Holly Langton

ENGL 1910
Andrea Malouf
December 4, 2014

At this point in my life, Im not looking to start an entirely new career. Im looking to sharpen the skills
that I currently possessspecifically, my writing skills. My experience in the workaday world is extensive
and my resume reflects those successful experiences. More and more, however, I saw that rhetorical
writing was playing a bigger role in my work, which is why Ive put an emphasis on English and the
Writing Certificate Program in my studies here at Salt Lake Community College.
Included in the Writing Certificate Program are several classes that affected my writing in significant
ways. Not only did these courses help me to improve my writing, but they also changed the way I looked
at writing overall. I had seen the writing on the wall (pun intended) in my work life and the need for not
only good writing but great writing. The first writing class I took, and the one that showed me that I was
exactly where I needed to be to advance my priority was English 2500 Grammar and Style. The focus of
this class was the study of prose through grammar. I know that many students would look at the course
description and run for the hills. The focus of shaping sentences, paragraphs and longer discourse for
rhetorical effect, clarity, readability and coherence, is fascinating. This class introduced me to writing
strategies to persuade and motivate and it has improved the force of everything that I write.
Adapting writing to cultural, social and political contexts is a necessity in my line of workadvocating
for ideas and campaigning for issues. The BUS 2200 Business Communications and English 2100
Technical Writing classes helped me to strengthen my writing skills in very specific ways and taught me
how important it is to read critically. Assessing situations properly is imperative in making effective
written responses (or arguments). Identifying and presenting information the way you need to in
workplace documents is how to get things done. One of my recent work assignments was to persuade a
non-profit entity to increase the funding in their budget for a website update. I needed to research and
present information dealing with this topic, which included communication via email, inquiry letters,
and a memorandum, and ended with a presentation to the entitys Board of Directors. I was able to
make a strong written case because of the skills I learned in Business Communication, Technical Writing
and English 1030 Writing in the Professions.
I thought that the idea that writing is human interaction was a little odd when I first heard the idea.
Since I have adopted the notion, though, my writing is more audience-focused. Writing in the
Professions and English 1810 Mentoring Writers taught me that writing is an interactive undertaking.
These interactions can be literal, as in collaborative writing, or intellectual, as in knowing and
understanding your audience. Either way, though, when I write now, Im more aware of the work my
writing is doing and for whom. This brings a focus to my writing that makes it clear and convincing. As
one of my instructors put it, Every word needs to carry its weight.
Perhaps Im a little slow, or maybe I just wasnt paying close attention, but it wasnt until last semester
that I really put together how the curriculum of each of my classes connected to the others. In POLS
2300 Ideologie , one of the assignments was to read a book and create a persuasive website presenting
the authors perspective, and whether I agreed with it or not. I chose the book The Spirit Level. Three
other classes I was taking at the time informed my work on that project. My Math 1030 Quantitative
Reasoning course helped me with formulating ideas pertaining to the graphs, chart and hypothesis used

in the book (as did my biology course, although its not part of the Writing Certificate Program). My
Digital Media course helped me determine the format I used, and to implement the format to reach my
desired outcome. My BUS 2200 Business Communications class was an important aspect of my project
because the critical reading skills I learned from the course helped me to decipher and evaluate the
research included in the book. My project for this one class was significantly influenced by the teaching
and learning that went on in many of my other classes. This is just one example, but looking back, there
are many more examples I could have written about. This illustration shows the connection between
courses, but the connection went outside my course experiences on the college campus.
Outside the classroom, I spend a considerable amount of time trying to sway the actions and opinions of
boards of directors, elected officials, citizen advocates and volunteers. Much of that persuasion is in the
form of analytical reports, talking points, research reports, emails, letter, memos, tweets, Facebook
posts and even Post-It Notes. Not a day goes by without the need for me to wield my rhetorical skills to
accomplish something. I recently wrote a letter of intent to the Board of Directors for Cycle Utah. They
have a board position open, and Id like to be the person to fill it. Im also working to convince another
non-profit entity with which I regularly work to update their website. That effort has resulted in an email
to their Board Chair, a letter of inquiry to a web designer in Ohio and a memo to the entire Board of
Directors. The influence of numerous Writing Certificate Program classes is evident in all of these
writings. Each class I took brought me one-step closer to being the great writer I need to be in order to
communicate messages that motivate my audience.
Rhetorical writing is all about persuading and motivating readers. Ive learned a lot about rhetoric. Much
of what I learned occurred through typical classroom experiences, but not always. One unexpected
learning experience resulted from a service-learning project outside the classroom. In my Mentoring
Writers class service-learning project, I worked at the SLCC Student Writing Center as a writing tutor.
Perhaps you might think of a writing tutor in the same way I did prior to taking this course. A tutor is a
teacher or instructor who shows you where youve gone wrong (in writing whatever youve written) and
tells you how to fix your mistakes, right? Well, this couldnt be further from the truth. As a Writing
Center tutor, I collaborated with student writers. We explored their projects/assignments, their writing
process, and different ways they could approach higher-order aspects of writing. I provided resources
and support to the student throughout our tutoring sessions. What I didnt expect, and yet what I got,
was insight into my own writing process that has made me a better writer. All tangled up in learning
how to talk about writing with other students was this gift of insights into how to improve my own
writing.
During my time at the Student Writing Center, I met many non-native English speakers. Many of these
students were worried about lower-order concerns within their writing. I realized that I struggled to
explain English grammar in a way that non-native English speaking students understood. While talking to
and observing other tutors, I realized I was not alone in this struggle and I wanted to further explore the
issue and find some possible solutions. How? Well, if the stars align, next semester, I will be involved in a
special studies course Ive presented to Dean Ruffus for consideration. Im eagerly waiting for approval,
and looking to the future and a very exciting project.
Interesting writing, projects and classes have opened doors and created opportunities for me the entire
time Ive attended SLCC. Im doing some exciting work with non-profit groups and working to make
positive changes in our community. I attribute much of this to the Writing Certificate Program.
Completing the certificate program has given me the confidence I needed to move forward as a writer.

Watch out! You may just be convinced to volunteer for an issues campaign, donate to some cause or
testify in front of the Utah Legislatureif so, it could be me doing the convincing.