Welcome to Digication Scholars Conversations.
I'm your host, Kelly Driscoll.
In this episode, you'll hear part two of my conversation with
Kaitlyn Coskun, a recent graduate of Texas Christian University.
More links and information about today's conversation can be found on Digication's
Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Full episodes of Digication Scholars Conversations can be found on
YouTube or your favorite podcast app.
At Digication, we talk a lot about, um, the, the use of our platform as
a way for students to be able to be seen, be heard, and be recognized.
And thinking back to when, you know, you were starting to learn about
Digication and start sharing some of the things that you were doing.
Did you feel that kind of, um, or did you feel that kind of
relationship with the platform?
Were, were you interested in being seen and being heard and being recognized?
And maybe some of the ways that you were able to, to use the tools to achieve that?
Oh,
certainly.
Yeah.
I, um, I was first introduced to Digication and this ePortfolio.
Platform, uh, through one of my classes at TCU, it was in my fashion merchandising
major, and my teacher at the time, Dr.
Fortenberry, um, chose this platform for us to use in our career
development course, um, really in an effort to gear us up to graduate.
So, I think this was about my senior year, um, first semester that I started it,
and it definitely took some time, um, to create it in full, which is constantly
evolving as well, but, um, to get kind of an idea of what I wanted to do with it.
Um, the intention, Behind it, ultimately, was to provide me as a student entering
the workforce soon, uh, with a tool to really showcase my achievements,
um, kind of what I've been working on, what I'm able to do, and, um, get this
information out to future employers, or if I, at the time, I didn't know if
I maybe wanted to pursue, um, further education, whoever it may be, kind of
like, Compiling all of my achievements and work thus far into one place and
having that be a centralized location to share it with others, you know, and,
um, I feel like a good e portfolio.
It's both a product, digital collection, you know, of my artifacts and what I've
worked on, maybe that be presentations or papers or research projects, social
media examples, things like that, um, but it's also a process of, in the
making of it, really reflecting on it.
Thank you.
Those moments and those achievements that I've had and kind of what
they present in me and how they can represent me to others.
And I feel like in the past, I'm sure there was like written examples,
physical portfolios, maybe that you could bring in to a job interview.
Um, but having the ePortfolio It kind of made, it made this invisible
learning that was going on in school visible, but not only that, it made
it mobile, so anyone could, yeah, it wasn't just I had one copy of it that
I had to manually bring everywhere.
It was so easy having it online where I could just take that link, um, And share
it forward with even just connections that I was, um, reaching out to in an
effort to find a job, um, references, people and careers that I was looking
to for inspiration, mentors, things like that, um, There's so many different
source or groups of people that it was geared towards and having it all together
in one place online was so beneficial.
And I feel like LinkedIn, for example, is a great networking tool.
And it has all of my, like, background and my previous jobs and experience
and things like that, but it doesn't even compare to, like, what I'm able
to create on here or on Digication's ePortfolio, because the ePortfolio allowed
me to use all different sorts of media.
You know, whether that be the written text of reflections on things, the
projects that I actually worked on, I could upload PowerPoints or
presentations that I did, um, photographs that I took in different social
media platforms that I played around with and feeds, all sorts of things,
video I could upload there as well.
So having all that there was so invaluable and was like the
ultimate goal from the start.
And it just progressed even further than what I could imagine, kind of a thing.
And it certainly helped me post grad, graduating and post
grad, kind of all of the above.
Because now I'm able to even look back on that, having created it in college
when everything was so fresh and, um, I was currently going through it.
And over time, I've realized my memory is not as great as I wish it was.
Yeah, exactly.
And I'm like, so grateful that I was able to not only just Get all of that in, all
of the actual artifacts into one location, but also the reflective periods that I
chose, um, or places that I chose to, uh, write up my lessons that I learned
and key skills that I gained and my favorite parts of it, um, stuff like that.
Like reading through it makes it so much easier to recall things.
Moving forward.
So it's certainly been a blessing.
Yeah, absolutely.
And thank you for sharing how, you know, for you, it's different from something
like LinkedIn, people that are kind of new to this, Kind of platforms sometimes
have those questions and LinkedIn is, you know, clearly a valuable tool for so many.
