MEMORANDUM

DATE: January 19, 2023

TO: Sparks, Megan

FROM: Gibson, Gracelyn

SUBJECT: Introduction Memorandum

I am 19 years old and a junior at the Univ. of South Alabama. I currently live in Biloxi,
Mississippi, and have lived all over the south throughout my childhood. My dad is a pastor so
that has caused us to move around quite a bit. We lived for several years in northern Mississippi
and central Georgia. I work at a local daycare in a neighboring town and have been working
there for about four years now. I am engaged to my middle school sweetheart. We have been
together for almost seven years now and met when I was only thirteen years old. We are getting
married in October of this year. My fiancé, Gabe has recently accepted a position as a youth
pastor at a local church. This new job mixed with planning a wedding and starting our future
together has proved to be a very exciting, but also slightly stressful time in our lives.

One thing I pride myself in is my organizational skills. I am very much a “type A” person so I
love creating strict plans and schedules to follow. A highly structured environment allows me to
thrive both academically and professionally. I try to use effective communication skills to allow
for clear and concise relationships. I consider myself a very loyal person. If you are someone I
care about or if I am doing something I am very passionate about, I take it very seriously and will
give it my all. My mom has always described me as “fiercely loyal.” I always tend to root for the
underdog and stick up for those I care about. I also strive to be a very compassionate person. I
truly have the desire to reach those and lend a helping hand to those less fortunate or struggling.
I have plenty of weaknesses and shortcomings. I struggle most with my people-pleasing nature. I
think a lot of it comes from my compassionate side because I sometimes worry so much about
others and what they think. I tend to bend over backward or sacrifice my own needs to meet the
needs and desires of others. This is something I have tried to work on over the years. I struggle to
say “no” to people. Another weakness is that I am a perfectionist. Some might consider this a
strength, but for me, I hold myself to such a high standard that it can sometimes negatively affect
me. I struggle to forgive myself and allow myself to make mistakes. Another weakness I have is
something I like to call determination, but my family refers to it as stubbornness. I can be very
stubborn. Once I have an idea in my head, I will do whatever it takes to make it happen and
execute it.

Three goals I have for this course is to improve my writing. I have always been a fairly strong
writer, but there is always more to learn and room to grow. I also would like to learn more about
the types of writing I might encounter in my future career. I do not know exactly where I will
end up, but I know if it is something in the communications, marketing, or PR world, I will
encounter strategic writing. I want to thrive in this class and end with a good grade and a firm
grasp of strategic writing.

I am currently an advertising major with a minor in marketing. When I originally started college,
I was actually studying pre-medicine, but I quickly realized that the medical field was not for me.
I then decided to switch to a marketing major. I enjoyed this a lot more but found there to be
much more math and business concepts involved in a strictly marketing degree. I had always
been more interested in the creative side of marketing as opposed to the business side. That is
how I ended up where I am now in advertising and communication. When I think about my
ultimate dream job, I could really see myself doing many different careers. I would love to work
for a nonprofit or some sort of organization that’s mission is to do good and help people. I could
also see myself working in social media management and content creation. One of my dreams is
to one day open my own wedding venue. I could use my advertising and marketing skills in that
capacity.