Meet the Students

Biography

Born and raised on the Texas Gulf Coast, I currently reside in the beautiful Texas hill country with my wife and son. I have always been a nature enthusiast, so you can find me outdoors when I’m not working. And sometimes when I am working.

Biography

While completing my undergraduate degree, I developed an interest in strategic communication, content writing/editing, marketing strategy, and research. My copywriting role requires both creative and technical writing skills to reach the target audience effectively and consistently. I am passionate about digital marketing and advertising, but I am thrilled to expand my knowledge of technical communications across various professional fields.

Biography

Since birth, I have traveled and lived throughout various regions of the world alongside my military-serving family. Cross-cultural communication has been a constant during my upbringing and operates as the foundation for my interest in cultural, linguistic, and technical communication studies. I currently work as an aviation professional for an international-serving air carrier, a Texas State realtor, and the MATC Program Graduate Assistant. Ten years ago, I bought my first home in East Austin, which I now share with my two rambunctious cats and incredibly supportive partner. I love learning languages. I’m fluent in American Sign Language and operating at an intermediate (working on advanced) proficiency in Italian. I enjoy keeping Austin weird by participating in local theater/comedy/writing/art scenes when I can find the time. I plan to utilize my diverse education and work background to serve a community larger than myself, and hopefully, improve the world.

Awards & Distinctions

Presentations

“Teaching the History of the Afroitalian Woman and Fascism.” SCMLA 78th Annual Conference, Houston, TX, October 9, 2021

“Breaking Through the Distance.” Gallery of the Common Experience, Curator, Spring-Fall 2021.

Publications

Soran, Laura. “Art and Propaganda: The Problem with Idealized Colonialism.” Texas State Undergraduate Research Journal, vol. ix, iss. i, Spring 2021, www.txstate.edu/undergraduateresearch/txstur.html.

Soran, Laura. "They Say You Can't Get Fat on Love." Undergraduate Thesis, Texas State University, Spring 2021.

Biography

My name is Nikki Uzzel, and I am currently seeking two master’s degrees from Texas State University in Technical Communication and Public Health Education and Promotion. I plan on using my background in public health, communication, and customer service to pursue grant writing, technical writing, or program coordinating for a community health organization in or around San Antonio, Texas. I received my B.A. in Health Communication from Coastal Carolina University in 2017 outside of my hometown, Myrtle Beach, S.C. I will always be a lover of the ocean and a fan of the Chanticleers. I am a proud fur parent to my two cats, Cooper Lin and Murphy Lee, and my Pitbull puppy, Grayson James. I love watching UT volleyball and walking down trails with my animals in my free time, as I am a full-time student and travel quite often for work. I have a passion for public service, and I have learned to do so with a smile over the years I have spent in the service industry. I enjoy creating new cocktails and sharing my knowledge and experiences with anyone who is willing to listen. I have been truly enjoying my experiences thus far at Texas State University, and I cannot wait to see what my future has in store for me as I continue my education at such a great school!

Biography

Erica took a circuitous path to Technical Communication. With an arts background, she became interested in ethnography and oral history during her previous masters degree and went on to work as an oral historian for nine years at the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History while freelance writing and copywriting as well. Her arts journalism has appeared in The New York Times, Vulture, and Bust Magazine.

Erica’s especially interested in UX research, UX writing, and accessibility. She hasn’t given up the arts, though. She’s studied and performed improv comedy for over a decade and is very much a comedy nerd.