About to finish her final semester in the MS in Professional Writing (MSPW), graduate student Kayleigh Jensen tells us about ongoing freelance work she started last semester. In fall 2022, Kayleigh started working as a freelance Creative Coordinator for the Trading Secrets podcast. In this work, Kayleigh writes podcast episode titles and descriptions, as well as other promotional copy related to the podcast. Kayleigh explains more about the experience in the interview below. During her time in the MSPW, Kayleigh has also served on the Executive Board of the NYU SPS Online Writing and Languages Society (OWLS) in the student leadership roles of Secretary and Social Media Chair.
This freelance project sounds so exciting! Tell us more about it and how you got started?
It all started when Jason Tartick (of Bachelorette fame) released his book “The Restart Roadmap” and did a book tour where he told the audience “if you follow someone on social media, you should follow them on Linkedin.” I took his advice and followed him. Just over a month later he had posted that they were hiring and I figured it wouldn’t hurt to throw my resume in the mix. Clearly it worked out!
What stage is the project in now?
The project is ongoing which is great! I feel like I have found my groove in this freelance role and I also feel like a great asset to the Trading Secrets team.
What are you most proud about contributing to this project/doing this work?
I am most proud of my writing being used in a way that is reaching a real and large audience. 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!”
You are in your final semester in the MSPW now-- how does that feel? And how have you balanced being a student with work and freelance projects?
It’s a bit overwhelming! On top of this freelance work, I also work full-time in a high school as a building substitute teacher. 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.
Before we end this interview, can you tell us a bit about your OWLS involvement?
I started attending OWLS meetings during my first year of the program. In my second year, I took the Social Media Chair leadership role and then added the Secretary role the following semester! I love being a part of a club that is solely online due to not being campus (as I live in Illinois). Being involved in this online club has really helped me feel involved at NYU.
Any MSPW shout outs?
Absolutely! Thanks to Clea Mahoney for being our fearless faculty advisor for OWLS (and of course the rest of the amazing OWLS team) and Amanda Wicks for always pushing me to do my best work and to stay focused on the task at hand!