ROWAN WRITING ARTS
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"Alumni Success: Entering the working world"

By Angelina Sakkestad
When I entered the Writing Arts Internship this semester I was expecting to work on social media, flyers for new courses and guest speakers, and research outlines. I was familiar with these aspects and comfortable with them.  I wasn’t expecting to get a taste of life after Rowan University, exploring Linkedin and reaching out to Writing Arts alumni. The project came about as we explored the website for missing links, errors, and needed updates. The alumni page hadn’t been updated since 2016, which is plenty of time for accomplishments and new occupations from our Writing Arts alumni. 
​At first, I wanted nothing more than to be assigned anything else. I was apprehensive about emailing and contacting all these strangers. I was presented a list of people I had never met and didn’t know much about. I didn’t know how to proceed, despite our commonality through Writing Arts, I was stuck viewing the alumni as strangers. I procrastinated the assignment and always had reasons why there was a delay in its progression. I was busy working on all my other assignments. I ran out of time. I simply forgot. But then I realized that there was a point where procrastinating does nothing more than double the workload. 
I pulled up my metaphorical-work boots, sat down at my computer, and started at the first logical step: making a list. I made separate documents for undergraduate and graduate students and equipped both of these lists with a legend: Bold was for the initial message. Then bold italics for a response from the alumni. Asterisks (*) accompanied the name of individuals that appeared on both lists and bold underline italics signaled that the response was compiled and updated to the website. 
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With my list and legend completed, I realized that I couldn’t send out messages with a half-completed LinkedIn page of my own. I updated my resume and uploaded it to the site, added my place of work, my “special skills,” and added as many familiar faces as I saw. Feeling accomplished and quite professional, I sent out the first messages. With each individual, I made sure to check any existing links already on our site. Did they have a personal website? Did that link still exist? Was this the right LinkedIn page? Where else could I find them if not on LinkedIn? 
I didn’t expect this last question to stump me as much as it did; I didn’t even know how to proceed with the project. I didn’t have a list of emails on my desk that would solve this problem. It took more procrastination and a brainstorm with the intern team for me to realize that there was still a platform I could use, and I used it every day: Facebook. Facebook had turned into the “moms only” social media in my young adult mind. It was a place for cheesy business social media and even cheesier mom content. I had completely forgotten that Facebook is designed as a networking platform. Anyone I couldn’t find on LinkedIn definitely had a Facebook page that I could message. 
​Of course, that was still the part I was procrastinating. I had figured out a Plan A and B for where to send messages but now I had to actually send them. Press keys on the keyboard and ask for a professional update from Writing Arts Alumni. It seems like an easy task, but it still was daunting to me. I pulled those metaphoric-work boots back on and drafted a message that was friendly and inviting, explained who I was, and why a Rowan University student they had never heard of was popping up in their messages. 

​The message looked like this: 
“Hi there!

I’m currently an intern with the Writing Arts department of Rowan University and we’re checking up on all Writing Arts Alumni to see what they’ve been up to! We’d want to update the alumni portion of the rowanwritingarts.org website and would love to showcase what you’ve been up to. 

Thank you!
Angelina Sakkestad
Rowan Writing Arts Intern”

