and that's all folks!

On Saturday, December 1, all of the tears, laughs, and capstone struggles came to an end as I, with my classmates Adam and Hannah, presented our final documentaries to a room full of people.  I was really nervous to see how the audience would react to my presentation because, as we can surely all agree, you are your biggest critic and I just was not sure of myself. 
As the ending credits were rolling, and the applause started, I was overwhelmed with joy to see people wiping tears from their cheeks as they clapped.  My story had touched their hearts, just as I had hoped!  Mr. Weaver looked thrilled as Hannah and I stood up to receive questions from the audience.  I was so happy when hands were shooting up to ask us about different details of our projects as it seemed that everyone was really interested in what we were showing them. 
Upon receiving my final statements from my consultants, it has really made me feel good.  They have been so supportive and seem to be genuinely surprised with the finished product.  I was also happy to see that they appreciated that I let the Boyd family tell their own story instead of narrating it. 
The icing on the cake was when Mr. Weaver congratulated Hannah and I on our documentaries.  He has been with us every step of the way since we were just freshman.  There is something so rewarding in giving back to a person who helped you establish the person you are.  I know he was worried with how our documentaries would turn out as he definitely does not hold our hands through the process, so it was awesome being able to show him what we accomplished and make him proud.

 
The feedback I received makes me so elated.  I poured my heart and soul into the subject of my documentary, from making two trips to Raleigh, NC to meet the family and to film to going over every last detail in post-production.  This was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life and it is such a bittersweet feeling that it is finally complete!