Um, but as you mentioned, you know, it has a kind of standard format and You
know, just thinking about that compared to this real kind of personal branding
and customization and, and stories that went into each of your experiences right
alongside the actual kind of products that you created is so rich and so different
from You know, this kind of scroll down.
These are the bullet points of my experience.
And, uh, I do think it gives people the opportunity to share
so much more about who they, who they are and how they've grown.
You know, I think LinkedIn's done a beautiful job in creating this network
and allowing people really to share, um, You know, kind of a profile slash
resume, and, and we're kind of giving people that opportunity, you know, with
all of those bullets, what are the real stories that happen during that time?
Right?
Let, let, you know, if you're really interested in this individual, You know,
this is where you can really go in and, and learn more about them, you know,
what their passions are, what drives and motivates them, where they may have
encountered challenges and grown from that and really get a sense of the,
the person, um, and you know, your, your kind of culminating portfolio.
Really exemplifies that.
Um, and you talked a little bit about this reflective process.
Was that something that, um, you learned during your time at TCU
or do you feel like reflecting on your experience is something that
you brought with you into college?
What, what was that?
What was that like?
And had you shared reflections like that with other people before?
Sometimes that's a totally new thing for people, too.
No, that's a great point.
Um, I do think my Digication portfolio was one of the first places where I've put it
out there for just anyone kind of to see.
I've, again, as I've mentioned, I've always been such a visual person, so
I've never shied away from sharing a photo or posting on social media.
Or, yeah, that kind of thing I was very comfortable with, but sharing written
message and my internal, um, feelings about a certain thing or kind of how
it's guided me through something, um, was something a little bit new, um, which is
great because I do love pushing myself.
I think it's, it was a great opportunity to not only share the
academic side of things and the actual skills that I learned, um, That can
be used for a job, but also kind of who I am, how I process things, um,
what, how I make meaning of things.
And I've definitely always been a introspective person.
I love to reflect.
I loved to diary as a kid.
Um, but of course all those things were very internal, personal,
nothing I particularly shared.
And while the information on my ePortfolio isn't particularly emotional, um, it
was, it was information of how I chose to process things and sharing that with
the viewer or whoever is reading it.
does add another layer than just the simple text on the resume that is
shown on LinkedIn, like you mentioned.
I feel like platforms like that are extremely valuable, of course, and
the networking part of it is something I've used a lot, um, but it's more so
how do you get the information across in the easiest, simplest way possible.
I feel like there's a lot more, like, condensing things down, um,
just, uh, Have the recruiter know that you graduated with this and
have this skill like bullet pointed.
Um, whereas my ePortfolio gave me a platform to really dive deeper
and share with them not only the skills that I have, but who I am.
Um, and I think that is one of my favorite things about it.
Um, and then even going back and looking on it now, uh, It's an
archive of kind of who I was and how I was feeling at that given time.
Um, and it helps my memories so much.
Like, it takes me just right back.
Like, even just reading the smallest paragraph of my
reflection on a project that I did.
Software Year, for example, um, it's helped a lot in the retention of the
information that I, um, got at that time and using that moving forward.
So, it's been good.
Um, I was very intentional in what I wanted to use on the platform, um,
like what categories I wanted to share.
And so, on my page, I have a Bar up at the top with all the main ones
that I thought would be important.
And I wanted to start it off with an about me, which I think makes sense intuitively.
Um, and I just shared my story there briefly, of course, but, um, I also
wanted to include additional elements.
So a photo of myself, a quote that, um, was important to me.
And so, and something I continue to update over time to help relay the message
that I am continuing to update this.
I'm here.
And like, this is something that's important to me for
people who are looking at it.
Whereas I feel like sometimes people will look on things and be like,
from high school or from college.
And, you know, Think that they just made it then and they've
left it there kind of a thing
and
on my homepage at the very bottom I updated every year just with
things that I enjoy or maybe like what I'm doing the most at the time
Yeah, and then a goal that I have, um, I think is up there right now.
And then I've also included a strengths quest which I think maybe that's the
specific branded title of the one that I did, but there's all sorts of, um, you
know, those self assessments, uh, Yeah, to kind of get to what are your strengths.
Um, so including that was also an important element that I don't feel
like recruiters will see elsewhere.
