Jesse Hope

37 Apple Lane
Stillwater, Ok 74074

Tammy Davis
Northern Oklahoma College
615 N Monroe St, Room 344
Stillwater, Oklahoma 74078

4 December 2023

Mrs. Davis,

I hope this letter finds you well and in high spirits. My portfolio collection represents
some of my most creative and thoughtful writing, showcasing my thinking skills and overall
writing ability. I have included four artifacts of writing for reflection, and I will go over each of
them in this letter. I will also discuss my growth and development as a writer later. I will
continue now by identifying and evaluating each of my artifacts.

My first artifact is an essay titled “#Dearme”, written during my first semester at NOC in
my composition 1 class. I chose to place this essay first because it was one of the first essays I
wrote at NOC. I felt like this would be a good example of where I started. This essay is also a
great introduction of myself for my readers. This essay, addressed to my younger self, delves into
various lessons and insights. Its well-organized structure and fluidity make it a fitting
introduction to my portfolio. I will move on now to discuss my second artifact.

The second artifact I chose, “Till the End of Time”, also composed during my first
semester, explores relationships and their impact on my views on marriage. I chose this essay
because it is full of information that will make readers feel closer to me, much like my first
artifact. This essay was organized nicely and flowed with ease. In my personal option this is a
fantastic read. While rich in personal content, I acknowledge the need for a more elaborate
conclusion. I will now move on to discuss my third artifact.

“Balancing Rights and Safety: An Examination of Gun Control in America,” a debate

paper crafted during my third semester in my government class. I chose this paper because it was
a tricky one to write. This challenging assignment required me to argue an opposing viewpoint,
showcasing my ability to consider and argue for perspectives I may not necessarily agree with. In
this debate paper I discuss the several different sides of gun control and gun violence. I did a
great job of introducing and arguing in favor of opposing viewpoints. This paper is well-
organized, informative, and a testament to my ability to tackle complex topics. Now moving on
to my fourth and final artifact.

Concluding my artifacts is the essay “Love thy Neighbor,” written during my third
semester in my Composition 2 class. I chose this essay because it is one of my favorite examples
of my writing. This essay delves into my personal beliefs, offering readers insights into my
values. In this essay I discuss my “pillars” to follow to be a good neighbor to others. Despite a
lack of significant examples, it effectively communicates my perspective on being a good
neighbor. Now that I had discussed my four pieces and my reasons for selecting them, I will
move on to discuss my development and growth as a literate person.

Growing up I was never a big reader. I can remember in elementary school we had the
AR Reader program. Students would read x number of books then take quizzes online over the
books. Students would earn points redeemable for various small prizes. This is where most of my
reading came from during my younger years. As I grew older and the AR Reader program was
no longer a part of our curriculum, my reading slowed. Once I reached high school, I would pick
up a book every now and again but rarely finished them. My favorite book from middle school
was “The White Fox Chronicles” and my favorite book series from high school was the House of
Night series. I read the first three books of that collection. While reading was not something I
fancied, writing short stories was something I did. I wrote so many short stories in my free time
during summers. I kind of just played around with it. I had a knack for making things sound
good. I would often use an online thesaurus to learn new and better words to improve my
writing. I grew out of this and haven’t freely written anything since I was about fifteen.
However, I always did a good job with writing assignments from then on out. Now I will move
on to discuss my writing process.

My process for addressing writing assignments could certainly use improvement. I tend
to pick topics that I feel would be the easiest to cover, and I’ve always felt somewhat guilty for
that. I know my potential; I know that I could cover the more difficult topic if I would just apply
myself. I don’t have much of a writer’s toolbox. I wouldn’t really know what to put in it. I
typically just write and rewrite until I have a full flowing essay. I will check for mistakes one last
time but that’s about it. I could certainly use an overhaul on my toolbox. I will move on now to
discuss my development as a writer.

I’ve certainly come a very long way since those short stories I would write in the
summers of my youth. I had a very good English teacher in high school. I always got good
grades on writing assignments. However, it does take a toll on me. Aside from actively avoiding
difficult topics, I have poor planning and organization. My writings suffer because of this. I can
remember learning about outlines for the first time. I didn’t understand the importance of them, I
thought it was just extra work that was unnecessary and that if I just wrote and rewrote that I
would eventually create something great. So, I never perfected my planning process, and this
hinders my writing to this day. My assignments are often late, and this is partly due to my
procrastination but largely due to very poor organization. I’m a list type of person so I often get
anxious when I go to write a paper and I try to organize everything in my head. That’s where the
procrastination comes in. I procrastinate because I don’t know what to do next. You would think
I’d have perfected my planning and organization process by now but alas, I have not. That is
probably my greatest weakness as a writer and my writing tends to be choppy from time to time
because of it. Now one of my greatest strengths is my eye for flow. I reread and reread and
reread to ensure that my words flow into sentences and my sentences into paragraphs in the best
possible way. My way with words is also a strength of mine. Now I’m not going to say that I’m a
walking thesaurus because I certainly am not. However, I do know how to use one. I tend to be
good at catching and keeping my readers attention as well. Now I will move on to discussing
how I think writing will present itself in my future.
 I am a business major, so I see a lot of presentations in my future. I certainly need to nail
down a process for outlining and organizing my writing. If I am more prepared, then my writings
will improve drastically. As of right this second, I am not prepared to jump into writing a
presentation. I know what I need to do though, start using outlines. I will move onto my
conclusion now.

I’ve discussed my artifacts and provided brief evidence of their worthiness to be in my

portfolio. I’ve reflected on my growth and development as a reader and a writer as well. I’ve
discussed my weaknesses in length and briefly went over my strengths. Overall, I am a good
writer. Could I use some improvement? Absolutely. This assignment has opened my eyes to
practices I never though necessary. I am excited for my future and for my first presentation. I
thank you oh so very much for your instruction, your time, and your attention not only for this
letter but for the semester as well. I very much look forward to your feedback and perhaps a bit
of back and forth.

Sincerely,

Jesse Hope