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
Where has your CI degree taken you?: 

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.

What is your favorite thing about your job?: 

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.” 

What¹s the most valuable thing you learned in CI?: 

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.

What advice would you give to current CI students?: 

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)