As a student that has remained on the presidents list, I have worked hard to get to where I am at. Along the way I learned many new skills and my world has been opened to the possibilities that lay before me. Thanks to my college classes, I now produce professional photography. Many people ask me how I produce such quality work. My answer is always the same – “If I have seen further than others, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants” – Isaac Newton.

I find that to encourage other people to take the hero’s journey in college is to first show them why. When we produce quality work people will become inspired and curious. People will ask questions and try to learn. When this happens, we will have 3 choices: 1. We can give them free advice, 2. We can charge them for lessons, or 3. We can direct them to Peninsula College.

While I may charge them for lessons, I will always first recommend Peninsula College for all of the amazing people who truly care about the students. I will always praise my mentors for the valuable insight, instruction, and support that I received along the way. While I can teach people some things, Peninsula College has the capability to not only teach a wide range of subjects, they are also equipped with resources to help students reach their goals.

My mission badge is a visual declaration of purpose. I create art that empowers, connects, and remembers. As founder of Cedar & Shore Studio, my work blends soulful photography, poetic design, and emotionally attuned storytelling. This badge will symbolize the values I live by. These values are gratitude, legacy, and creative leadership. This badge will also serve as a compass for every project that I work on.

The badge will convey three core ideas:

•            Rootedness: I honor mentors, collaborators, and place. My badge will include cedar roots and tide lines to represent deep connection and memory.

•            Creative elevation: I rise through collaboration, not competition. A rising Stellar J will symbolize movement, vision, and emotional flight.

•            Legacy through story: Every image, every design, every word is part of a larger tale. A subtle scroll motif will nod to the stories I’m building – both visual and written.

Rough Sketch Concept for the badge:

•            Shape: A circular badge, symbolizing wholeness and continuity.

•            Centerpiece: A cedar tree with exposed roots, its trunk forming a camera on a tripod.

•            Upper arc: A Stellar J in flight, wings echoing the shape of a rising tide.

•            Lower arc: Gentle wave lines, with a scroll tucked among them.

•            Text ribbon: “Rooted to Rise” wrapping the base

Tech & Economy

As a Millennial, I feel that my generation had the most pressure to adapt to a rapidly changing world. We grew up at the end of an era when our Dollar held more purchasing power, Jobs were readily available and paid according to market conditions, Families still had dinner together at the table, and people had more personal connections via face-to-face interaction. As we entered adulthood, we witnessed 9/11, The Great Recession, a rapidly changing economy, booming costs outpacing wages, and a larger focus on technology. We had our challenges to face, and this is why I compared Millennial’s to each of the other generations.

Out of all the generations that I compared Baby Boomers most certainly had more opportunities through employment. They had the luxury of stability, pensions, Employer loyalty, and had less hurdles to jump to achieve the American Dream. Gen X still enjoyed many of the same opportunities as the Baby Boomers but were also more skeptical and self-reliant while navigating corporate disillusionment and higher divorce rates. Gen X also began seeing the dawn of the technology era with the first Apple Computer.

Finally, out of all this chaos Gen Z was born into a world of technology and subscription-based services. They are fluent in both technology and social activism which spreads quickly throughout the online world via apps like TikTok and Snapchat. Their attention span and mental health challenges reflect over-stimulation of their environment.

Each generation carries its own personalities, strengths, and weaknesses. They are products of their environments

All information was obtained from personal knowledge and research using Copilot.

For this assignment I decided to promote education over advertising. I chose to play a game called Agents of Discovery which has missions in both the U.S. and Canada parks. This game is presented to players on their mobile smart phones via an app that can be downloaded from the app store app. The mission that I played has 9 challenges at Carrie Blake Park in Sequim Washington. I successfully completed 8 of them.

Overall, this game was interesting. I was prompted to move around the park to find each challenge. Each challenge presented simple and easy to read information about reclaimed water and its usage along with an extra recycling information challenge. These challenges were completed using augmented reality that made it more engaging to play as you had to move your phone around to find objects and engage with the content. 99% of these worked flawlessly. The recycling challenge failed to work for me 4 times and I finally gave up. I just could not get it to work, and so I forfeited the prize for completing the mission successfully.

I find that this game is engaging and well thought out. I enjoyed playing because it promotes education and, even though it is made for 3^rd grade level education, I learned more about the park I often drive by. I do feel the game creators could debug the recycling challenge at the minimum. I also feel that there needs to be better tutorial. Most of the navigation and how to play the games were not available. I had to self-learn how to play the challenges and how to zoom in to navigate better. I also see that liability was a main concern for the game creators as they kept the challenge points well away from the water that they were teaching about. This caused many missed opportunities to explore amazing places in the park and further learning.

