The Beauty of Plants:

Cover Letter

Hello, my name is Jessica Franco, I go by Jess unless you really need to get my attention, then I am Jessica! I am currently in University College at UNC Charlotte. I plan on applying to get into the College of Arts and Architecture in the spring. As you will see throughout my portfolio, I love being creative, designing things, and bringing them to life. I also enjoy challenging myself by setting goals that push me to do things that are outside of my comfort zone. My portfolio is an example of my desire to learn, grow, and design. Throughout the semester my composing process has been my physical journal, I would write and sketch my ideas and thoughts and reflect on them as I have completed each assignment. I tried to pay special attention to my surroundings and see if I could take note of places that I have seen plants in and reflect on why they may have been placed where they are. At the end of the day, I would reflect on my findings and sketch ideas for future projects. Of course, I would sit at my desk where most of my plants are situated as that is where I feel most productive.

My initial freewrite was about plants and how to keep them alive. The inspiration came from the site of my poor Peace Lilly that was drooping, which reminded me of the time my mom had bought a plant for me when I first moved away from home. I missed my family terribly, so they had bought a plant to keep in my room and told me that each time I glanced over at it, to remember how much they love and miss me. The plant meant the world to me, it felt like a connection to my family. As you could imagine when the plant died under my care, I was very upset. Since then I have owned many plants, some are still around and thriving, others have died. They have either been overwatered or not given enough water. For my inquiry and experiment in project 1. I dove deeper into the benefits of plants. From plants that purify the air, to how plants in the workplace have an effect on productivity. I decided to expand on Nepeta Cataria (Catnip) as I found it interesting that the plant is beneficial to both cats and humans.

For Studio 1, I took a different approach and wrote a fictional story about a young couple in the 1950s who fell in love just before the Vietnam war. I utilized my knowledge of conventions to apply the rules that were provided to us and to think creatively about how to add my inquiry topic into my love story. I managed to sneak in a cat who had a catnip chew hence the reason he was starring off into the distance with his pupils dilated. While I enjoyed writing the story I decided to turn my focus back to plants. I started expanding my topic to the health benefits of plants. Coming from South Africa where we cultivate and grow our own vegetables at home, I was inspired to focus on plant-based diets. By mastering critical reading, I was able to locate and evaluate academic research materials such as scholarly journals. I analyzed and interpreted the materials while conducting my research for Inquiry 2, that is when I came across the Wardian Case. The story of the Wardian Case really caught my attention. I was fascinated with the history of how the first greenhouse came about and quite literally moved an entire plant kingdom. I was so inspired that I decided to build my very own mini greenhouse model for Studio 2. It included three things that I enjoy, designing, creating, and, accomplishing.

Before I moved onto Project 3, I conducted critical reflection by reading through the comments left by my professor and classmates on my existing projects. I analyzed the feedback and reflected on my portfolio as a whole. I turned back to my journal and applied the feedback to my plans for my final project. Project 3 was where I felt the most confident that I had a direction of where I was going with my final project. I utilized multiple forms of media to share my idea of designing and creating my very own greenhouse. The idea ultimately stemmed from the research I had conducted about the Wardin Case in Inquiry 2. I enjoyed using a variety of media to showcase my research such as film recording in experiment 3 to document the mechanics of operating a greenhouse and a time-lapse video for studio 3 to analyze the sun pattern in my backyard to decide on the perfect spot to place my greenhouse.

I utilized rhetorical knowledge throughout my whole portfolio, but more specifically in Project 4. While it was the project that I spent the most time on, it was also the project that I have enjoyed the most throughout this semester because I felt like all of my research and designing was coming to life. I was able to finally start building my greenhouse for experiment 4. I gathered all of the materials needed and got to work. I recorded the process using my GoPro on a time-lapse setting. Thankfully after reading about other students' experiments, I came to the conclusion that Imovie was the best software to use to edit my footage. I decided that project 4 would be part of my final project. Studio 4 was quite a challenge when I read that we had to write a ghost story. I had to get real creative to tie in a ghost story with my greenhouse. In the end, I enjoyed expanding on my wild imagination and enjoyed reading the positive feedback regarding my story from my classmates.

Overall I have learned a lot more about plants than I anticipated. My goal was to have a green thumb at the end of the semester, I believe I have gotten a whole lot closer to that goal. After all, it may help me achieve one of my dreams. If I can keep my pineapple plant alive for a year, I will be able to get a dog next year. I also strive to eat healthier and cleaner. That brings me to my final project. After researching the mechanics of building my very own outdoor greenhouse, specifically in North Carolina. I brought a vision to life and built my very own greenhouse. Now that we are near the end of the semester, I find it fascinating to think back and realize that the idea came from researching scholarly journals and coming across an interesting article about the very first greenhouse that was accidentally discovered. All I can say is, I sure am grateful for the accidental discovery.