I had to be short, sweet, and to the point. There were limited characters on LinkedIn and I couldn’t clog inboxes. By the next week, I had responses from most of the alumni. And now we have a living database of our Writing Arts Alumni and their professional accomplishments. 
Despite all my apprehension, this project reinforced my communication skills, both with the interns and alumni. All the worry and fear I had about contacting strangers has melted away. As an individual, I have a purpose, whether it be contacting fellow Writing Arts students, or any other “stranger” to fulfill a purpose. I have explored LinkedIn and realized that Facebook isn’t mom-content-only. I understand how to conduct myself in a professional way and have peaked into the world beyond Rowan University. I’m excited to see what it holds for me in the future. 
Other Articles
  • An Interview with Devon James & Rachel Barton
  • Confession Travel Writer  ​
  • Self-Publishing: A Change in Perspective 
  • CCCA Career Fair: Having Your Future in Mind 
  • Behind the Scenes of Rowan's Hiring Process
  • Writing Comedy
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  • Home
  • Advising
  • Programs
    • Undergraduate Programs >
      • Minors >
        • Writing Arts Minor
        • Creative Writing Minor
        • Technical & Professional Writing Minor
        • New Media Minor
    • 4+1 (B.A.+M.A.) Program
    • Degree in 3
    • Certificates of Undergraduate Study >
      • CUGS in Creative Writing
      • CUGS in Technical and Professional Writing
      • CUGS in Writing Studies for Educators
      • CUGS in Professional Communication
      • CUGS in Writing for the Environment
    • Graduate Programs
  • WA Major
    • Writing Arts Journey
    • Required Courses >
      • General Education >
        • Science and Mathematics
        • Social and Behavioral Sciences
        • Literature, History, Humanities, and Language
      • Introduction to Writing Arts >
        • History & Materiality of Writing
        • Issues in Writing
        • Technologies & the Future of Writing
      • Methods Choice >
        • How Writers Read
        • Tutoring Writing
        • Communication Theory
      • Creative Choice >
        • Creative Writing I
        • Writing Children's Stories
      • The Writer's Mind
      • Writing, Research & Technology
      • Senior Seminar: Methods of Analysis and Evaluation of Writing
      • Portfolio Seminar
      • Free Electives
      • Literacy Studies >
        • Writing With Technologies
        • Situating Writing
    • Elements of Language >
      • Rhetorics of Style
      • Linguistics
      • Semantics
      • Editing for Publication
      • American English Grammar
      • Introduction to Anthropological Linguistics
    • Concentrations >
      • Creative Writing >
        • Writing Comedy
        • Writing the Young Adult Novel
        • Creative Writing I
        • Creative Writing II
        • Writing Children's Stories
        • Writing and Craft for Elementary Students
        • Writing Fiction
        • Writing Poetry
        • Writing Creative Nonfiction
        • Screenwriting I: Writing the Short
        • Screen Writing II: Writing the Feature
        • Magazine Article Writing
        • Fundamentals of Playwriting
        • Film Scenario Writing
        • Tutoring Writing
        • The Publishing Industry
        • Professions in Writing Arts
        • Internship
        • Research Practicum
      • Publishing & Writing for the Public >
        • Introduction to New Media
        • Self Publishing
        • The Publishing Industry
        • Publication Layout & Design
        • Rhetorical Theory
        • Environmental Writing & Rhetoric
        • Writing for the Workplace
        • Writing Comedy
        • Professions in Writing Arts
        • Fiction to Film
        • Participatory Media
        • Photojournalism
        • Online Journalism I
        • Media Law
        • Applied Media Aesthetics: Sight, Sound and Story
        • Internship
        • Research Practicum
      • Technical & Professional Writing >
        • Introduction to Technical Writing
        • Writing for Nonprofits
        • Scientific Writing and Rhetoric
        • Medical Writing and Rhetoric
        • Tutoring Writing
        • Writing for the Workplace
        • The Publishing Industry
        • Professions in Writing Arts
        • Internship
        • Research Practicum
    • WA Learning Community >
      • Publishers
    • Portfolio Seminar Overview >
      • PS Analysis Statement Assignment
      • Checklist
      • Core Values
      • Questions Concerning Core Values
      • PS AS Peer Group Instructions
      • Portfolio Contents and Uploading
      • PS AS Rubric
      • FAQs: Students
      • FAQs: Instructors
  • Internships
  • Careers
  • Faculty
  • Writing Center
  • Alumni
    • Undergraduate
    • Graduate
  • Awards
    • 2021 Emerging Writers Scholarship
    • Denise Gess Literary Awards >
      • Rowan University Award for Poetry
      • Edward J. Czwartacki Award for Fiction
      • Pat B. Tweedie Award for Creative Nonfiction
      • Award Winners
    • Excellence in Writing Arts Medallion Award
    • AnToinette Libro Graduate Medallion Award
    • Past Awards >
      • 2008 Hollybush Writing Competition
      • Write Rowan, Right Now! Contest
  • Student Groups
    • Rowan Writing Arts Club
    • Avant Literary Magazine
    • The Whit Newspaper
    • Her Campus Rowan
    • Odyssey at Rowan
    • Singularity Press
  • Calendar
  • Faculty Resources
    • Best Practices in Online Learning
    • Syllabus Requirements
    • HyFlex/Remote Learning
    • Canvas Support >
      • Writing Comedy
    • Accessibility in Online Courses
    • Racial Equity Online
    • Supporting Developmental Writers Remotely
    • Building an Online Classroom Community
  • Blogs
    • Writer's Insider Blog >
      • Fall 2020
      • Spring 2020
      • Fall 2019
      • Spring 2019 >
        • An Interview with Devon James & Rachel Barton
        • Confession Travel Writer
        • Self-Publishing: A Change in Perspective
        • CCCA Career Fair: Having Your Future in Mind
        • Alumni Success: Entering the Working World
        • Behind the Scenes of Rowan's Hiring Process
      • Fall 2018 >
        • Singularity Press: Rowan's New Start Up
        • Writing Arts Club
        • How Can We Evaluate Creative Writing?
        • More Inclusive Events for Technical Writers
        • Guest Speaker Manuela Soares
        • Glassworks Reading
        • Spotlight: Taylor Henry, Recently Published Rowan Alum
      • Spring 2018 >
        • Publishing and Writing for the Public: A Reconstructed Concentration
        • What You Think You Know About Technical and Professional Writing is Wrong
        • The Toni Libro Medallion Award Winner: Myriah Stubee
        • An Interview with a Publisher
        • Excellence in Writing Arts Medallion Winner: Sara Skipp
        • The College of Communcation and Creative Arts 6th Annual Student Awards and Showcase Ceremony
        • Rowan Alum, Marissa Cohen, On Self Publishing and Advocacy
      • Fall 2017 >
        • Upcoming Classes in the Writing Arts Department
        • The Writer's Journey Blog by Earl Garcia
        • Rewriting The Department's Social Media Platforms
        • Rowan University Writing Arts Club Reinvents Mission
        • Glassworks Launches Issue Fifteen
        • For Futuristic Consideration: An Exploration of Careers in Writing
      • Spring 2017 >
        • Technical Communication: An Overview
        • A More Inclusive Future for Technical Writers
        • Easing the Tension: Breaking Down Technical and Professional Writing
        • Growing the Technical and Professional Writing Concentration
      • Fall 2016
      • Spring 2016
      • Winter 2015
      • Fall 2015 >
        • 2014 and Prior >
          • Archive
    • The Bulletin Board
    • RU Writing? Podcast
  • ECCCA
    • RU Deptartment of Writing Arts - Home
    • News & Announcements
    • Rowan University - Home
    • Ric Edelman College of Communication & Creative Arts at Rowan University - Home
    • Student Groups