DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.

Developing an Ethos as a Leader in Professional Writing and Rhetoric

 

As the last days of my college career are flying by, I see how I have truly learned what it means to be a writer, as both an action and a knowledge. Writing has helped me become a leader; in and out of the classroom, I take pride in my writing and encourage others to write. Even though the methods of writing might be changing with the introduction of new technology, the purpose to share knowledge and create meaning remains eminent.

  

 Growing through Writing

I never knew my writing could empower my sense of accomplishments. I find that I thoroughly enjoy writing for a client after my sophomore year English classes. As a person, I am an appeaser, and aim to surpass expectations, so I like to create projects that are judged for more than a simple grade. Turning my passion of writing into a practical use has granted me the best learning experience, and has allowed me to grow as a person.

 

The Leadership Development section you are delving into is a compilation of pieces demonstrating how I developed as a leader, mostly during the last two years of college. I was timid in high school, and lacked the confidence in my work to truly achieve greatness when I came to Elon. However, after several successful projects and writing opportunities during my junior and senior years of college, I know how to develop an ethos of leadership through my productions and take pride in my work. I encourage others to write with constant consideration of audience and message, and leave my thumbprint on all products in which I am involved.

 

Included Pieces

The first piece in this section is an article I co-authored with one of my professors about collaboration in the classroom. The fact that a professor chose me to co-author an article for a teaching journal with her proves that I am a notable person in the Professional Writing and Rhetoric department at Elon University.  My teacher witnessed how I was a valuable member in a multitude of her classes, and offered me the opportunity to become a published author before I graduate!

 

Next, I included a handbook that I created in my research methods class in the fall with about twelve other students. I thought this was an extremely important piece because without my involvement with the handbook, the end result would not have been as successful. I took an active role in that class to push the group to make the book more comprehensive than originally planned. When the group hit a wall during production, I was the one person to help the class overcome the obstacle. My rhetorical analysis of the situation and our research provided me an answer to our problem, which is why I included it in the leadership section of this portfolio.

 

Finally, I wrote a rhetorical analysis for the Dean of Elon College of Arts and Sciences. We created a template of a case study for the departments to use to increase awareness and funding for themselves, and completed one example case study for the Professional Writing and Rhetoric concentration.  In addition to the case study, we produced many more documents to help contextualize the project for both the Dean and the departments who would use the case studies. I focused on the cover letter I helped write for the Dean in the Department Case Studies section because I was particularly proud of that document. The letter was very successful because of my rhetorical understanding of the situation, and the leadership I demonstrated during that production was vital.

 

Importance of Leading and Writing

I understand that I cannot be a leader always, and I know that I have to subdue my will to lead sometimes to allow others to participate. Knowing when to step aside is certainly a strong leadership quality within itself. My confidence in my writing and rhetoric skills allow me to take an active role in every writing exercise, and I enjoy learning more about writing while teaching others the practically of writing and leadership. Enjoy reading this section!  

 

 

 

DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.