Judges, Senior Project Board

First Colonial High School

1272 Mill Dam Road
Virginia beach, Virginia 23454

Dear Judges,
Since the last days of middle school, I was convinced that I was going to attend Princess Anne High
School, just for the simple fact that that was where my brother went to school. I had a fully thought out
plan of graduating from the International Baccalaureate program and going to my dream University in
Europe. I was pressured by my parents to apply for the Legal Studies Academy, but never took going to
First Colonial as a serious consideration. This was up until about a month before school started when I
realized I didn't want to just follow my brother's footsteps but I wanted to make my own. Adapting to a
completely different environment was slightly frustrating, but little did I know I would find not only
myself, but also my people.

Along the way I have been influenced by most of my peers, but also all of the great teachers and adults
who have believed in me since the beginning. If I could go back, one thing I would change would be
getting more involved and leaving my comfort zone more often. Nonetheless the times I have stepped out
have led me to be the person I am today.

I have decided to dedicate my senior project to the global issue of human trafficking. Ever since I was
little, I have heard endless lectures about being safe and aware of my surroundings so as to not get myself
into any risky situation. Seeing that my family and I traveled and moved so often during my childhood, it
was always made clear to me to pay attention to the red flags that could lead to trafficking. The reason I
decided to commit to this issue for my project was to inform those who did not grow up learning the signs
and steering clear of unsafe situations, for whatever reason being. The scary thing is, human trafficking
does not come of as a very prevalent issue until one actually experiences it. In my opinion this topic is not
given enough attention in respect to what it actually deserves, especially because most situations can be
easily prevented by education.

Before the CoronaVirus, my plan was to host a self defense class at a martial arts gym, open to all
teenagers, where all donations would have gone to The Virginia Beach Justice Initiative to help support
the cause. However, because of the current situation, I have improvised and created a website containing
all the information needed to educate oneself on the dangers of human trafficking, from defenitions, to
shelters and other resources just in case.

Once again, thank you for taking the time and interest to look through my senior project!

Best regards,
Gaia Giudice