Um, that's not something often, um, uploaded or shown on your job application
or resume and stuff like that.
And so linking my Digication when I send out information about myself, um, helps
them just learn a lot more about me on a professional level, as well as on a
personal level, which I feel like is at the core of what business is these days.
Yeah.
And you, you know, when you're viewing the, um, StrengthsQuest results, and
then going through and viewing your work.
It's just like everything lined up.
Yeah,
exactly.
It makes sense, you know.
It all makes perfect sense.
Yeah, my strengths are, I'm a developer, I have empathy, achiever,
context, which is really just pulling from past experiences, um, and then
consistency, which I feel like all of those things, You can see throughout
the way that I designed, um, and what, what information I put into my profile.
So yeah, certainly translates.
Oh, sorry.
Oh, no, that was it.
That was it.
It
translates.
I was just thinking, so you were mentioning a little bit about
how, um, you know, you were thinking about how you wanted to.
Organize all of your work.
And we see students, uh, kind of come to this with different ideas and also,
um, input from various, uh, instructors that they might be working with or
thinking about, you know, who the audience is that may be viewing it.
Could you talk a little bit about maybe what that was like for you?
You know, you're just logging in and getting started.
Um, How did you decide, you know, what you wanted that kind
of top level hierarchy to be?
You know, you've got so many, so much content that you wanted to share
and, um, I don't know off the top of my head how many pages are in that.
I don't either, but it might take time to count.
But it's all really well, uh, I mean you can tell a lot of
consideration went into that.
You know, the, the pages all have, uh, titles that would make sense for viewers.
coming from, you know, all different places, not just internal to TCU.
And, um, I would love to hear just a little bit about
what your process is like.
Did, did how things were organized change and shift as you were creating it?
Have they changed or shifted at all after graduation?
I love that you go back in and, you know, Keep updating goals and yeah,
references, my resume, yeah, different things like that.
Um, I always try to update.
Um, but yeah, back thinking back to when I was first creating it, overall
categories, I had support from my teacher at the time, Dr, uh, Fortenberry.
Um, she helped us as a class, the biggest overview topics that she felt The most
valuable, um, and easily understandable.
And then from there we kind of took the reins and we're able to create the
portfolio that made the most sense for us.
Um, so my top categories were the about me page that I just mentioned.
Um, Resume, References, Learning Experiences, which included a deeper
dive subcategories of specific classes that I took that I felt like would
be really valuable to showcase, um.
And then activities that I was involved in, honors that I received,
um, and then towards the end, um, or actually I must have created this
junior year because now that I'm thinking about it, I added information.
Yeah, maybe, yeah, a lot was going on.
All the years kind of blur after a certain point.
Um, but I did have another tab for internships, which, I had one, um, in
between my junior and senior year and I also had some when I was younger
that I personally just added in as supplemental information as well.
Um, and so there's a deep dive into my internships and how that
process looked and what I gained from that, um, as well as just
exhibits and artifacts from that.
Jobs that I had.
I did a lot of social media work and influencer relations throughout
college at different companies.
And so some of the social media feeds and my strategy behind that I included,
um, On the work level tab, um, which I'm going to go into and update with
my current, uh, work and what I've done and accomplished because I think
that'll be very beneficial as well, but those were my overall categories, most
of which had subcategories within them.
Um, and they're pretty self explanatory, which I'm glad that you mentioned
that it did translate that way, um, so that it's easy to look through
from an outsider's perspective.
Um, but I think two of the core categories that I knew that I needed,
um, would be the learning experiences.
That encompassed a handful of classes that I felt were most important and
that I learned the most hard and soft skills, um, that would translate into
a work environment, um, so I basically listed, like, a new page per class, um,
included what we call artifacts, which is basically just work that's been done.
Um, something like tangible that like a PowerPoint or a design project or
a poster board, a sketch, whatever it may be pertaining to that class.
Um, I would include that.
So, I always had a visual, um, as well as a wri a write up, um, which is the
reflection that I was talking about.
Um, and I included the class title just for reference.
I figured Other students would maybe be looking on it and get inspiration
from it and perhaps want to find that class if they go to TCU.
