Digital Portfolio

In 2015 I graduated from the University of South Carolina – Aiken campus with a B.A. in Communications and a minor in Creative Writing. I walked across the stage on December 10th, 2015 feeling proud and accomplished to be a 1st generation college graduate in my family. The joy I felt soon turned to post-graduation depression as I still had no clue what I wanted to do in life and at the time I had nothing going for me career wise in my field.

After stumbling around for 3 years working a well-paying but dead end job in Information Technology, my then undiagnosed condition got worse and I was making increasingly bad and risky decisions that ultimately caught up with me. I hit a low point in my life in 2018, having lost 2 jobs, car and housing within a 4 month period. I stared at a 9mm pistol in my hand and upon realizing that I was seriously contemplating suicide, dropped the weapon frightened and speeding to meet a close friend I had to call for her to take for safekeeping while I began to take one of the first steps in my life towards treatment. 

By November of 2018, I had been introduced to the graduate programs at Agnes Scott College, I applied shortly after moving to Atlanta to just get away from home for a while. I told myself that if I was accepted then the move would be permanent and I would let the ‘Universe’ guide my steps moving forward. I came to this city with just a car and a half a closet worth of clothing and an acceptance letter.

The irony of it all is that poor communication with myself and others led me to Agnes Scott. Since my arrival and during my time here I was not only learning the digital tips, tricks and research to be successful in the field but I was also learning how to communicate in my personal life. The difficulty in having a hard conversation was just as challenging as opening up Photoshop for the first time. Learning to be more efficient with web copy also reminded me to show and not tell more in my poetry. Discovering a love for photography, paralleled in learning to embrace other communication patterns with people from different walks of life, generations, gender and sexuality.

Prior to Agnes Scott, Communication as a field of discipline, work and study was a means to an end for me. The problem was I didn’t know what the end was. Narrowing the field of focus to writing and conveying messages digitally via text or visual means also helped me focus my goals to a smaller, more concentrated lane. With less choices came greater freedom. Making something of my life no longer seemed so daunting. I had areas of expertise I could try, succeed or fail in and learn what I like to do and what I don’t like. I still love writing, research isn’t so bad anymore (I still want academics to use plain english.), pictures are worth thousands of words yet words can still improve an image, social media is fun but it must be used responsibly, I’m good on video as in, I don’t like it. I’ll continue to let others make the great cinematics, I’ll do the runway photos and write ups.

Agnes Scott was also the first educational institution that made me feel like I didn’t have to code switch so much. I could be myself, a young, black man and I could convey that in everything from research articles to satirical videos, to podcast samples and class presentations. The digital age we are in is diverse, the status quo is being forced to recognize that and so many stories from the marginalized are being told through vastly varied digital platforms and mediums. Considering this journey started from me in a dark place, even graduating during a pandemic I am leaps and bounds better off now. Despite one of the main focuses of this program is digital, I am a better communicator and person now overall thanks to Agnes Scott’s faculty, staff, and my peers. The digital world is constantly shifting and growing and along my journey into adulthood I forgot that humans are walking digital beings in our own way. Thus we have to shift and grow as well.

Sincerely,

Kahn D-W. The D now stands for Digital