An Autobiographical look at James

James White

August 30, 2006

Journalism 190

Autobiography assignment

Oh, goodness, where to begin!! My name is James White,
I’m from San Clemente, CA, I’m a junior here at USC (having
transferred from Saddleback in Mission Viejo, CA) and majoring in PR.
Here’s a brief history of my life.

On February the 18th 1986 I was forcibly propelled from
my mother’s womb by an inept nurse, which I have since found imbued
me with certain – shall we say “adrenaline junky” qualities- but
more on that later. I grew up as a fairly normal kid in a catholic
family, having three younger brothers, an assortment of household
pets, and a TV that (thanks to a certain mother and father who will
remain nameless) was only capable of playing the same few pre-
recorded tapes of old Warner Bro’s cartoons. I will admit, it was a
stark existence -no Power Rangers or Super Nintendo for me – but
books, yes, books were a different story.

As I entered into my fourth year of studies, my mother decided that
it was time to take educational matters into her own hands, it was
then that I started a new chapter in my life –home schooling. I
spent the next four years of my life immersed in that prestigious
world of Birkenstock sandals and potpourri patterned ankle-length
dresses. It was not, however, as painfully like Little House on the
Prairie as it sounds, I was able to utilize the copious amounts of
spare time afforded by such a lifestyle to my advantage. Enter the
adrenaline junky.

I’d have to say, it all started when I was 7 years old. My brothers
and I inherited a trampoline from a kindly neighbor who’s own
children had out-grown its use. Now, this was not your ordinary
trampoline by any standards, oh no, it was a 15-foot wide behemoth,
and a veritable gateway into heaven for four young boys.

The trampoline let loose that inner adrenaline junky that had been
forced upon me at birth and prompted me to start doing crazy things
like martial arts, pyrotechnics, and fabricating lawnmower engine
powered push scooters. Later, it caused me to (though I can’t quite
figure out the connection) enter into the Boy Scouts of America.

At the age of 12, my daily schedule was as fully packed as any modern-
day corporate executive’s could hope to be. By the age of 16, I’d
achieved both my Eagle Scout and a 3rd degree brown belt in adult
tournament level Karate and it was again time for a shift of phase in
life.

I made up my mind that I was going to reintegrate myself into the
social fabric of life by attending a real honest to goodness high
school, which, after some good catholic prayer and thoughtfulness,
ended up being Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana. While I was at
Mater Dei I decided to go against the grain and join the varsity
cheer leading squad -both for the beautiful women, and the chance to
use my gymnastic abilities in a competitive arena. By the time
sophomore year rolled around, I’d helped my squad achieve a national
championship and was completely sick of the 45-minute commute to and
from school every day. I decided it was time for a change and
transferred to San Clemente High School and never looked back.

At San Clemente, I got hooked on video/film production and through
that, sucked into the world of computers and technology. I proceeded
to start my own (unofficial) multimedia company, providing commercial
production, web design and general tech support services to
businesses in and around my area.

When it came time for SAT’s and college applications I once again
decided to go against the grain, opting instead to bypass the
Freshman application process at USC and go to junior college for two
years, after which time I would apply to USC as a transfer student.

During my tenure at junior college, before I was accepted into USC, I
worked for Maggetti Productions on video projects for Volvo, Mazda,
Saleen and Kawasaki. I worked a fulltime job for Toshiba North
America doing technical training modules for their national website,
and worked with Motive Marketing on the campaign for The Chronicles
of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Someday I would love to be a film actor, but chances are I’ll end up
owning my own business and managing investments or something
respectable like that. Through Journalism 190 I hope to gain a larger
perspective on the intricacies of the world of communications - and
meet some really cool people in the process. Thanks for sticking with
me until the end, hopefully it was an enjoyable ride, you now have a
somewhat compressed picture of who James White really is.