1. April 16, 2014
To the Members of the Senior Project Presentation Panel:
I am Alexandra Quist and my project is called Raising Awareness for Juvenile Arthritis.
For this project, I spent approximately two hours a day, three days a week, at the Arthritis
Foundation office of the greater west region in Northgate, doing everything from proof-reading
letters to packing boxes to drafting a Volunteer Manual for Juvenile Arthritis camps. My
intention was to learn as much as I can about a non-profit organization; what they do, how they
do it, and why. I also scheduled and conducted short interviews with employees in the office to
learn about each of their roles and contributions. I plan to continue my volunteering with the
organization into this summer, by helping with the local Juvenile Arthritis camp, KAT-FISH
(“Kids And Teens—Families Investing in Support and Hope”).
The Arthritis Foundation is a national foundation working to improve lives through leadership in
the prevention, control, and cure of arthritis and related diseases. My project was supervised by
Andrea Aho, the regional manager of the greater west region. I know her from past KAT-FISH
camps and other events for which my family and I have volunteered. Not only did she supervise
me, she assigned me projects to help her get things done and gave me a chance to learn about all
things concerning non-profit organizations, arthritis, and working in a professional environment.
There were no major changes in this project from my original proposal; a few technical set-backs
and delays due to illness or being out of town, on both my part and Andrea’s.
Once of the main reasons I chose this project was because I have history with
volunteering for Juvenile Arthritis events, and I know Andrea Aho from doing so. It has been a
tremendous help to be able to work with someone that is so patient and understanding and
comfortable to be around. However the main reason I chose this project is because my brother,
Andreas, was diagnosed with Juvenile Arthritis when he was 9. He is a freshman now, and it
reminds me of how I had an idea for a fundraiser as a freshman, to raise money for the research
and eventual cure of Juvenile Arthritis, but nothing became of it. I tried twice more in my
sophomore and junior year, but for various reasons, the project never took off. I took on other
projects—stage managing, directing, acting, volunteering—but this project was one so close to
home, and for such a fine cause, I had to do it one way or another.
One of the first projects Andrea gave me was when she told me about an article in the
Wall Street Journal on “Crowd funding.” Almost exactly like “crowd sourcing” it is essentially
the financing of projects, public or private, through the support and donations of a number of
people, and typically through the internet. I used booster.org, where you design a t-shirt, then are
given a URL that links to the page where people can buy your t-shirt and/or donate money to
your cause. You then advertise the t-shirt campaign on any social media—for free—using that
URL. If enough shirts are purchased, then booster.org will print your shirts, withdraw whatever
percentage of the total earnings is necessary to print them, and the rest go to the organization.

2. These are fundraisers that cost the hosts nothing, because the patrons are paying for the t-shirts.
The front of my design is on the cover of this portfolio, and again in the evidence section. I
struggled with the design for a long time; I had to create something that would catch someone’s
attention and convey the vast and extremely important information about Juvenile Arthritis in the
most succinct way. I also wanted to do something completely original, yet how do you compete
with the slogans of professional marketing teams? Well, it turns out you don’t. I successfully
created a design that “told the story of Juvenile Arthritis,” as Andrea put it, and received much
enthusiasm and support when I showed the design to students and adults and asked for their
feedback. I tinkered with the design for so long that the idea was almost scrapped entirely. It is
more than a t-shirt, it is a contribution to the foundation’s mission: “to improve lives through
leadership in the prevention, control and cure of arthritis and related diseases.”
The most challenging part of my senior project however, was my public service announcement
(PSA). It is the culminating aspect of my project, due to be aired on the Maverick News Show in
May. It is supposed to be a combination of all that I have learned about arthritis and related
diseases, as well as my skills in English and media-design. I chose to make a PSA because I plan
to get a degree in business, focused on marketing, and major in English,. The PSA was made on
a beta program by Adobe called “Hammersmith,” which my third period news production class
is testing. The program so far is only applicable on the iPad, one of which I do not own. I was
supposed to borrow an iPad from my news production teacher, Ms. Beach. Unfortunately, she
had developed a severe case of pneumonia earlier in the year, and just as my project began to
take off, she had a relapse and has been absent for months. We emailed back and forth, but there
never seemed an appropriate time to get the iPad from her. Faced with so much to do, I put the
video on the back burner for about a month. When I did come back to it though, borrowing
instead my friend Angela’s iPad, there were numerous problems with Hammersmith. The audio
had glitches, there were no voice-over options, and I had to haggle for space on the iPad with
other ongoing projects. The beta program put my patience to the test, and despite the three week
set back on a PSA that was supposed to take two days to film, I finished it. When explaining the
delays and problems to Andrea, she noted that there is always a risk in new products, and I now
know expect problems, and prepare for any possible outcome.
Andrea has a lot of confidence in my capabilities, and would express this through the
projects she gave me such as drafting the new volunteer training manual for every Juvenile
Arthritis camp in the country. Another one was for me t interview each person in the office about
their job and role in the organization. I was mortified at first, but eventually found each interview
invaluable. learned about office dynamics, and how some jobs constantly require a person to
adapt to ever evolving markets and methods. From the surprise projects that required me to read,
study, research, and make educated decisions in a very timely matter, to interviews that allowed
me to pick the brains of hardworking and dedicated people, my knowledge of arthritis, work, and
people increased greatly. I was incredibly impressed with how enthusiastic and dedicated
everyone is. The work is rather standard, with calls and meetings and paperwork, yet challenging

3. and every person is there because they want to contribute not only to the non-profit, but because
they are passionate about its mission and the long-term, far-reaching outcome of their work. It is
rather inspiring.
As I mentioned before, I attempted to start a Juvenile Arthritis fundraiser at Meadowdale
High School three times, and each time nothing came of it. I started this project thinking that this
may be my last chance to complete this project, and do it spectacularly. This project has given
me so many skills and ideas, and broadened my understanding of how a world outside of project
extensions and excused absences is expectant, demanding, and challenging, I feel more prepared
than ever to face life after high school. I am now capable of doing a project like this again, and
take on more challenging projects. Through this project, I have gained the power to pursue any
aspiration, whether in non-profit or English or business. There is nothing about this project that I
would have done differently.
Sincerely,
Alexandra Quist
Meadowdale High School Class of 2014