My name is Taylor Waits, and I am a 3rd-year Critical and Cultural Studies PhD student with a focus on Critical Literature and Pedagogies. I am interested in analyzing storytelling campaigns on social media organized by undergraduates in response to institutional policies of their campuses and measuring their rhetorical impact. Specifically, I will focus on collecting data from students of color who are in various leadership positions. I am interested in examining institutional critique as a rhetorical methodology, in student perceptions of their influence on their universities’ policies, and in creating a rhetorical impact summary. I wish to specialize in thing theory, theoretical considerations of rhetorical impact maps, and actor networks.
Before signing up for the Humanities Engage Pitch Your Own Summer Immersive, I was actively looking for opportunities to immerse myself in readings about critical literature and pedagogies, curriculum development, the distribution of support materials among communities of pedagogues, digital storytelling, and the influence of COVID-19 on curriculum and instructional design. I was able to further my interest in all of these areas through my summer work with Single Seed Enrichment School. Single Seed is a small educational nonprofit that “seeks to support innovative educational opportunities for K-12 students.” Historically, they have done this through a myriad of approaches, including blended learning tutoring and homeschool co-op programs (before the pandemic began). Currently, the nonprofit is looking for ways to serve both students and educators, for example by training educators on new, innovative methods of instruction and engagement. I have developed a deep interest in being an instructor for teachers once I complete my program. This immersive helped my reading list to grow with relevant sources, connected me with pedagogues working with digital modalities, and allowed me to grow as a researcher, interviewer, and facilitator. This experience supported my desires to explore curriculum and instructional design, as well as strengthened my work with digital storytelling and social media.
My previous administrative work as a social media manager and graduate assistant for the Center of Creativity became one of my most valuable assets. Dealing with Asana, Canva, monnday.com, Zoom, and Google Chrome came with ease. Along the way I learned some new tricks in strategic planning and scaled curriculum. Scaling curriculum is almost parallel to creating a social media plan/calendar. (The skill literally transferred – YAASS!) This allowed me to focus on my readings, absorb the information during each workshop, and stay actively engaged with my work. Working directly with Dr. Chambers, the Executive Director of Single Seed, proved to be an extremely positive group work experience. Her efficiency with the applications we used gave me full transparency on project timelines and goals and allowed me the freedom to complete tasks at my own pace.
For those of us in PhD programs looking for work outside the academy, there is rarely any time to explore our options, not to mention gain real world experience in our fields of interest. This opportunity alleviated so much anxiety and doubt that I had about my career path as a third-year student. Often, my peers stress out about securing a job: the last portion of one’s program becomes hyper-focused on job markets, housing, and an uncertain financial future. However, I feel that I can actually focus on my writing because I do not feel scared about finding a job within the space curriculum development, education, or teaching. #TooBlessedtoBeStressed! I wish every PhD student an opportunity like this one, which could be made available to them with no pushback from their department. The confidence boost that opportunities like this provide is priceless!
If you are thinking of joining the immersive fellowship program – do it! When you secure it: be present. Take in your surroundings. Learn what day-to-day looks like for others in your desired field. Learn about the audience you serve. Observe any gaps. Find the problems and think of solutions. Make a good impression on your host company (you might even get a job!). And always chase your curiosity.