Returning to college as a non-traditional student thirty years after high school graduation felt harder than it looks. So, in the spring of 2015, when I graduated from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock with a Bachelor of Arts in Professional and Technical Writing, I believed I accomplished something enormous.

 

Why so long a gap between high school and college? Well, I blame it on youth. When I graduated high school, I believed I knew everything I needed and college was not necessary. Then, through a series of events and an abundance of pie-in-the-sky dreams, I headed to New York City to become a famous New York Times journalist.  Quickly, I discovered the truth that being the high school newspaper editor was not enough for a resume. Five years later, and many dashed dreams, I returned home and this became even more evident. By that time, however, I was making a family and working full-time. The years passed quickly until the opportunity to finish what I never started passed away as well.

 

So, as I walked across the stage during graduation, the sense of accomplishment was huge. “You actually completed a degree,” I repeated to myself often. Over time, the excitement waned and the internal dialogue became, “What next?”

 

I considered several options: teaching, technical communications jobs, even freelance writing. But, what I really wanted was writing expertise, better communication skills and the training to teach first year composition. To each of these maybe’s, the answer included a graduate degree.

 

So, the “what next” became the “next step.”

 

During my undergraduate degree program, my interests focused on non-fiction and digital writing and the same applied to my choices as a graduate student. I also wanted the opportunity to be a composition instructor as a graduate assistant. I took the next step and UALR accepted my application for the master’s program which brings me to the purpose of this portfolio.

 

This digital portfolio includes examples and evidence of my attaining the necessary outcomes of the Professional and Technical Writing Master of Arts degree program.

 

This graduate coursework allowed me to gain the necessary theoretical and practical foundation to teach composition and course selections provided digital and nonfiction writing experience and practice.  From Composition Theory to Social Media in the Workplace, the courses have directly impacted my writing ability. Composition Theory provided the foundation for composing—including more insight into writing as a process. Social Media in the Workplace gave me practical experience for a rapidly developing workplace genre. Other coursework, such as Digital Writing, provided practical knowledge and use for personal and non-fiction creative writing to a digital audience and using technology to communicate a message.

 

Completing my graduate program has provided me with specialized knowledge, not simply practical skills, and allowed me to apply both in my workplace. As I hoped, I was able to teach first-year composition in the classroom at UA Little Rock and also completed the Online Writing Instruction Certificate program. The courses in digital nonfiction and social media provided timely and important digital writing knowledge and practice valuable in today’s job market. In fact, I was able to use the skills I was learning in class simultaneously on the job.

 

Choosing a favorite course or project would be difficult. All of the coursework fit my particular focus and interest and will be useful in the workplace. During the Grant Writing and Social Media in the Workplace courses, I was learning skills and using them immediately in my job as Director of Development for Hope of the Delta, a nonprofit organization in Pine Bluff.  Also, the finished project in Digital Nonfiction will always be a favorite multimedia piece. The project was especially personal as it focused on my father. Lastly, the Online Writing Instruction Certificate is valuable because universities and schools are offering more online writing courses but not all instructors are certified to teach courses online. The certificate gives me an advantage in the job market.

 

In addition to learning more about technical writing topics and gaining practical knowledge about writing to communicate, I had the opportunity to make and grow important academic connections. The professors and instructors and other graduate students were an important part of growing as a writer. Dr. Karen Kuralt was instrumental in guiding me through the graduate program and is always helpful with resources. Dr. Heidi Harris consistently gave the kind of feedback that improves writing projects and she is a great resource for teaching an online writing course. The relationships with fellow graduate students were also important. One particular student was vital in helping me through a theory course. She helped me understand the concepts using language I understood instead of theory dense reading. The encouragement and community will be greatly missed as my graduate program ends.

 

The examples of my writing and the accompanying reflective commentary about each course shows I have mastered the theory and practical applications of this degree program. Each page contains the coursework for that semester and under each course are examples and further reflection.

 

My deepest gratitude to all of my instructors, advisors and classmates for helping me complete this next step.