My in-class writing and editing experience thus far has been a pretty fair indicative of the quality of writing and editing work that I was required to complete for this internship—and any other writing internship that I have had. For the most part, in my classes at FSU, I have been required to write a number of papers in a variety of writing styles (such as journalistic, narrative, and research) and I have even gotten the ability to learn and brush up on my skills in web design on tools like the applications on Adobe Suite. Due to the fact that my academic experiences in writing and editing have been very helpful for my future in the professional field, I had the unique opportunity to bring those skills to my internship at The Foundation of Excellence in Education (ExcelinEd). My experiences prior to this internship have had many similarities to those that I have had in my current internship because the majority of the work that I completed at ExcelinEd had to do with conducting some research and having an eye for web design. For example, once the COVID-19 pandemic hit, we at ExcelinEd, worked diligently to provide communities with the most updated education innovation solutions across the United States in response to the outbreak. I was responsible for doing research to find the newest and relevant solutions—whether it be regarding digital and distance learning, parent/teacher support, mental wellness education, or student meals. After I would find a number of solutions, I was responsible for adding the information to Mail Chimp, along with photos for each solution, and making it look presentable for all of the recipients. This was very similar to some of the tasks that I worked on in my WEPO and Advanced Editing/Writing courses at FSU.

 

Many of my writing and editing experiences at FSU were similar to those that I have been exposed to in my internship this term; however, there were also some differences. Although I have had a few experiences with persuasive writing in university-level learning, the bulk of the writing I have been required to do at FSU has been explanatory writing or research papers. With this in mind, there were several projects where I needed to use some persuasion in order to really sell the mission of the education bill which was being pushed. This allowed me to improve my skills in writing to convince, rather than writing to simply tell. Another difference was the fact that I was working on projects that had to do with public policy. Even though my minor is in International Affairs and I have been exposed to some public policy issues, like in authoritarian regimes, I was never really exposed to policies regarding education until I started at ExcelinEd. One instance of all of this is when I was prompted to draft up a press release for the Missouri House Bill 581. For press releases like Missouri’s, I was required to write about the purpose of the bill, how the bill can positively impact students/parents/families/educators in its specific state, if the bill was passed onto the next step, and who is sponsoring the bill. Although a large part of these press releases required an explanation, the main purpose was to get anyone who reads it to 1) be interested in the bill that will hopefully be passed and 2) be convinced that this potential bill could, in fact, make a large impact on the state’s education system. Later, these were added to either the ExcelinEd or the ExcelinEd in Action website by myself. 

 

My current definition of writing is the art of explaining, persuading, and relaying past and new information to those who lack knowledge on a certain topic. Although it may be argued that one might already have knowledge on topics, individuals are more than welcome to add new information into their mental library with the use of writing. On the other hand, editing is simply the enhancing of the message that is being relayed. If a specific message (in any mode of text) is not delivered in the topmost quality, then the audience will not have the greatest chance of absorbing the pertinent information. Thinking of these definitions, this internship did not restrict me to only the aspect of writing. This internship was a communications internship and, because of that, it allowed me to write what was important and edit in both video and copy. My entire experience with this internship has helped me improve my work ethic and it has also made me more well rounded. Not only was I not restricted in the tasks I had to complete, but I was also able to learn a lot about public policies that I was never really exposed to before. Aside from all of the knowledge on public policy, I had the capability to improve my skills in Adobe Premiere Pro, Microsoft Office, Adobe Indesign CC, and Mail Chimp. I also had the chance to learn completely new programs including, Smartsheet, Meltwater, Envato, and Smug Mug. All of these are programs/softwares are used in many other companies and organizations and can be implemented in almost any sector.