I believe all folks who desire it should have access to affordable higher education. I put myself through college, and I sat panicked outside the financial aid office more than once. Higher education has been a content specialty of mine since my first full-time job out of college as a communications associate for the Minnesota state agency that administers financial aid. There I made content for audiences ranging from fifth-graders to legislators, and led the redevelopment of the agency’s website (at age 26). I was even the secretary of the Minnesota Association of Admissions Counselors of Color—one of my favorite professional service activities ever—though I was not an admissions counselor and I am white.

With that knowledge and experience under my belt, I’ve told stories and made content related to and supporting Minnesota colleges for more than twenty years.

My most recent higher-ed-related piece outside of Gustavus channels is “Humanites: Now with 50 Percent Fewer Humans.”

Other examples: The “The New Two-Year College“; and the idea of “College for Work,” supported by (then) Governor Mark Dayton. I’ve written too many college preparation features to count.

I’ve also taught several college-level courses, from Rhetorical Analysis to Advanced Fiction Workshop to Intro to Mass Media to English Composition.