Um, and then information on what those visual artifacts are, kind of when I
took the class, um, and then that write up summary of, What I experienced,
what I gained from it, the skills that can be translatable to a career, and
that is probably, looking back on it, one of the most valuable categories
because otherwise, like I said, memory kind of goes away over time.
I would have certainly had somewhere in my computer.
These projects and, like, artifacts, but actually going and finding them,
like, have you ever gone into a computer trying to, like, just go
through your documents and stuff?
Like, that's not fun.
Not fun.
No one does that, really.
I feel like it just kind of gets lost in the cloud.
Um, but having it all on here has been so helpful looking back on, um, my education.
And then also that internship, uh, tab was very beneficial.
As I was graduating, looking for a job, uh, because it really outlined the
practical experience I had, um, what I learned, the connections I made, um,
projects that I had, uh, so there's a really good deep dive in there.
Um, and I did partner with the company that I, uh, Interned with, uh, as well
as guidance from my education at TCU to also get feedback from my supervisors
at the time, um, like written up.
And that was something I wanted to include for prospective employers
to be able to access as well.
Yeah.
So, yeah.
I
would love to hear about that.
So we do get, um, sometimes people, you know, are interested in Digication,
specifically for these kind of experiential learning experiences, um,
you know, where students are, you know, doing internships or study abroad or
field experiences, you know, if they're interested in going into healthcare.
And so they're often, you know, out in the field doing, you know,
hands on work within the kinds of organizations that they're hoping to,
to be in potentially after graduation.
And so could you share a little bit about maybe, um, from those
internships, what, what kinds of artifacts you were able to include?
Um, Maybe going back and looking at that what it's like to to read about
your experiences in the internships and Did you use Digication in order to help
get those internships, or did you share what you created in Digication to get?
You know, recognize for some of the, you know, career
opportunities that you have now.
I'd love to hear about that.
Yeah.
So to start off with your first question of the internships that I
had and the kind of artifacts that I was able to collect, um, as I said, I
am a visual person, so I certainly am someone who likes to document what's
going on, um, usually through a photo.
Um, but also.
In all other ways, data collection, um, project management and things like that.
So exiting or going into and exiting my summer internship the year before, um,
my senior year, I had the intention of collecting, the items that I was able to
contribute to because I knew that this would be beneficial for a portfolio.
Um, seeing as I did create the portfolio in advance, uh, having
even just that recognition, um, or knowledge of it going into it.
Yeah, it gave me a place to need to put those things.
Um, so I, Actively throughout my internships would collect, write down
things that I accomplished, collect, um, the artifacts that I discuss or photos of,
um, visiting certain locations on the job, which my junior summer, junior to senior,
Internship was right when COVID hit.
So that kind of changed a lot of things.
Um, and there was certainly a fear at one point that it might not work out
and line up, um, after having gotten it.
Right.
Yeah.
And so I was lucky enough that the company, um, that I worked for,
Arteriors, uh, was able to easily transfer the internship to be done remotely.
Even though it was based here in Dallas, um, and I did end up remaining in
Fort Worth on campus that summer for other classes I was taking as well.
Um, there wasn't much opportunity to actually go in and take the
photos that I so normally like.
Um, but I did get an opportunity or two, um, on occasion and so I took
those, um, and Collected photos of some of the products I was working on.
Um, I visited the showroom and was able to gather some imagery there.
Uh, I had to go in for a couple projects of, um, supporting, The Warehouse
kind of just as an intern, you know, additional tasks that, um, would
support the company and, uh, I helped with organization and counting parts
and, uh, getting things to where they needed to be, um, especially during
COVID when things were a bit of a rise.
So, um, Yeah, exactly.
Which, and I, I never hate when someone asks me to support in another area
because I always see it as an opportunity to grow and learn something new.
So, even if it wasn't, like, the core of my job, um, that summer, I was happy to
do so, um, and was able to connect with other individuals as well, which is great.
But, um, For that internship, I collected a lot of pictures
when I was able to go in.
Um, I also, at the end of the internship, compiled different documents that I
supported, um, or created throughout.
Uh, certainly when you're doing this, a disclaimer to Talk to your supervisor
and make sure that that's information
that you're able to share.
Exactly.
You don't want to be leaking any privileged information.
