Your Final Writing for your Senior Project 40 points This I Believe Your Final Writing for your Senior Project 40 points

A humble thought, opinion or belief applied broadly to life. Tell a story about yourself—be specific. What was an event that shaped your core values? It does not necessarily have to be heart-warming or gut- wrenching, it just has to be real.

Be Brief 500-600 words, about 3 minutes to read out loud.

Name your belief: If you can’t name it in a sentence or two, your essay might not be about belief. Also, rather than writing a list, consider focusing on one core belief.

Be Positive Write about what you do believe, not what you don’t believe. Avoid statements of religious dogma, preaching, or editorializing.

Be Personal Make your essay about you; speak in the first person. Avoid speaking in the editorial “we.” Tell a story from your own life; this is not an opinion piece about social ideals. Write in words and phrases that are comfortable for you to speak.

www.thisibelieve.org  You’ll find hundreds of samples here to give you guidance or inspiration. "Be Cool to the Pizza Delivery Dude" (Links to an external site.) "Peace Begins with One Person" (Links to an external site.) "Always Go To the Funeral" (Links to an external site.) "The Art of Being a Neighbor" (Links to an external site.)

Where to begin? What is a story (about yourself) that you like to tell? OR What is your favorite story about yourself? What do you most care about in the world? Why do I care so much about this? How are you different than other people? The follow up question is, why am I okay with being different)? What experience in your life has had the greatest impact on you?