Writing Samples
Press Releases • Magazine Articles • Social Media • Community Outreach
Press Releases
Client: Village of Indiantown, FL
Quest Corporation of America
Indiantown Begins Stormwater Drainage Improvements Project in Booker Park State of Florida Appropriated $2M Towards Neighborhood Improvement Project
Indiantown, FL – The Village of Indiantown recently began a $2.18 million project to improve stormwater drainage and roads in the Booker Park neighborhood. Construction activity will begin over the next two weeks, starting at Palm Beach Street and 173 Avenue. The contractor received the notice to proceed on January 17, 2022. During the work, there may be limited and temporary access to some streets and homes’ driveways; however, local access for residents will always be maintained. All work will be conducted on the public right of way. “Since we incorporated, our priority has always been to make improvements to our neighborhoods,” said Mayor Jacqueline Gary Clarke, Village of Indiantown. “Flooding is a major issue in Booker Park, and we are thrilled to finally have obtained the funding to move forward for this much-needed project.” In August 2020, the Village received a $50,000 grant to complete an improvement study. The study examined existing stormwater control systems and analyzed vulnerabilities to develop plans to correct deficiencies. Based on the study results, the improvements project provides stormwater drainage and road improvements to Booker Park, including creating swales and driveway culverts to alleviate flooding in the area. The program also calls for road resurfacing and placing new sod in the work area. “Utility relocates are possible in this project as some water lines were placed underground many years ago and may interfere with the stormwater lines. All parties are anticipating this to occur and have made provisions to address,” said Bill Archebelle, public works director and consulting engineer from Bowman Engineering. Funding sources for the $2.18M neighborhood improvement project include $2M from the Florida State General Appropriation Act HB500 with the remaining $180K from the Village of Indiantown FY21 budget. The project manager and civil engineer of record is CAPTEC Engineering, Inc., and the certified general contractor is PRP Construction Group, both based in Martin County. During construction, residents can contact 772-597-6923 for information, concerns, or questions.
Distributed through Tampa Bay Newswire
University of South Florida Alumni Association
USF Announces Spring 2020 Outstanding Graduates
TAMPA, Fla. (April 2020) — The University of South Florida has announced the three Outstanding Graduates for spring 2020. Through their leadership, perseverance, school spirit and determination, these students have embodied what it means to be an Outstanding Graduate. USF recognizes one Outstanding Graduate for each regional institution of the USF System – USF, USF St. Petersburg and USF Sarasota-Manatee. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, there won’t be a physical Commencement in May. USF plans to recognize spring graduates virtually on May 9 and at the Summer 2020 USF Commencement in August. Keller Blackwell, BS Mathematics, USF Tampa A non-traditional transfer student, Keller Blackwell spent many years working full-time in the restaurant industry before arriving at USF in 2017 as a sophomore majoring in mathematics. His passion for research has produced groundbreaking work in multiple research groups, including internships at Clemson University and Williams College. Blackwell founded the USF Putnam Group to bring the nation's most prestigious mathematics competition to Tampa and has served on the executive board of multiple USF student organizations, including the Chinese Culture and Language Club and the Mathematical Association of America. His work in coding theory and cryptography won national recognition in the 2019 Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship, and inspired him to co-found USF CodeBreakHERS, a STEM program for disadvantaged high school girls. In 2020, Blackwell became USF's first Knight-Hennessy Scholar, an internationally competitive fellowship funding graduate study at Stanford. After graduation, Blackwell intends to pursue a doctorate in computer science. Jonathan M. DeVries, BS Biology, USF St. Petersburg Jonathan DeVries arrived at USFSP as a home-schooled student. He devoted himself to academics and to becoming a leader on and off-campus. With the ultimate goal of becoming a physician, he regularly served as a volunteer at Bayfront Health and at the Celebrate Recovery 12-Step Program. And, in keeping with his desire to help others, served on mission trips to Kenya and Japan and joined the USFSP Student Success Center as a physics and chemistry tutor. In 2018, he became a research intern for the Summer Program for the Advancement of Research Knowledge, a highly competitive program for undergraduates at Moffitt Cancer Center. He later joined Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital as a research assistant working on pediatric gastroenterology. DeVries also served as president of the Phi-Chi Pre-Medical Fraternity at USFSP. Graduating with a 4.0 GPA, he plans to continue his medical research at Johns Hopkins while applying to medical school. Kayla Collins, BA Criminology, USF Sarasota-Manatee A first-generation college student, Collins dreamed of being a role model for her cousins and future nieces and nephews. When she arrived at USFSM, she looked for ways to ease her transition from inner-city St. Louis to small-town Florida. She applied to become a USF Ambassador, a demanding student leadership development program that offers members many opportunities to connect with their peers, alumni and community. To further immerse herself in campus life, Collins went to work at the Office of Admissions, where she became a founding member and leader of the Campus Experience Guide Team. She also joined Student Government, where she was elected vice president. While working three jobs and holding leadership positions in extracurricular groups including the Adventure Club and the Yoga Club, Collins conducted research at the local prison and maintained a 3.9 GPA. She plans to complete her master’s degree in 2021. About the USF Alumni Association The USF Alumni Association is a nonprofit organization composed of former students and friends of the University of South Florida. Our mission is to provide meaningful ways for USF Bulls to support, protect and promote their university. There are more than 353,000 USF graduates worldwide. For more information, log on to www.usfalumni.org, like our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/USFalumni or follow us on Twitter @USFAlumniAssn.