Um, but I did wait until after, because I was working on the new collection
that was going to be coming out.
Um, I was, uh, Product Development and Management Intern.
So, I didn't release that information online until those items were out.
So, yeah, little disclaimer there, but still valuable to collect that information
to be able to use down the line, you know, when you're able to, if you're able to.
Um, but I also had weekly reports, um, and meetings with my supervisor
on the job, and I was able to share that, uh, feedback, um, and then
feedback on that feedback of how I'd improved, which Shares a lot of
information with a prospective employer.
Um, we did book clubs during the internship.
So I was able to kind of reflect on what I'd learned there as well
as connections and references.
Um, and then I took the opportunity to also create an end of internship,
kind of exit presentation.
So, um, That also did, like, a overall summary of going into it, kind of what
I was expecting, how I learned through things, and what I got out of it, um,
so that was a great visual to be able to include on my portfolio as well,
but, um, Also from, apart from that internship, I did one earlier over in
Europe with my family's company at Moda Textile, and there was nothing I needed
to do in connection to my schoolwork with that internship, but I did take the
liberty to honestly just do a similar um, compilation and Reflection on what was
done, what I learned, um, who I connected with on a daily basis since that was a
more condensed opportunity, um, and I was actually going and visiting different
countries and meeting with prospective vendors, um, And if I wasn't to have
created that file and that compilation of information, I would, it would be so
hard to remember the ins and outs of what I really did learn what like eight years
ago or so, like more than eight years ago.
Um, so I do think it's so valuable, like if, You're a student listening
to this, um, or honestly at any age in any profession, like keeping
track of what it is that you're learning and the accomplishments that
you're making as you're, as you're going through it is so beneficial.
And definitely one of my biggest pieces of advice is because you're
your best advocate, like you're the person who's going to have to
get this information out to others.
Um, And having a place to go back to, to reference little things
here and there, um, it adds up.
And then you're able to use that for a new job maybe that you're interested
in, or a compensation review, or maybe you'll discover a new interest that you
have, or habit, or something, um, that'll create a whole new career path for you.
But yeah, and then sharing it on a platform like this, um, on an
ePortfolio just makes it so much easier.
Having it all in one place.
Yeah, and I love what you said about, you know, you're your best advocate.
And that, You know, you can use a tool like this to have everything that you
need to support advocacy for yourself.
You know, it can, it can speak for you when you're not there.
Um, but you also have the opportunity to review and see for yourself.
Um, all that you are and the things that you value and the skills that you have.
You know, if you're ever having a Time where you're questioning
if you're on the the right path or doing what you're capable of.
It's always something that you can refer back to and then always something that
you can share out with with other people.
So, thank you.
Yes, certainly
and The quote, actually, that I have on my first page of my About Me on
my portfolio, it kind of goes in line with that, that there's really only
two things in life that are in it.
your total control, and that's your attitude and your effort.
And it really goes to show the level of
intention and drive that you have to be able to take a task or something that
you're working on, use it, reflect on it.
And then be able to have that as something that can personify you through others
looking on your site, um, whether or not you're directly giving it to them.
I actually tested it out.
If I type my name into Google, it's the second thing that pops up.
I'm not sure if that's your guys SEO killing it or That's
what we want for you!
Exactly!
Which is exactly what I
want as well.
Um, so, yeah.
Totally agree with
you there.
Yes, yes.
Oh, well, Kaitlyn, so much for Joining me today and sharing your story and
your experience and your insights for other students that might be listening.
And you're right, we're all lifelong learners, so this is something
that's of value really to anyone.
We believe that strongly, too.
And um, I'm looking forward to sharing your stories and thank
you again for joining me on Digication Scholars Conversations.
Oh, thank you so much for having me!
This was so
fun, and I'm so happy to stay in touch moving forward.
Yes, yes, please.
Thank you, and take good care.
You too.
Bye.
Coming up next, we'll be chatting with Bill Torgerson, a lecturer
in rhetoric and composition at Appalachian State University.
Here's a quick preview.
This would be what I would point to as a coach and as a professor.
You know, the ability to learn content.
The ability to present the content in an engaging way that makes it
easily digestible to the audience, whether it's a player or a student.
Um, those are really important in both of those spaces and probably strengths of
mind.