14 June 2022

Portfolio Committee 
Northern Oklahoma College 
English Department 
1118 West Hall of Fame 
Stillwater, Oklahoma 74074

Dear Mrs. Davis,

I have gathered a collection of writings from my college career. There is a mixture of my best
writing structures, moments in time writing, and some that hold alot of value to me. Reading
these papers you will find pieces of my life, a look into my imagination, and the value of my
writing ability.

My first artifact is the first paper I wrote for composition 2 called “I Got a Friend in Her.” When
asked to write a paper on being neighborly, I had no idea where to start. I had no idea what was
wanted for this paper. I finally broke down and decided I would write about my friend Hannah. I
focused on her struggles in life and the ways I have been able to help her. This paper was a joy to
write, and it showed me how important my friend is to me. This was the first time I was asked to
write a paper like this. I ended up calling Hannah and asking her what ways I have helped her.
Not all points made the cut, but I do believe this paper was a strong representation of our
relationship and how I can show a solid tone in my writing.The next artifact is my :Letter to the
Senator” that I wrote in composition 2. Once again I was challenged in your class on a new style
of writing. It was hard to choose a topic but once I decided on LGBTQ sexual health, everything
started to fall into place. Doing such intensive research on a topic that I do think is important had
me talking about my paper for days. The outline was hard to figure out, but your example made
it much easier. I believe that my letter to the senator is a strong example of an outline. I also
learned how to paraphrase and cite more efficiently in this paper. My third artifact is my “I
Believe I am Loved” paper in composition 2. I wrote this paper about the love of my family. This
artifact is very personal and tells the reader a lot about my life. Sharing that information about
my family was hard, but I believe that it has made me a better writer. This paper was timed and I
believe that it is a good representation of how vivid I can be as a writer. My last artifact is a
paper I wrote in my American History to 1877 class called “Manifest Destiny”. This paper is
written about expansion in America and the consequences of manifest destiny. This paper was
easy to assemble because I used an outline I obtained in composition 2. This paper is a good
example of how I navigate an essay in a class that is not composition.

It seems to me that my writing has improved throughout this class. I have been able to more
fluently put my thoughts into words. My outlines have improved and my structure has
strengthened. I used to find it difficult to start a paper, but now I find it much easier. My
confidence has grown exponentially because I know I can write a good paper. My sentence
structure has also improved. I now have more complete and correct sentences. My grammar has
grown with my other developments. I find it easier to use the correct grammar. 
A tool I would like to keep in my writer's toolbox would be the outline from my second artifact,
my letter to the senator. This outline made it very easy to structure my information and complete
my ideas. I sometimes find it difficult to put my ideas on paper and this has helped
exponentially. With a clear setup for my paper, and detailed outlining, my papers easily form.
Another tool I would like to have is tutor.com. The online tutors can be very blunt and that is just
what I am looking for. They have detailed explanations on how to make our paper better. They
also provide numerous specific tutoring help. By this, I mean you can specifically ask them to
help you with your grammar, sentence structure, and more. A third tool would be the citation
machine, a service by chegg. This makes it very easy to complete my works cited page. It also
shows you the in text citation for each of your sources. This tool also lets you go into your
citations and add any information you might have previously missed. The citation machine is a
must have for any academic writer. 

Although I have improved greatly throughout my composition 2 class, I still have many
weaknesses as a writer. I still struggle with correct sentence structure and grammar. I write how I
speak and that makes it difficult to correctly voice my thoughts. I struggle with ideas and
outlines for my papers. Most of the paper I wrote for my composition 2 class was our choice. I
got to choose what my paper was about, and I struggled greatly. My first paper took me days to
decide on a topic. Though I have many weaknesses I also have strengths. I believe I am a vivid
writer that can set a steady tone. I know that I can gather any information and expand from it in
my papers.

Now that I have finished my composition 2 class I know I am prepared for my future schooling,
and career. I still have a few years of college left and I know there will be many papers to write. I
am pursuing my bachelors in music education and I know there will be papers in my career. That
might be writing a letter to a parent about the state of their children. Perhaps I will write to my
superiors to ask for an expansion of the music program. There is sure to be many papers to write
in my career as a teacher. I hope that my writing skills can open a door for my future students so
that they can grow to be brilliant musicians, full of passion, and the knowledge that their school
cares for them. 

Thank you for your time reviewing my portfolio. If you have any questions or comments please
feel free to contact me at mwest543@students.noc.edu. 
Sincerely,

Madison West