143 Real Street

Vacaville, CA 95687
(707) 523- 2156
adriennnerreed@gmail.com
February 23, 2016
Senior Portfolio Committee
Elise P. Buckingham Charter Magnet High School
188- B Bella Vista Road
Vacaville, CA 95688
Dear Senior Portfolio Committee,
I am writing the senior portfolio for graduation in the year of 2016, of the month of June.
I heard about this school through my parents and they told me how amazing and bully free this
school would be. I am writing this because it is one of the requirements to graduate and I can not
wait to get an approval email from Mrs. Henry.

These last four years of my education have been amazing. Ive learned so many things. I
have gained closer relationships with people. Since my freshmen year I took the core classes
few extra classes such as photo class, yearbook, and PE but it has been crazy years. Through
taking these classes I have been taught a lot of valuable lessons that helped me through my life
outside school. One of those lessons was being friendly and kind and thats how I landed a job
my junior year at Abercrombie and Fitch. I do love Buckingham Charter. I am very happy with
my parents allowing me to go here. It has changed my life in ways I never thought it would. I
have grown closer to a lot of people and Ive grown up in so many ways. I love how at this
school, all is accepted in all ways, but no fighting and no bullying. Buckingham Charter is just
overall an amazing school and has taught me to that school is important and that is why I decided
to go to college.

While going to Buckingham, I have learned valuable lessons, those lessons have lead me
to a lots of choices. One of those choices I chose was going to college and caring about my
schooling. At first I came to Buckingham and I wanted to just graduate. A Buckingham teacher,
Mrs. Velazquez used to always ask me, Adrienne, what are you going to do after high school, I
always answered with, I really dont know yet, I will know before I graduate. That was during
my freshmen year. During my junior year I had Mrs. Velazquez as my algebra 2 teacher and she
assigned my class a career project, this was the project that told me what I was going to do for
the rest of my life. This career project asked to everyone to pick a career that they wanted to go
into after high school. After that I had to budget how I would live on my salary and all these
other requirements, as being how I would pay for food, my bills, and rent. This career project
screamed out and said, Be a special education teacher. Thats when it clicked and thats what I
have been looking forward to since that day.

Going to a charter school hasnt always been the easiest. I did struggle my freshmen
through junior years. In those years a lot was going on in my life, I was struggling with having
ADHD and having an eating disorder. That is not an excuse at all, but that is one of the reasons
why on my transcript, it looks as some classes I did not care or didnt give any effort. The truth is
I would stay up long hours at night to study for test days ahead. I never really could stay on task
as the other the other students could. I still struggle with that but now I have different outlets,
such as soccer, work and hanging out with friends. I want you to know that please dont judge
me over my grades or over my ADHD because thats not how smart I am, thats how well or
poorly I can do on a test.

My high school years have been so fun and experimental. Ive learned and taught so
many things. Ive expressed my feelings through this essay and I hope it comes out clear. I am
blessed that I was able to attend and figure out myself through Buckingham. I was taught my
most treasured memory of all my memories which is Follow your heart and also go towards
being a Special Education Teacher, yes it will be hard but it will be worth it, Mrs. Velazquez. I
thank you Buckingham for all these lessons and all this time we have had together.