43 N. Sunset Avenue Sand Springs, OK 74063 6 August 2010 Dear Mrs.

Charlson: My name is Spencer Bright and I am an interesting person and student. I am only fifteen, so I am one of the youngest in the junior class. Due to the fact that Im one of the youngest in the class, Im incredibly shy. Being around a large group of people I dont know or dont get along with is my biggest fear, and in high-school it seems to be a frequent occurrence. Now I do enjoy going to school, I love my friends and I know that I will never be bored, but I also love days when I get to stay home and just relax. When I am at home relaxing, I love to listen to music or chat with my friends on Facebook. My favorite genre of music is alternative rock and my favorite artist is Chris Daughtry. My laptop is my favorite possession is my laptop. It is the one thing that I never stop using and I use for fun and school work. However, the single activity that defines me as a teenager is debate. I am on the top debate team for Charles Page. I am extremely good at debate and am a self-proclaimed addict. I spend most of my Friday nights at tournaments throughout the area. Even though debate rules my life I still enjoy spending my time biking, running, playing basketball, and playing my saxophone. One very unique thing about me is that I am an only child. I live at home with just my dad, John, and my mom, Laura. As a person Im funny, smart, and hardworking, but I do have to fight my shyness and tendency to procrastinate. Both my teachers and my peers would describe me as an above average student. I have an uncanny ability to retain information after hearing it just once and I utilize that skill to my benefit in the classroom. Im also an extremely hard worker on my homework. However, I have the huge weakness of procrastination. I do consider myself to be one of the worst procrastinators I know and it always comes around to haunt me. Ironically, I am a person who does his best work at ten oclock the night before a paper is due. I have always been a terrific English student, unfortunately, I have never been very interested in English. Im not much of a recreational reader but I do enjoy reading on occasion. I fell in love with my sophomore summer book A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah. My favorite books are often war books. I find that a book has to keep a dynamic plot in order to captivate me. One book that I utterly despised was 1984 by George Orwell. In my opinion, it seemed that Orwell was simply trying to impress the reader with five and ten page long metaphors that ultimately just bored me. One book that I wish I would have read earlier was To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. After reading this book I finally understood the evils of prejudice, a lesson that I think has affected my ethics as a person. Writing is a skill in which I feel comfortable. I do like writing speeches and poetry because they allow my personality to shine. Writing essays and journals is often tedious and difficult for me so there is no lost love for them. The one thing I struggle with as a writer is the occasional awkwardness of my sentences, but I have been working on this issue. The five most impressive books that I have read impressed me largely due to their simplicity and insightful themes. The first one is my favorite book A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah. I enjoyed it because Beah was very descriptive but used very emotional words to show what he was thinking throughout his journey. My second is Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis; I enjoyed it because it was very funny but also showed the view of children in challenging situations. Third

on my list is Tulsa Burning by Anna Myers. The motifs of friendship, love, caring, and abuse really portrayed a theme of comradery which helped me to grow as a young adult and member of society. One of the most impressive books I have read is Night by Ellie Wiesel. They way Wiesel tells his story of the Holocaust was very thought provoking due to its graphic detail and inquisitive manner towards humanity. Lastly is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I enjoyed it simply because the theme was refreshing in comparison to a world in which judicial bias is the norm. Most of the books I enjoy are simple and entertaining yet powerful in their message. Sincerely,

Spencer Bright