OLIVIA GRADY

Welcome to my portfolio! This website contains content across a variety of subject areas that touch upon each of my rhetorical identities: Scholar, Journalist and Creative. Throughout my time at Elon, the professional writing department has allowed me to tap deeply into each of these identities through coursework, internships, and podcasting with the Highway 64 Project. I've intersected the teachings from the PWR department into my position as the Elon University News Bureau Assistant for the Office of University Communications, as well as my role as a Lifestyle writer for The Edge Magazine. 

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I selected WIX for my website creation, not only for the variety of templates they provide, but its ability to assist in showcasing my rhetorical identity. As a rhetorician, I consider myself to be someone who cares deeply about connecting with their audience and speaking through a level of relatability. However, I would also say my areas of interest vary greatly, with my minor courses emphasizing political discourse and legal writing, and my major emphasizing design, rhetorical strategies, as well as more contemporary subject matter. Therefore, I wanted my site to portray who I am on a personal level, in addition to symbolizing the diversity of my writings, which Wix was able to accomplish. 

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Prior to coming to Elon, I was unsure of which path I wanted to embark on post-grad: journalism/communications or law school. However, I knew one thing for sure: I loved to read, write and persuade. It became increasingly clear to me over time how these two career paths intersected for their emphasis on communication, research, writing, and most importantly, curiosity. Given my role as a student journalist with the Office of Communications, I felt I was earning good experience with AP style and journalistic practices in the position. Additionally, I acquired the minor of Philosophy, Politics and Economics to maintain coursework with civic undertones and argumentative writing incase I chose a legal path. With this being said, I eventually chose to major in professional writing and rhetoric, as it would give me a breadth of knowledge in the rhetorical field and audience engagement while allowing me to expand more creatively beyond the confines of a journalistic curriculum. In making this decision, I felt I was choosing the best of both worlds between my student-working position and my coursework.

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The major itself has led to many beneficial experiences in real world practices. My sophomore year, I interned with Travis Maynard in academic publishing to create a textbook for Elon's OER (Open Educational Resource) program. Though the experience proved fruitful in enhancing my reading, writing and analytical skillset, it proved to me that academic publishing was not a niche I was interested in. The summer going into my senior year, I decided to take the leap and complete a legal internship at a Boston law firm. I told myself if I could genuinely envision myself in a legal position for the entirety of my career, then I would begin studying for the LSAT come senior year. While the position was interesting, insightful, and allowed me to see the inside of a courtroom and business litigation trial, it proved to me that I am not interested in jumping to the legal profession quite yet. Instead, I hope to take the skills I've learned in the professional writing major and apply them to roles in the communications field. 

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Currently, my work with the Highway 64 project (found in the Creative section) is another example of the ways in which the professional writing department has provided different opportunities to practice and improve my rhetorical skillset and communicative palate (as it consists of more multi-media content than I have ever worked with before). Throughout it all, I'm grateful to say that the work I've completed with the professional writing department has not only developed me professionally, but kept me curious and engaged in learning the ways in which I can learn to communicate profoundly and effectively. 

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Thank you so much for taking the time to review this portfolio. Please contact me with any comments or questions (scroll below for resume).