Magazine Articles
USF loves its military veterans, and it shows. For nearly a decade, the university has been among the Military Times’ top five “best for vets” four-year colleges in the nation, including No. 1 in 2017. But by fall 2020, there was still no USF Veteran Alumni Society. That surprised John Cranston, who enrolled in 2018 after five years of service in the U.S. Marine Corps. Eager to get involved in campus life, he applied to several groups, including the Alumni Association’s Order of the Golden Brahman. “In the application, they asked what legacy you want to leave at USF,” says Cranston, USF’s 2020 Student Veteran of the Year. “I thought there had to be a group for veteran alumni to connect through, but I couldn’t find anything. Creating the USF Veteran Alumni Society became my mission.” Cranston, who plans to graduate in August, thought an alumni group could help students navigate the difficult transition from military to civilian life. As a new student, that was one of his biggest worries. “I hadn’t been in school for five years, and I wasn’t sure if I was going to succeed in college,” he says. “I was worried about whether or not I could figure out how to do math at a college level and if I could handle how academically rigorous it would be. I can’t imagine how intimidating it is for a veteran who has been away from school even longer.” But the lessons he’d learned as a Marine helped a lot — and that’s something alumni can share with new veteran-students. “The tools the military taught us set me up for success,” he says. “I showed up to my classes early, sat in the front row, took notes and respected all of my professors. It’s all of those little habits that you pick up from your military experience that pay dividends when you transition to college.” Last fall, Cranston got to work creating his legacy. A fellow Marine in his ROTC program, Nathan Miller, quickly stepped up and the two emailed USF’s veteran alumni to find more volunteers. Now they have three leaders and lots of interested alumni. They plan to host in-person socials, volunteer events and USF football tailgates. Cranston hopes the USF Veterans Alumni Society will become a network that veterans can rely on for support, professional connections, friendship and guidance. “People who serve in the military share a unique bond,” he says. “Even though we served in different branches and at different times, we still speak the same language. The camaraderie isn’t just from us serving in the military; it’s also from our shared background at USF.”
An effort to provide Bull-U face masks for USF alumni in Broward County morphed into a successful fundraiser that’s helping feed financially strapped USF students. After making a USF face mask for himself, Alan Steinburg, ’78, Life Member, figured other chapter members might like one, too. He took the idea to his Broward Alumni Chapter co-chair, Ruth Rogge, ’74, Life Member, who thought it would make a good fundraiser. “We were trying to figure out if we wanted to raise money for the chapter or something else,” says Steinburg. When they learned the USF student food pantry, Feed-a-Bull, was having trouble keeping up with demand, they had their answer. After four weeks of gathering the fabric and materials, Steinburg turned to Diane Simpson, the mother of two USF alumni, to sew the masks. “I met Diane and her husband at one of our football watch parties,” he says. “Whenever we have these watch parties, we have a number of parents in the area come. I became friends with them and heard she was making masks, so I asked for her help.” The chapter asked Simpson to make 160 masks and expected them to take a few weeks to sell out. But when Steinburg announced the sale on social media, the response was fast and furious. “In less than 48 hours, we were completely sold out and raised $1,280 to donate.” Some of the other USF alumni groups had picked up on the promotion, and the chapter received orders from all over the country, from California to Georgia, Michigan to Maryland. “It says a lot about the reach of USF alumni,” Steinberg says. “It shows how they want to represent and help their university any way they can."
Graduating from college is a challenge in itself, but psychology grads face an especially intimidating job market because of the many options – not all of them readily apparent. To ease the transition to post-graduate life, the Undergraduate Psychology Alumni Society connects with students to help them find a career. That helped the society win the Most Improved award at the 2020 Alumni Academy, a USF Alumni Association event that honors alumni groups and leaders. “Winning the award was a big achievement for us because we tried to get more involved in different events,” says society co-chair Samera Ahmed. “One event we’re a part of is USF’s Undergraduate Conference and Psych Expo for undergraduate psychology students. We tabled that event — and other similar ones — to let students and graduates know that they can be involved with our group before and after graduation.” It’s a great opportunity to invite alumni to join because the group will also support their research," she said. Bridging the gap between alumni and students is a key pillar in the group’s foundation. “It really helps new grads feel like they are a part of something after they graduate,” Ahmed says. “It’s important in the field of psychology because it’s so broad, and there are a lot of ways you can go. It helps undergraduates feel less intimidated when they have us to help them find a path.” Watch for the society’s “love languages” event – coming soon! – and meet fellow psych Bulls by visiting the USF Undergraduate Psychology Alumni Society page on Facebook.
Social Media
Client: Florida’s Statewide Workforce Development
Quest Corporation of America
Event: St. Lucie Earth Day Festival
Quest Corporation of America
Client: Coral Springs Improvement District
Quest Corporation of America
Daily Facebook & Instagram Management
USF Alumni Association
Instagram Giveaway
USF Alumni Association
Community Outreach
Client: Florida Department of Transportation District Four
Led grassroots community outreach for public sector agencies across Southeast Florida. Below are two examples.
Outreach included press releases for local media, letters to elected & agency officials, direct mailers to property owners & businesses, project website development & public meeting planning.
Quest Corporation of America
County Road (CR) 510 Widening Design from CR 512 to west of 82nd Avenue
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Segments 7 and 8
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Indian River County, FL
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$30 million project value
Project Website
State Road (SR) 80 Lighting Design from SR 15 TO County Road (CR) 880
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Palm Beach County, FL
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$20+ million project value
