April 5th 2017

Judges, Senior Project Board

First Colonial High School
1272 Mill Dam Road
Virginia Beach, VA, 23454

Dear Judges:

First and foremost, thank you for the time you have taken out of your professional schedule to
read my Weebly and sit on this panel. While to prospect of panels seems daunting, my
overwhelming emotion in presenting this to you is excitement. For my project, I chose to film
and produce a documentary regarding the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline. Going into Senior
Project, one of my major goals was to foster education on not only a school level but also within
the community. This panel is an extension of my project in the sense that my major goal is to
advocate for a topic that I believe in.

Through debate and my familys travels in state parks, I developed a love for the environment
and learned how to fight for it. I chose my topic to reflect an issue that I could make a difference
in. Since the pipeline is still in the planning stages, I wanted to do what I could to influence the
policymaking. I looked to previous grassroots projects like the protests of the Keystone XL
Pipeline and the NDAPL for a reference point. I chose a documentary as my project medium in
order to have a lasting product. I wanted my project to be more than an ephemeral thought in the
minds of the attenders and wanted to have a portable form of advocacy that could be shared with
more than just the people in the Virginia Beach area.

In executing this project, I travelled to Nelson County, Richmond, and Suffolk to interview and
talk with concerned parties. I met a litany of people who cared about the topic like I did and were
eager to help me in whatever way they could. This is something that I never thought that I would
gain from my project, a sense of community with people across the state. I realized how close to
home this issue hits for many people in Virginia and how much of an impact local advocates
truly can make.

Senior Project has been such a great experience for me because I have been able to express my
individuality. Especially in the school setting, I have been defined by expectations of academic
success. In my house, As are expected not congratulated. Senior project provided me with an
outlet to be creative but also just to have a good time. As a result of my work, I have joined
sustainability organizations at the college I plan to attend and was even offered an unpaid
internship at the Chesapeake Climate Action Network over the summer. Thank you again for
your time.

Regards,
Isabel Mastrangeli
LSA Senior