Link to Infographics and more information Agents of Discovery | Sequim, WA – Official Website

Once upon a time, back when the wise were still young, storytelling was only found in books, newspapers, magazines, and other printed content. People would also gather around the campfire or listen to the radio to convey stories through Spoken words. Storytelling had limitations to its reach and speed of transmission. This is not the case anymore. Today, we have technology beyond what many have ever thought to be possible, and it is widely used around the world – even in remote regions such as the Amazon Rainforest.

This technology has brought forth social media platforms where people experiencing the online world can congregate by the billions. No longer is storytelling limited to the few. Now everyone, everywhere, can experience the story in real time. This not only engages audiences, but it also truly influences them.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1C2MsEkbnF/ Is a great example of this topic. This post blends creative written storytelling along with visual storytelling through photography. This link does send you to one of my recent posts for my business Cedar & Shore Studio, which I do actively promote. Regardless, of my personal love for my brand – This post is a great example. I have posted this on several social media platforms, and I have found that not only do people appreciate photography, but they also truly and deeply engage with the written story that accompanies this image. This matters because photography alone has never inspired so many amazing heartfelt comments to which I am truly honored and appreciative for.

Other links to supporting information and infographics (outside sources that I am not affiliated with):

The Impact of Visual Storytelling on Social Media – FasterCapital

10 Stats That Show the Impact of Infographics on Social Media – Red Website Design

The Power of Storytelling for Social Businesses – Conscious Magazine

“Draw to Win” by Dan Roam expresses visual thinking as a leadership tool. It invites us to draw our destination rather than just describing it. He outlines seven classic quests: Draw to Lead, Clarify, Discover, Create, Convince, Inspire, and Plan. Each quest transforms drawing into a strategic act. Whether to guiding a team, simplify complexity, or map out a path forward. These quests explain different ways in which drawing can solve problems, convey information, align people and ideas, inspire action or change, evoke emotions, and take complex information into a simplified drawing to better understand.

Agency is the ability to make meaningful choices and influence outcomes. Dan Roam says that the participant becomes the protagonist actively shaping direction rather than passively receiving it. Drawing is a tool of agency that allows leaders to visualize options, clarify intentions, and invite collaboration.

Part 2 of the class essay: I have not had much experience with similar media or books. I have not had any experience playing dungeons and dragons either. If I did, I imagine that I would immerse myself as the lead character. I would also be one to explore and ultimately win every quest as I do explore through the storyline. I always aim to win, but I also love to explore.

1. Artifcer – Inventive spellcaster who blends magic and technology. Excels at crafting and support.
2. Barbarian – Primal warrior fuel by rage. High durability and melee damage.
3. Bard – Charismatic performer who uses music and magic to inspire, deceive, and heal.
4. Cleric – Divine spellcaster devoted to a deity. Versatile healer, buffer, and combatant.
5. Druid – Nature priest with shape-shifting and elemental magic. Strong in healing and control.
6. Fighter – Master of weapons and tactics. Highly customizable for offense or defense.
7. Monk – Martial artist with supernatural focus. Agile, fast, and able to deflect attacks.
8. Paladin – Holy warrior bound by sacred oaths. Mixes melee combat with divine magic.
9. Ranger – Wilderness scout and hunter. Use nature magic and excels at tracking and ranged combat.
10. Rogue – Stealthy and cunning. Specializes in sneak attacks, traps, and infiltration.
11. Sorcerer – Innate spellcaster with raw magical power. Fewer spells, but highly potent.
12. Warlock – Magic user who gains power through a pact with a mysterious entity. Versatile and thematic.
13. Wizard – Scholarly spellcaster with vast magical knowledge. Most versatile in spell selection.
14. Blood Hunter – Dark warrior who uses forbidden techniques and blood magic. Created by Critical Role’s Matt Mercer.

Which Characters I relate with and fit with Photographer, Web Designer, and Brand Builder

I am likely a Bard/Artificer/Druid multiclass at heart. Bard for emotional resonance and storytelling. Artificer for modular systems and technical mastery. Druid for nature-rooted vision and transformation.

The book The Princess Bride was written in 1973 and remains popular today. 14 years after the book was written, 1987, it was made into a movie. Although the movie did not top the box office charts in sales, it didn’t just disappear either. Over the years the movie continued to gain popularity and still sells today, 2025, for $14.99 + tax. Clearly the fan club not only remains, but it also continues to grow.

There are key differences between the movie and the book such as how the story is narrated – fictional device vs a charming grandfather, The princess swimming with sharks vs screaming eels, and character styles. Still, both the book and movie have many similarities and follow the same storyline.

Regardless of the differences and similarities, The Princess Bride, both book and movie, has had a major impact on our culture. This story blends romance, adventure, comedy, and fantasy which continues to inspire storytellers to push the boundaries of creativity. The storytelling style also paved the way for a self-aware narrative style which is popular for modern screen writing.

For all these reasons, The Princess Bride is a book or movie worth your time. It can inspire creativity and storytelling style.