academic writing
Writing samples from projects completed during undergraduate and graduate coursework.
Independent Study- The Doctor as “The Lonely God”: Religion in Doctor Who (2017)
Goal: Conduct an independent research study about elements of religion present in Doctor Who to bridge my communications and religious coursework during my senior year at Northwestern University.
Approach: Analyze primary and secondary sources, including all episodes of Doctor Who, for elements of religion, philosophy, morality, and ethics.
Excerpt: “As The Doctor realizes over time that the only thing holding him back from recognizing the full extent of his omnipotence and omnipresence is himself, he begins to exert his own will wherever he can, with viewers—embodied on-screen by the companions—following along under the impression that The Doctor is the savior of humanity, the champion of morality, and the embodiment of compassion and all things good. However, the laws of time can snap back at The Doctor….So, The Doctor, as much as he would like to constantly carry out his own will, is not always able to do so, occasionally being put in check by the universe itself. He is truly a human-god hybrid, or even a Christ-like figure as a Christian hermeneutic would indicate.”
Image credit: BBC America
Advertising mockup by me. Logo & top image credit: Glossier
Brand Case Study- Glossier (2018)
Goal: Analyze image-making strategies of Glossier using Walter Lippmann’s Public Opinion (1922) and Daniel J. Boorstin’s The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America (1962) to improve Glossier’s existing image-making strategies and trigger growth
Approach: Continue targeting millennials but shift brand focus to cruelty-free aspects of business, redo existing advertisements with cruelty-free visuals and copy
Excerpt: “Glossier can still be skincare first, makeup second with a minimalist aesthetic, but if consumers are buying multiple different products to fill their bathroom cabinets for their #ITGTopShelfies, Glossier should embrace the underlying maximalism of their philosophy by bringing cruelty-free to the forefront of their branding.”