I’m a writer by nature (and luckily, by trade), and so I’ve put together a writing portfolio showing my diverse body of work. I’ve written about a variety of subjects (both technical and non-technical) and to a range of audiences, from customers to online communities to academia to romance lovers to business people and the general public.
As my writing samples showcase, I can deftly adapt to a company’s brand voice and tone while maintaining my unique and engaging style, and I’m confident I can help you capture the audience you need to reach.
Documentation and Support Writing
Parent Quick Start Guide
Although I’ve focused more on documentation strategy and management than writing docs for the last 3-4 years of my support career, I love to contribute high-quality knowledge and content whenever I can.
When the pandemic hit and schools closed around the world, Khan Academy saw a massive increase in parents seeking help as their children continued their learning at home. To help them onboard to Khan Academy more quickly and easily, I wrote a Parent Quick Start Guide that broke down our sign up, setup, and child management flow into 5 easy, approachable steps and offered quick resources for further learning. You can find the entire help center article by clicking on the thumbnail above. (Note that because there were many Stephanies who worked at Khan at the time, I went by the nickname Faile during my time there.)
Content and Community Updates
As Community Liaison, I was responsible for updating our community on the latest content updates, coding challenge contest winners, and other goings-on. I embraced this task with great flourish…and punniness.
Below are some of my favorite content updates, but you can find more at the News and Updates forum at Khan Academy (you’ll find my updates in the post history from about 2-4 years ago).
Product Training Scripts
During my time at Shortcut (formerly Clubhouse), I created a short training series to introduce new Support staff to our product. I produced these videos from start to finish, including designing the scripts to be brief, informative, and engaging.
Here are the full text scripts:
Book Reviews
Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
I was a guest reviewer at the popular romance reader community and book review site Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, where I wrote about and graded Susannah Nix’s Remedial Rocket Science. You can check out the full text of the review (and visit the site, it’s great) by clicking on the thumbnail of the site to the left.
Excerpt: “In Remedial Rocket Science, nothing is as straightforward as it seems, and it’s not straightforward for real, meaty reasons. Both Melody and Jeremy are struggling with issues of identity and expectations, and then later with guilt and grief. Both keep getting in their own way, but for different reasons.”
book(ish) humans
book(ish) humans is a side project I started right before the pandemic, aimed at celebrating stories in whatever form they come (but especially books). A notable book review of mine from that site is of Courtney Milan’s The Duke Who Didn’t from September 2020. You can find the full text of the review by clicking on the thumbnail of the site to the right.
Excerpt: “It’s not that it’s a book without conflict or difficult situations; Chloe lost her mother young, and her father is still reckoning with the secrets of his family’s past in China. Jeremy has spent his life trying to navigate the (sometimes subtle, sometimes blatant) racism that comes with being half-Chinese and a Duke in Victorian England. But it’s the care with which Milan treats these realities and the agency she gives to her characters that makes it such a pleasure to read.”
Academic Research and Writing
As a University College student at DU, I designed and completed an integrative project: Embedding and Ethical Journalism: How the Embedding Program in Iraq Challenged Professional Standards. The integrative project is an excellent demonstration of my academic research and writing skills, as it is a thesis-like paper meant to be the culmination of my studies in Communication Arts.
It “focuses on utilizing background knowledge and skills developed throughout the program, integrating research and evidence, applying critical thinking skills, and presenting a coherent and persuasive argument.” For more information about integrative projects at DU, check out the course details here. You can find the full text of my integrative project by clicking on the thumbnail above.
Embedding and Ethical Journalism
Abstract: The Iraq War of 2003 brought unprecedented access to combat operations for journalists who embedded with the military. The popularity of the program—it is estimated that between 500 and 750 reporters were embedded at the height of the war—was rivaled only by the controversy that arose from it. Although many embedded reporters argued that they were able to maintain objectivity and independence, journalism scholars and professionals leveled criticism at what they saw as professional and ethical lapses in journalistic standards involved with the practice. This project identifies the basis for these criticisms, and argues that the embedding program as it was practiced during the Iraq War was inconsistent with the professional standards long held by journalists.
