Hello, my name is Nehemiah Rivers III but you may call me Tre. I am currently in the final phase of Arizona State University’s graduate program for technical communication. Firstly, I would like to say thank you to all of my instructors and classmates for helping me navigate through this program. I am truly grateful for their assistance which was a great help for learning so much about the field of technical communication within a short period of time. This journey has been met with hardship, uncertainty, and success. As I near the end of this program I plan on using these teachings to become an effective technical communicator.

My interest in technical communication sparked when I was near the end of my undergraduate studies. With graduation on the horizon, I needed to think about which direction I wanted to take my life in. I knew I wanted to write but how I would do so is what troubled me. I had a passion for accessibility due to my constant struggles with reading comprehension. Still to this day I am someone who could read something multiple times and still not comprehend it. Because of this, I developed a great consideration for the audience and their needs. This is what eventually led me to pursue a career in technical writing because it involved making complex information accessible to the common audience member.

I pursued higher education almost immediately after completing my undergraduate studies. This is where I learned about a field of study called technical communication which encompassed writing, critical analysis, experimentation, visual design, and technology. With my background in journalism and English, I had prior experience with editing, content writing, critical analysis, and UI design at my disposal. With this base skill set, I was determined to enter this field of study and become a technical communicator.

ASU’s technical communication program emphasizes four program outcomes. The first of which being rhetorical knowledge. The second, critical thinking analysis and research. The third, practices and processes. And the fourth and final outcome being technology. As a newcomer to this field of study, I had to pay extra close attention to build a skill set and knowledge base to succeed in my graduate studies. Becoming an effective technical communicator meant that I had to approach every assignment with these outcomes in mind. Throughout my time in the program, I achieved this by gaining perspective from audience members, using repetition to get comfortable with technological practices, observing communication methods, and utilizing my prior experience with journalism to build my knowledge base and assist my learning process. With the assistance of course examples and how-to guides, I learned new skills such as making visual design graphics, conducting usability tests, and XML coding. As I completed more assignments, I gained a newfound sense of confidence due to how much my prior experience helped me perform my weekly tasks.

In this portfolio, you will find artifacts which demonstrate what I’ve learned, their application to the program’s outcomes, and my growth as a technical communicator. Thank you for listening, and I hope you enjoy the content in this portfolio.