<p><span class="p-body">About to finish her final semester in the <a href="/content/sps-nyu/explore/degrees-and-programs/ms-in-professional-writing.html" target="_blank">MS in Professional Writing (MSPW)</a>, graduate student Kayleigh Jensen tells us about ongoing freelance work she started last semester. In the fall of 2022, Kayleigh started working as a freelance Creative Coordinator for the <i>Trading Secrets</i> podcast. In this work, Kayleigh writes podcast episode titles and descriptions, as well as other promotional copy related to the podcast.&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span class="p-body">During her time in the MSPW, Kayleigh has also served on the Executive Board of the <a href="https://www.sps.nyu.edu/homepage/academics/divisions-and-departments/center-for-publishing-and-applied-liberal-arts/highlights/2021/meet-the-student-leaders--online-writing---languages-society0.html" target="_blank">NYU SPS Online Writing and Languages Society (OWLS)</a> in the student leadership roles of secretary and social media chair. We were thrilled to chat with Kayleigh to learn more about her experience balancing her Master's studies with her freelance work in the field.</span></p>

<p><span class="p-body">The <i>Trading Secrets</i> podcast is about all things money and careers, often tackling taboo topics and listener questions that they might be afraid to ask elsewhere. Kayleigh heard about the podcast when Jason Tartick (from <i>The Bachelor</i>) released his book <i>The Restart Roadmap</i>. He did a book tour and told the audience to follow him on LinkedIn. About a month later, he posted that he was hiring and Kayleigh threw her resume into the mix.</span></p> <p><span class="p-body">She was elated when she was selected for the freelance creative coordinator role, and immediately got to work. Now, she says, &quot;I feel like I have found my groove in this freelance role and I also feel like a great asset to the <i>Trading Secrets</i> team.&quot; We can only imagine the resource that Kayleigh is to her team.</span></p>

<p><span class="p-body">Kayleigh offers her professional writing skills to the <i>Trading Secrets </i>podcast on the daily, where she helps her team reach a larger audience. &quot;Another cool thing about this work is that it is collaborative. It's helping me layer creative approaches into my writing process too. My work on the titles and descriptions have an impact on the show and that's a great feeling! The longer I'm in this role, the more confident I feel in my work—and the more I know I belong in the room!&quot; she shares.</span></p> <p><span class="p-body">Kayleigh's collaborative spirit extends to her work as a full-time high school building substitute teacher. In order to balance her full-time work with her freelance work and her studies, learning to lean on her teammates has been essential. Even when the balance gets tricky, Kayleigh always finds her way. &quot;There have certainly been weeks where the balance feels extremely off, but the good news is that I always find a way to get centered again. I really love the MSPW program and the professors and peers I have connected with in classes and in the OWLS club,&quot; she reflects.</span></p> <p><span class="p-body">On top of all of her duties, Kayleigh still finds time to serve as the social media chair and the secretary for OWLS. Since she lives in Illinois, joining OWLS online made her feel more involved and connected to the NYU SPS community. Her faculty advisor Clea Mahoney and Amanda Wicks have also been instrumental in supporting Kayleigh during her graduate studies.</span></p> <p><span class="p-body">Many of our NYU SPS students don't let their careers stop them from pursuing the next chapter of their academic pursuits. Our <a href="/content/sps-nyu/explore/degrees-and-programs/ms-in-professional-writing.html" target="_blank">MS in Professional Writing</a> program is 100% online, allowing busy students like Kayleigh to take the reins on their post-grad dreams, at their own pace.</span></p>