This portfolio showcases the range of writing I completed throughout the semester and reflects both my struggles and growth as a writer. Each assignment pushed me to engage with new genres and rhetorical situations, where I had to think carefully about audience, purpose, tone, and structure. From academic formats like the IMRaD paper to more public-facing writing like the Researched OpEd Response, I learned how to adjust my writing to meet the expectations of different forms while staying true to my message.

The hardest assignment for me was the IMRaD Research Paper titled Porosity, Race, and Access: How Systemic Inequities Shape Haircare for Textured Hair. I had technical trouble with the graphs, which created too much spacing in the layout. I did not know how to fix it at first, but eventually realized I had to shrink the images to make everything look clean and professional. Beyond the formatting, I struggled with the Results and Discussion sections. It was hard to incorporate scholarly sources into those parts while also presenting my findings. I had to learn that in academic writing, especially in the IMRaD genre, the Results section should remain objective and focused on data while the Discussion is where interpretation and outside research belong. That distinction helped me better understand how each section serves a different rhetorical purpose.

This topic was also personally difficult to write about. When I first made my survey, I did not have a clear direction for my research. I did not ask for race or ethnicity, which made it hard to draw strong conclusions about access to textured haircare products. This taught me how crucial it is to have a clear research question and to design a survey that reflects the goals of the project. Without that focus, it is easy to collect data that does not fully support your argument or purpose.

I also learned how tone and appeals change depending on the genre. In my Researched OpEd Response, I had to write for a general audience, which meant shifting my tone to be more accessible and persuasive. I used emotional and ethical appeals, pathos and ethos, to connect with readers and establish credibility while also relying on logical reasoning, logos, to support my claims. This was very different from the IMRaD paper, which required a formal, neutral tone and clear citations. It was a challenge at first to switch between academic and public writing, but I now see the importance of being able to adjust my voice depending on who I am trying to reach and why.

The Genre Analysis assignment was helpful for understanding how writers make rhetorical decisions based on expectations. I looked at how structure, language, and visuals all contribute to meaning in different genres. For example, I noticed that public writing often uses short paragraphs and bold headings to guide the reader while academic writing emphasizes organization through sections and citations. This assignment made me more aware of the signals we use in writing to guide our audience and meet their needs.

Another assignment that pushed me was the Reverse Outline. This activity helped me see the organization of my work more clearly. I could tell where my ideas strayed off topic or where a paragraph did not support my thesis. It was frustrating at times, but ultimately made my revisions more focused. I learned that revision is more than correcting grammar. It is about returning to the central purpose and strengthening how I communicate it to the reader.

Throughout the semester, I improved in how I reflect on my writing. I now understand that identifying challenges is not a weakness. It is a necessary part of growth. For example, I struggled with indentation, spacing, and following strict formatting rules, which felt tedious and easy to mess up. But I now realize that attention to these details shows care for the reader and the professional quality of the work. From formatting issues to content-level revisions, every problem I faced helped me learn something about writing and about myself as a communicator.

This portfolio is a reflection of those experiences. Each piece represents a moment where I had to adapt to new expectations, learn from mistakes, and find my voice across genres. Whether I was writing for a professor or a general audience, my goal was to create work that was thoughtful, clear, and responsive to purpose. I hope this collection shows not just the final products but the process behind them, the effort it took to turn confusion into clarity and challenge into confidence.

This entry is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license.