My name is Kyla Alleyne and I'm in the graduating class of 2023 at the University of Central Florida. This is my narrative.

 

Ever since I was a little girl, I have always loved to write or do anything creative. Instead of playing sports or even sometimes hanging out with my friends I would be drawing or writing in my room. Writing was my way of putting down my thoughts and everything I was thinking about. I always had a passion for writing and journaling ever since and it hasn't changed. Throughout the past couple of years, I've had my own personal blogs, written short stories, and most recently I wrote and published my own book. That is just the beginning of my writing journey, writing will always be a part of my life in some sort of way.
 

Before I settled on my current path, I dipped into a couple of different majors. I dabbled in Journalism while pursuing my undergraduate degree at Valencia College. Then Technical Writing, all before I finished the first two years of pursuing my undergraduate degree at Valencia College and went to UCF. Each of these majors sounded interesting to me, especially the journalism one, and I just couldn't pick which one to follow. Throughout this time, in my composition and writing courses, I was slowly being exposed to the one area that connected everything together--writing. That was the one thing that remained constant. I learned that I wanted to have a career in the digital writing field. ​Not just that, but I found that my passion for writing could turn into something more and help me grow as a student and as a person. 

 

I actively discovered my own pursuit of knowledge in my English Composition I class, which was the first step to understanding my own writer identity. As I was taking one class for my technical writing major and finding out more and more about what it actually entails, I realized that I didn't want to go forth with this major and/or career. I knew that I had to make my decision quickly because I was about to graduate and go to UCF. 

 

This exploration of my writer identity eventually drew me to UCF's Writing & Rhetoric program. As I navigated through my coursework,  I began to understand just what it means to write about writing. I spent my time wrestling with discourse about rhetoric, composition, and literacy--terms that scared me half to death when I was a freshman. I immersed myself in various fields of interest--writing center research, film, editing, and publication, just to name a few--in order to emerge as a scholar, a budding expert in those areas. I found that through my writing I learn, and through my writing, I share what I learn with everyone else.

​

Outside of school, I have done quite a few writing projects myself. For example, I accomplished my goal of writing a book last year when I published my first book called Girl vs the World. It took months of writing, editing, revising, and professional help to get it done but I am so glad that I did. I felt like I put my heart into that book because it is very personal to me and shares my story. In  January of 2023, I landed an editorial internship for a magazine company which was another major accomplishment of mine since that's what I want to do after I graduate, so it gives me the experience I need. I have found a job in editing like this as well. 

 

My passion for marketing and social media came about when I had my own small business and was doing all the marketing for that business all by myself. Then over the past two years, I've done two digital marketing internships that have a aspect of writing and graphic design on it. All of these things have helped me to grow my skills and understanding of marketing.

​

This immersion and emergence have shed light on exciting potential career paths in my future. My identity as a magazine editor establishes my dedication to writing as the foundation of my work, the core from which my skills grow and develop. No matter my calling, I will use my love and appreciation for writing to make my way in the world.

 

​This online portfolio takes a deeper look into my narrative by highlighting experiences I've had and works I've created. These projects demonstrate particular skills necessary for a successful career as an editor(both freelance and actual full-time magazine editing). As well as a possible future career doing content creation. I believe that these samples are critical not just to your understanding of my craft, but to my own understanding as well. It is my hope that you leave this place armed with a mutual love for learning, knowledge, and the written word which powers it all.