March 22, 2019

2728 Campus Ridge Road

Matthews, NC 28105

Judges, NC Graduation Project Board

Levine Middle College High School
2728 Campus Ridge Road
Matthews, NC 28105

Dear Judges:

Since I am near my graduation from Levine Middle College High School, I want to take this opportunity
to share my research, major lessons learned, and many other aspects of the graduation project that I have
learned. The most important skills I received was: if you want something, then you will have to go out
and get it for yourself because you will have mentors along the way but in the end it is up to you to get the
job completed. This skill will take me far in life as I have learned that in order to be successful in my
career, I need to be able to clearly and effectively communicate my ideas in order to network and receive
potential contacts that will assist me in my future career.

I am not going to lie, four years of high school was difficult for me as I am naturally a quiet spoken
person. It has also been a challenge to speak up and participate in group discussions and the dreaded--
public speaking. I am the type of person that knows this to be a weakness of mine and instead of not
doing anything about it, I worked with many teachers who mentored me. I even did practice presentations
in order to help me get more comfortable in front of an audience. I can ensure you that by completing the
graduation project it has forced me out of my comfort zone and complete tasks I would never think I
could do. The results and many skills I gained as a result have amazed me and made me feel
accomplished.

My senior project correlates with my future career of Forensic Biology. I have always had a passion for
DNA in biology and applying it with critical thinking skills in order to solve a crime. Forensics is not only
about solving a crime, but also helping victims get the justice they deserve. If I can help a victim and a
family’s victim by applying basic math and science skills, it gives me the best feeling in the world that I
can help them. My friends and family sometimes get annoyed about how much I talk about Forensics, but
they tell me that when I do my face lights up with the biggest smile-- this goes on to display just how
much I love the field. By completing the graduation project, I have been able to prepare myself for my
career in Forensics by doing research on potential problems that can arise, especially with contamination
of DNA evidence--doing this has allowed me to be aware of the issues and how I can rectify the problem
if it were to arise when I am working on a crime.

Thank you for taking the time to look over my portfolio and listen to my presentation.
Sincerely,
Avery Kelly 
Avery Kelly