Dear Malcolm,

My name is Madeline Bungert, but I go by Maddy for short. I am 18 years old and a
freshman at UNCC. I was born in Long Island, New York and moved to the Raleigh area when I
was six years old. I am majoring in biology and I can honestly say I have no clue what I am going
to do with my degree yet. I live in Cary, NC with my mom, dad, sister, and brother. We have
three dogs, whom I love so much and miss even more. I have two yellow labs, Cooper and
Lollipop. The shining star of the family and my mother’s favorite child, our Great Dane and St.
Bernard mix, Penny. Everyone loves her, she is just so big and cuddle-able, you can’t help but
fall victim to her doughy eyes. Don’t tell the other dogs this but Lolli is my favorite because she
is so small, playful, and well-behaved.
One hobby I’ve had all my life is art. I LOVE art. Now I know writing is a form of art, but
I am rather mediocre at that, and visual art is where I shine the most. Since I can remember I
have always created art. Right now, I’ve fallen out of practice because of the university’s “no
art classes unless you are an art major” rule. I am truly so happy when I can create something
and see it get better every day, see something I made with my hands come out so realistic and
beautiful.

In high school I used to play softball. I made varsity my freshman year and pretty much
rode the bench the next two years, occasionally getting to play an uneventful inning.
Nevertheless, I loved the sport and still do. I considered playing intramural softball here at
UNCC, but my mom advised me to focus on my grades for the first year.

I have never excelled in a writing or English class. I have always been just barely good
enough to make the minimum score for an A. I really hope in your class this semester I can
improve because writing will be a part of life. I hope to finally be able to excel as a writer and
formulate words and stories beyond basic high school level writing. I honestly feel like this class
will be able to help me and will be my biggest challenge of the classes I’m taking.
Sincerely,
Maddy Bungert