Welcome to my Professional Writing Portfolio!

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I declared the Professional Writing minor after serving as an undergraduate teaching assistant for ENGL101H and enjoying the experience immensely. As the accompanying class for that role counted towards the minor, I became interested in the minor and jumped into classes the following school year.

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My college career started very differently than it ended; when I entered the University of Maryland as a freshman, I was a biology major intending to go to medical school. Now, I am in the School of Public Policy’s dual BA/MPP program with several of my graduate-level credits already completed. I changed majors between my sophomore and junior years, so I tend to divide my college experience in half. I declared the Professional Writing minor at the same time I declared my major switch.

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With my focus areas of public policy and professional writing, I have already managed to use my writing skills in the workplace. I have worked in a legislative office for the Maryland General Assembly in Annapolis, MD. I have also served as as a teaching and program assistant for a living-learning program on campus. I hope to continue to use my professional writing skills as I complete an internship with FEMA this year.

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This portfolio has several of my works during my time in the minor. My Ethnographic Report, completed in a team, served as a basis for my study in professional writing. My Philosophies of Style essay is an exploration of my own thoughts about writing, something that I had not considered before my time in the minor. The Longest Sentence was an exercise that required me to write a single sentence lasting at least a page, challenging me to employ some of the more technical skills I have learned in the minor. The Rhetoric of Domestic Labor essay allowed me to combine my professional writing skills with research and critically evaluate media. Finally, the UTA Handbook and UTA Portfolio are an investigation into my time as a teaching assistant, a role that I feel has prepared me for almost any workplace. The Professional Writing minor has given me an excellent blend of technical, stylistic, and research skills that will be applicable as I begin my professional career.