Rachel Welker Writing & Editing Portfolio

As completed on April 5th, 2023, I compiled a professional document full of information on the BYU-Idaho English department honors program, known as English Scholars. To achieve this, I first planned what information to include and how to obtain it, created an outline, asked the director of the program what his goals and needs were, and then edited and compiled the information into a Microsoft Word document. I included a table of contents and title page, a description of the program, the benefits of joining, the rationale behind it, semester and thesis project requirements, project examples, student testimonials, tips and tricks, policies, a FAQ section, and contact information for the program. I took this information from previously compiled forms and flyers, interviews conducted via email with student participants, my own experiences as an English Scholar, and emails with the director, Dr. Olsen. I edited the text to structure it according to the arrangement listed above for importan...

For my Tech for Professional Writers class in the Winter 2023 semester at BYU-Idaho, I was tasked to create a logo for an entity, real or fictional. I chose the English Scholars program, the honors program at BYU-Idaho's English department, of which I had completed three projects in. For this logo, I used Adobe Illustrator to create shapes, including the book at the bottom of the featured logo, picked out a color scheme, chose the font, and arched the text. Moreover, I later sent the logo to the director of the program for feedback, and after removing the word "program" from the logo and adjusting the arch of the text, I designed the completed logo, featured below. Logo:

Between May 10th and May 19th, I collaborated with a small team to offer feedback and analysis of poetry in Mark Bennion's chapbook of love poems he wrote for his wife. The manuscript featured twenty-two poems. In my group of five people, we split up the poetry into sections so we could each review four or five poems. We gave feedback, per Dr. Bennion's request, on line breaks, rhythm, imagery, sound, and density. I took down detailed notes on my impressions and concerns with each poem, as well as what I liked and what stood out positively. After looking at our first section of poems during our team-set deadlines, my teammates and I switched sections. We repeated this process, and then we met with Dr. Bennion again to check in, show what we'd completed thus far, and ask if he had any more poems he wanted us to review. We considered an additional eight poems and made suggestions on which to include in the chapbook. We also looked at the order and placement of the poems and g...

As completed on May 8th, I collaborated with teammates to format and style a course packet for Chad Newswander, a professor of political science at BYU-Idaho. We took an approximately 200-page outline and reformatted it to more closely resemble a textbook, with images, pull quotes, and better usage of white space. Some aspects I specifically worked on were teaching my teammates how to better use Word as the computer program versus the online version for a shared document, drawing and placing textboxes with the proper formatting along the margins and large blank spaces to highlight important quotes and details, and taking detailed notes from client and group meetings. I prepared the notes for the class and client meetings by formatting the notes in advance and organizing the information. I taught the class how to define a new multilevel list and apply it to the document in each of our sections on Word. I worked with a teammate one on one to guide her through the same process after she e...

As completed on June 11th, 2023, my classmates and I completed designing and restructuring a Canvas course that provides training for TAs in the BYU-Idaho English Department. I specifically worked on designing and transferring document resources into Canvas pages and modules. I created several short review quizzes, a home page, and produced a training video using Loom. I communicated via email and in-person meetings with the client to discuss progress, changes, and new feedback/requests. I learned to ask detailed questions, adapt to new information and requests, receive constructive feedback, and make the necessary changes with a positive attitude and an open mind. I have included screenshots of different parts of the modules, pages, and quizzes, as well as the video that I recorded and edited, specifically to trim the beginning and end of the video. I learned how to use Loom screen capturing and recording for that project. Over the course of the project, I collaborated with one teamma...

“Peter Pan Was Wrong" analyzes and discusses J.M. Barrie’s novel Peter and Wendy through the deconstructionist lens of literary theory, specifically the dichotomy of age and youth and how growing up is an unstable concept. Contact Rachel Welker at rachelmwelker@gmail.com with questions and to read the essay.

The Origin of Faeries by Rachel Welker is a short, complete podcast with two seasons. Season one focuses on the origins of faeries according to Celtic, especially Irish, faerie lore. Season two focuses on the German legend of the Pied Piper, literary accounts of the tale, and the connection between the Irish noble faeries and Tuatha de Danann (explained in season one), ultimately claiming that the Pied Piper is a daoine sidhe (noble faerie). Listen on Spotify here. Contact Rachel Welker at rachelmwelker@gmail.com with questions.