future career changed drastically as well. Before high

school, I did not bother myself thinking about what I would do for a career when I get older, but

that changed once I started contemplating a major to choose in college. Even though I still don’t

know for sure what field I will eventually find myself in, I have given it much thought, and now have

an idea of what type of jobs I might enjoy, a pronounced change from the indifference only four

years ago.

(207 words)

One memory I have of my childhood that I don’t believe I will ever forget is that of attending

YMCA summer camp for several years. Every summer, I would have to go to summer camp while

my dad worked, and for the most part, dreaded it every day. I knew that I most likely could not stay

home alone, but I still hated going to camp every week with people that I did not know, spending the

days in the humid, mosquito-infested forest behind the YMCA. Even though at the beginning of

each summer I picked which camp I would attend each week, they were never much different from

one another. At 8:00 I would show up, and check in, and from then until 6:30 when I left, I would

be shuffling from activity to activity. But when I remember these camps, there is another time that

will always be remembered with them, that being when I was first allowed to stay home alone in the

summer. Being told that I would get to choose whether or not to go to summer camp, around when

I was 13, was like being freed from a prison, and I made sure to enjoy every liberty that came with

that freedom.

(208 words)

On April 16, 2007, Virginia Tech experienced one of the worst shooting tragedies in U.S. history,

when Seung-Hui Cho opened fire on campus, killing 32 people and injuring many more. Steve Helber

of the Associated Press looked deeper into the incident, reporting not only on what took place, but

how it was handled by the school. This incident has personally affected me by changing the way I see

my own school, where I spend much of my life. Frankly, I was too young at the time of the Colum-

bine High School shooting for it to directly affect me, but at the time of the Virginia Tech shooting, I

was 12 years old, old enough to understand what was happening. Incredulous, I listened to my teacher

tell us about what was happening that day, as we stopped our lesson for a while. Since then, I, and

probably a majority of students around the country, ceased to see school as somewhere isolated from

the outside world, and realized that I was just as subject to violence here as anywhere else. Though the

shooting affected my personal outlook to some extent, it affected me more through how it changed

the society in which I live. Security measures in schools today would have been considered unprece-

dented 20 years ago. I think that for much of the country, the Virginia Tech shooting had a broader

effect than they would have ever thought. (237 words)

Helber, Steve, “Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.” New York Times, Associated

Press, n.d., 01/16/2013.

“it was like being freed

from a prison, and I

made sure to enjoy

every liberty that came

with that freedom.”

Page 5 CHRIS BRIDGE

Fishers High School is where

I have grown and changed

over the last 4 years.

Virginia Tech mourns

after the shooting massa-

cre.

Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner was meant to be the icon of smooth sailing and security, but since its launch in January 2013, it has encountered, shall we say, some turbulence. The Dreamliner was grounded worldwide, and became the center of attention when it became evident that the batteries in the airplane’s computer were prone to catching fire and melting, causing an incredible danger to the pilots and all of the passengers. Since then, the company has faced trouble fixing the problem, and the 787 Dreamliner has spent months grounded. The negative publicity has surely damaged Boeing’s credibility, and perhaps this will be reflected in their revenue. Forbes has even speculated that the companies operating with Boeing might attempt to distance themselves from the company and capitalize on their business losses. Since the problems, the battery problem has been resolved, and the airplane has been cleared for takeoff. The batteries have been redesigned, and placed into the 787 Dreamliners to prepare them for use. This design problem, to me and probably other con-sumers echoes the problems several years ago with Toyota vehicles whose accelerators would be-come stuck, causing great danger to the drivers and passengers. However, only time will tell how these events will affect Boeing, the 787 Dreamliner, and air travel.

(210 words)

http://www.forbes.com/sites/matthewstibbe/2013/05/08/boeing-787-battery-fix-lets-dreamliner-fly-again/

Stibbe, Matthew. "Boeing 787 Battery Fix Lets Dreamliner Fly Again." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 08 May 2013. Web. 20 May 2013.

Reflection on Boeing 787 Dreamliner

Page 6 CHRIS BRIDGE

Aftermath of the 787 Dream-

liner’s battery problems

Time Capsule Items I would place in a time capsule to represent who I am:

1. DVD of my favorite web series, Jake and Amir, from Collegehumor. I have seen almost every short by Jake and Amir,

and it has brought me more laughs than any other series or show that I can think of. I love to share it with people, and I

think this represents a big part of who I am.

2. My phone. I would not place my phone in the time capsule because of its importance to me as a phone, but rather be

cause this is where I store all of my music. I really enjoy listening to my music, and I am always downloading more and

expanding my collection. I think the conglomeration of music will be a good representation of who I am.

3. IU wristband. I would place this in my time capsule because it represents what my plans are for the future. I will be at

tending IU next year, and this is the best way for me to signify that part of my life that is approaching.

4. Pair of shoes. I would put a pair of my shoes into the time capsule because they would show some of my favorite hob-

bies. My old shoes are torn and worn because I love to play sports outside, like basketball and ultimate Frisbee.

5. Fishers High School sweatshirt. Since Fishers High School has been such a big part of my life for the past 4 years, I feel

that it needs to be represented in this time capsule. The most memorable thing I have from FHS will probably be my

sweatshirt, so I will place this in the time capsule.

Top 10 List (Top 10 Rappers)

Page 7 CHRIS BRIDGE

1. Eminem – Widely believed to be the greatest rap lyricist of all time, there was no contest as to who

would be the #1 rapper. His raps are almost all impressive, some of the most notable of which are

Till I Collapse, Never Enough, and Lose Yourself.

2. Royce Da 5’9- Eminem’s counterpart in their band “Bad Meets Evil,” Royce is often considered to

be the best rapper in his rap group “Slaughterhouse,” which I consider to be one of the best. One of

his most notable raps is in his song with Eminem Echo.

3. Yelawolf – Yelawolf’s style can very clearly be compared to that of Eminem, and he does it very

well. Being signed by Eminem has done a lot for his rap career, and his hits Daddy’s Lambo, and

Pop the Trunk show his rapping talent, that will likely continue to improve.

4. Jay-Z – With a contrasting style to Eminem or Royce Da 5’9, Jay-Z has shown to be another elite

rapper with his raps such as On to the Next One, and Dirt off Your Shoulder.

5. Dr. Dre – Though he might be remembered more as one of the best rap producers of all time, and for

taking a gamble signing Eminem, Dr. Dre was a great rapper before either of these events, showing it

in his songs Still Dre, and Eminem’s I Need a Doctor.

6. Kuniva – Kuniva is known more for his work in one of the greatest rap groups of all time, D12, but

showed that he was one of the best in this group in the songs Devil’s Night and Fight Music.

7. Swifty McVay – Like Kuniva, Swifty McVay will most likely be remembered as a member of D12, but

his raps in Fight Music and Git Up showed his individual talent as a rapper.

8. Kon Artis – Being such a fan of D12, it comes as no surprise that I had to fit one more member on the

top 10 list. Kon Artis showed his rapping skill in 1 Shot 2 Shot and Rap Game.

9.Crooked I – Crooked I is one of the best rappers in, what I consider to be a top rap group, Slaughter-

house. He really became one of my favorites after having one of his best raps in Session One.

10. Joell Ortiz – Another rapper from Slaughterhouse, Ortiz has shown himself to be one of the best in

Session One, and Loud Noises