Dear Dr. Staggers,

Welcome to my digital portfolio. This process has been a very long road but I am glad that it ends on a positive note. My portfolio covers a number of different themes and subjects, which highlights the fact that an Elon education provides diverse educational experiences and creates well-rounded students.

Let me start this process by introducing myself. My name is James Shaver, I am an English major here at Elon where I double concentrate in Creative Writing and Professional Writing and Rhetoric. I am from the suburbs of Philadelphia but had family in the south so I felt, for college, I aught to spend some time down in the south. I have always been interested in the art of writing because it allowed me a way to be creative despite my poor artistic abilities.

As a student who has his hands in both Creative Writing and Professional Writing and Rhetoric I feel that my portfolio will show that I am a person who loves letters. I am a writer through and through. My portfolio is intended to show what I excel in doing and that is one thing, writing. I consider myself to be a writer first and foremost because my other area of study is Creative Writing. I love the written word and I feel that there is a lot that can be done through the effective use of the English language. Hopefully you’ll find the pictures of the final products to be vital because they show where the documents go from just being a PDF or Word document and into a final finished product.

My studies have taken me into college athletics, animal rescue non-profits, fraternity recruitment rhetoric, and beyond. With the tools I’ve gained while working on these interests I feel that I would be well suited for a career in any of those fields. I may not know exactly what I want to do right now but I at least know that because of my studies I am fully prepared for a writing intensive profession and that I am very adaptable to whatever industry that I may find myself.

This major has enhanced my writing ability up in a way that solely studying creative writing would never have done. This major, and my work within it, has made me a better writer that is better suited for the world outside of academia.

Thank you,

James Shaver