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I grew up in a small town in Western Michigan and came to the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor as a college sophomore in 2002. I originally studied at Hope College, but I wanted the experience and academic diversity of a large university, so I transferred after my freshman year. While at U-M, I became fascinated with the history of Medieval Europe, and I went on to write a thesis on medieval French monasticism my senior year.

Working on my thesis made me realize how much I enjoyed researching and writing. After I graduated from U-M, I attended Notre Dame as a Ph.D. candidate in history for a year, but I quickly realized that while I loved writing, the esoteric subject of monasticism was not for me: I wanted to apply my talents to a more hands-on discipline.

Hence, I returned to U-M in 2006 and began a job at Library Technical Services, which allowed me to combine my interest with historical texts with my interest in technology and digital archiving. A year later, I entered the School of Information as a Master’s student, with a concentration in digital preservation. I found my ideal internship in the summer of 2008, when I joined Google as an intern in the Picasa group, where I wrote documentation on digital photo compression.

My experience as an intern confirms what I first realized in college: writing is my true vocation. I enjoy writing documentation that people actually use on a daily basis, and the work, though challenging, is intensely fulfilling. Thus, my goal after graduation is to become a technical writer for an innovative company that values independent research and strong communication skills.