News, Feature, and Sports Writing
Glimpses of Guam is a publisher serving Guam, the Marianas Islands, and greater Micronesia. From 2010 to 2012, I was a staff reporter and a freelancer, writing for several publications on its media side: Guam Business Magazine, Marianas Business Journal, Marine Drive Magazine, and R&R Pacific.
I specialized in features and profiles, as I was skilled at and intentional about building trust and rapport with my interview subjects, and because I excelled at researching and synthesizing data and information into approachable, impactful stories (while kicking in a little humor, too).
Marianas Business Journal
MBJ is a monthly business news, expert advice, and data publication for the Marianas Islands and greater Micronesia. I produced a wide range of work for MBJ: I wrote weekly news briefs, prepared digestible graphs to help readers make sense of important economic trends and statistics, reported on local business news, and delivered special features.
Here’s a full-text selection of my work:
- Q&A with Steffen Niu, then President of Guam Capital Investment Corporation (January 2012)
- Press Conference featuring Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor (January 2012)
- District Court Conference Focuses on the Territories (February 2012)
- Guam’s Taxi Industry (February 2012)
- News Briefs (17 May 2012)
Guam Business Magazine
Guam Business Magazine is a bi-monthly magazine covering the vital industries and business communities of the Marianas Islands and greater Micronesia. For GBM, I wrote business profiles and long-form features covering technology and real estate.
I also provided briefs on media coverage related to the Marianas Islands. This was a particularly fun year for writing media updates; 2012 saw presidential candidates like Rick Santorum vying for Guam’s primary delegates and putting themselves in increasingly goofy situations, James Cameron seemingly not understanding whether Guam was a part of the United States in an interview with Stephen Colbert, and Guam’s deployment of “toxic mouse bombs” to combat brown tree snakes, all events that got picked up by news agencies (and late night comedians) around the world for weeks.
Here’s a full-text selection of my work:
- GBM Internet Guide: Blogging as a Business Tool (January / February 2012)
- Guam’s Real Estate Market: A Matter of Perspective (May / June 2012)
- GBM Internet Guide: Going Mobile in the New Millennium (January / February 2012)
- Media Update: May / June 2012 (featuring Rick Santorum and James Cameron)
- Media Update: July / August 2012 (featuring “toxic mouse bombs” and, again, James Cameron)
R&R Pacific
R&R Pacific was a lifestyle magazine covering entertainment, cuisine, culture, and nightlife. My work was primarily focused on profiles — highlighting local businesses and spotlighting military spouses (something dear to my heart, as I’m a “milspouse” myself). R&R Pacific is no longer in publication, but you can find some of their back issues by clicking on the logo to the right.
Here’s a full text selection of my work:
- Gorilla’s BBQ Steak Grill & Bar (March 2012)
- Serving Spouses: Amy Schultze (March 2012)
- Serving Spouses: Larry Boyd (May 2012)
Marine Drive Magazine
Marine Drive Magazine was a monthly sports and leisure magazine geared toward young Guam locals. It’s no longer in publication, but if you’re curious, you can find some of their back issues by clicking on magazine cover to the right.
I wrote features and profiles, with an eye toward entertaining my audience and helping them make connections with the people behind the stories.
Full Text Articles
- New to Athletics? Try Zumba! (January 2012)
- Kick Your Bicycle into High Gear: Be Swift and Safe on Two Wheels (January 2012)
- Dave Inglinski: Musician and Cancer Survivor (March 2012)
- Service and Volley (March 2012)
- Rev Your Engines! (April 2012)
- Guam Rugby: A Serious Social Tournament (April 2012)
- XTERRA Guam: A Championship Event (May 2012)
