Upon completing a Bachelor’s degree in English that focused primarily on literature, I entered my graduate program with two specific goals: to develop a foundational understanding of rhetorical theory, and to gain the practical skills necessary to succeed in professional editing and publishing environments. As I began my program, my interests were relatively general, but I was particularly interested in exploring the way that rhetoric operates across contexts - what we say, how we say it, the modes through which communication occurs, and the role of audience (both real and imagined) in shaping meaning. 
     As I continued through the program, my aim was to design a course path that would balance my desire for both theoretical exposure and professional development. To this end, I pursued coursework in digital rhetoric, ancient rhetoric, writing studies, and research methodologies, which allowed me to engage with both foundational and contemporary rhetorical frameworks. I complemented these courses with studies in document design, literary and scholarly publishing, technical editing, and literary programming. The combination of these perspectives expanded my capacity to analyze rhetoric as something not only expressed through language and writing, but as something deeply embedded in design, presentation, and user experience.
     One of the most significant and meaningful outcomes of my graduate experience has been the development of my research interests. As I pursued research in digital rhetoric, I became particularly interested in digital extremism as a rhetorical phenomenon - specifically, how different rhetorical strategies such as humor, algorithmic interference and amplification, digital identities, and the “repackaging” of ideology in online spaces can shape audience perception and reception. This research allowed me to explore rhetoric beyond traditional text formats. In developing the research skills necessary to properly evaluate these ideas, I experimented with moving beyond conventional academic research writing toward more exploratory multimodal approaches. This included working with various digital formats and design to balance both analytical rigor with rhetorical effectiveness.
     In addition to research skills, I developed a set of technical and editorial skills. My work with document and web design introduced me to the concept of visual communication as a rhetorical practice, unpacking how layout, typography, visual elements, navigational tools, and other design choices are all agents that communicate meaning and affect how information is received. Alongside design skill, I gained experience in various levels of editing across genres, including academic writing, fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and technical documents. This work laid the foundation for my ability to adapt editorial strategies and standards to different purposes and style conventions.
     The defining experience of my graduate study was spending my final year working with Pinch, where I gained hands-on experience in the production and management of a literary journal. In my time with Pinch, I developed industry-specific skills, including submission management, editorial decision making, and maintaining a consistent brand vision. I also participated in event planning and community engagement, such as organizing readings and planning issue release events. This experience solidified my professional interests within the field.
     To exemplify these skills and interests, I have selected four pieces to highlight, located under the “work” tab. These pieces are as follows: Three Left Turns Make a Right is a research paper from a writing research methodologies course, which employs a critical discourse analysis framework to perform a case study on a particular social media personality. This research works to unpack the ways in which shifting rhetorical strategies can allow an ideology to masquerade and to identify patterns to expose these cases. Digital Rhetoric and Algorithmic Pipelines is an exploratory research project from a digital rhetoric course which utilizes a gameplay format to examine the extent to which user’s interactions with their digital environment affect the content that their algorithm exposes them to, thus artificially narrowing their perception of the digital world, limiting their connection with other users, and potentially altering their worldview. The Editing Portfolio is a collection of work from a technical editing course, displaying skill in editing various texts and understanding of the various levels of editorial intervention (specifically copyediting and proofreading are included in this sample). In addition to editing samples, personalized style sheets developed for each individual project are included, as well as mock contracts that define timeline, compensation, and permissions for both author and editor. Author Interview is a sample from my work with Pinch, highlighting a published interview with an author included in a previous issue, showcasing the ability to bridge connections between author, journal, and literary community by exploring common interests and curiosities. All of these pieces come together to create a cohesive portfolio of my most valued experiences in my graduate experience - developing a research niche and applying it to current trends in digital spaces, developing multimodal approaches to explore academic research in new formats, developing professional skills in editing and text evaluation, and working within the literary community to promote connection and exploration.
     As I conclude my graduate studies, I recognize that one of the most valuable aspects of this program has been its ability to bring together my academic and professional interests into a cohesive skill set. I leave this program with a comprehensive foundation in rhetorical theory, a set of research and technical skills, and experience in editorial work and publication, and look forward to applying these tools in the professional sphere while continuing to explore the ways in which rhetoric shapes the ways we create and interpret information.