Welcome to my Senior PWR Portfolio

Dear Dr. Staggers,

Welcome to my Professional Writing and Rhetoric portfolio! I am a senior at Elon University graduating in May 2012 with a Bachelor of Arts in English (Professional Writing and Rhetoric) and Environmental Studies. Throughout my undergraduate career at Elon, my studies in the field of writing and rhetoric have strongly influenced my growth as both a student in the classroom and leader in service organizations.

I organized my portfolio into three sections in order to best reflect the breadth and depth of my undergraduate experience as a Professional Writing and Rhetoric major at Elon. In my Community Outreach & Collaboration section, you will find projects ranging from promotional presentations for first-year students to professional findings reports for local nonprofit clients. These projects highlight ways in which I have applied my communications skills to promoting collaboration and service in my local community.

My International Service & Sustained Commitment section profiles a selection of my work from Periclean Scholars, a civic engagement organization through which classes of student leaders work on development projects in partnership with organizations in a specified geographic area. As an active member of the Periclean Scholars class of 2012, I have worked with a public health organization in rural Maharashtra, India for the past three years. One of my most significant contributions was taking a leadership role in hosting an international conference this past January. This section of my profile demonstrates my application of professional writing and rhetoric skills to documents ranging from informational heuristics that influenced our development of the conference to articles covering conference events.

Finally, the Environmental Stewardship and Writing section of my portfolio bridges my academic background in English and Environmental Studies. This work spans several projects affecting the local community, including a coffee table book for a local non-profit organization and environmental impact assessment report for the Environmental Studies Department at Elon University.

After graduation, I plan to work in the nonprofit sector for a couple of years before returning to school for environmental law. In creating this portfolio, I have strived to highlight how my experiences in Professional Writing and Rhetoric, local and international service, and leadership have come together to prepare me to effectively communicate and collaborate in my future career practicing nonprofit environmental law.

Thank you so much for your interest in my portfolio! 

Best wishes,

Katie Kenney