Major:
Integrated Strategic Communication
Year Graduated:
2002
Hometown:
Cynthiana, KY
Current City:
Albertson, NY
Current Employer:
Young adult author
Top played song on your playlist?:
Girls Chase Boys, Ingrid Michaelson

To New York City! I worked at The Ad Store in Manhattan as an intern in 2001 and after graduating from UK and saving money, I came back to New York. I had caught the big city bug. From there I was a guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Deal or No Deal, The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch, Let’s Ask America, and I also hosted a weekly vlog called The Baby Book with Driver Digital. And now I write teen fiction.
As a young adult author, I get to travel to schools and writing conferences as a guest speaker and put a spotlight on literacy and storytelling for hundreds of people. In fact last September I spoke to 8,000 kids at Rupp Arena! I love coming back home to Kentucky and I adore connecting with students, the people I think of as “teen me.”
The most valuable thing I learned in CI is that everything is a business, a product, and that I have to be smart about my brand and image. I don’t just write whatever I want. I think about my market, my target audience, and how to engage my readers. For example, it wouldn’t have been smart to follow my debut novel, a contemporary piece of rural commercial fiction called The Queen of Kentucky, with a sci-fi fantasy graphic novel. Consumers wouldn’t likely cross over and it would be hard to develop a loyal fan base. However giving my readers the Wildflower series, a realistic trilogy about a girl who makes it big in country music, fit my brand perfectly. Readers who liked my first novel will likely enjoy that series as well.
I would tell students that they can use their degree in ways that are out-of-the-box so to not get hung up on finding that “perfect” job out of college. Careers evolve and opportunities lie around every corner. So start somewhere — anywhere — and know that using your degree traditionally is not a reflection on your potential or success. I have a BFA in Acting and a BA in Advertising (ISC), but I am a teen author! Just know that the tools you acquire in the College of Communication and Information will serve you the rest of your life.
(Photo by Cindy Johnson Photography)