My Life as a Writer, Researcher, & Designer
My name is Ali Valerio and I'm a recent graduate of the University of Central Florida. This is my narrative.
Before I loved to write, I loved to read. I loved words and the influence they had on the world. One day I realized that I had the potential to influence people with words as well. I knew that words were important to me, but I wasn't quite sure of the role they would play in my life. And to be honest, I still don't have it all figured out. But what I do have is a collection of the defining moments in my life that have captured my identity as a writer. I've realized that these moments aren't just separate from each other; instead, they weave together like a story.
Before I settled on my current path, I dipped into many different majors. I dabbled in Journalism, Radio/Television, Cinema Studies, and Creative Writing all before I finished the first two years of pursuing my undergraduate degree. Each of these areas sounded so interesting, and I just couldn't pick which one to follow. Throughout this time, in my composition courses, I was slowly being exposed to the one area that connected everything together--writing. That was the one thing that remained constant. I learned that I wanted to write. ​Not just that, but I learned that I wanted to learn. It didn't matter to me what I learned about. With each class, with each new topic of study, I found within myself an unquenchable thirst to understand the curriculum placed in front of me.
I actively discovered my own pursuit of knowledge in my English Composition I class, which was the first step to understanding my own writer identity. I didn't just write to write--I wrote to learn. I was a student of learning long before I ever stepped foot inside a classroom.
This exploration of my writer identity eventually drew me to UCF's Writing & Rhetoric program. As I navigated through my coursework, I began to understand just what it means to write about writing. I spent my time wrestling with discourse about rhetoric, composition, and literacy--terms that scared me half to death when I was a freshman. I immersed myself in various fields of interest--writing center research, film, editing and publication, just to name a few--in order to emerge as a scholar, a budding expert in those areas. I found that through my writing I learn, and through my writing I share what I learn with everyone else.
This immersion and emergence has shed light on exciting potential career paths in my future. My identity as a technical communicator establishes my dedication to writing as the foundation of my work, the core from which my skills grow and develop. No matter my calling, I will use my love and appreciation for writing to make my way in the world.
​This online portfolio takes a deeper look into my narrative by highlighting experiences I've had and works I've created. These projects demonstrate particular skills necessary for a successful career as a technical communicator. I believe that these samples are critical not just to your understanding of my craft, but to my own understanding as well. It is my hope that you leave this place armed with a mutual love for learning, knowledge, and the written word which powers it all.