By Kathleen Sanchez

Spenser Brown is a technical communication student at UNT and an officer for the Eagle Technical Communicators student organization. He recently shared his positive experience of being part of the tech comm program.

Discovering Tech Comm

Spenser was originally an English major with plans to be an English teacher because he always knew he was a good writer. He eventually realized that a teaching career wasn't exactly what he wanted, but he thought there were no other options to apply his writing skills.

After struggling in other classes, Spenser enrolled in the technical communication program at UNT. He first took one of Mr. Bruton's classes and described the experience as "finding my calling."

"I thought I was going to be a technical writer at first," Spenser said. But he found more career paths within technical communication and different skills to learn besides just writing. Some of these are editing, UX design, information design, and content strategy. "It's nice to feel flexible," Spenser said about these options. "Everything we learn is useable."

Spenser took a proposal writing class in which students developed a proposal for a company. Through the class, Spenser contacted DFW Pug Rescue, a nonprofit organization. Now, Spenser works for them as a volunteer grant writer. He mentioned that the opportunity never would have happened without tech comm.

Spenser praised the program for providing so many opportunities to learn and expressed gratitude for his tech comm teachers. "It's great having teachers that really care about your future and want to ensure your success," he said. "Every professor makes the class enjoyable and inspires me to be better."

Speaking with teachers one on one helped him understand his shortcomings and how to improve. The experience helped him gain self-worth and a sense of belonging. "Every teacher is a mentor, and every teacher wants you to succeed," he said. "They are willing to put forth extra time with you to make sure you have what you need to be successful."

Future Plans

Spenser recalled that when he was in high school people came from colleges to talk about their programs. Now he wants to be an advocate for tech comm at community colleges and high schools.

"I want more people to know about tech comm," he said. "The tech comm department and program at UNT helped me see my potential, not only as a student but also as a person. If I can have that experience, others definitely can."

In addition to being an ETC officer, Spenser has been a TA in the department for a year. He is currently applying for internships and is interested in a job in UX design. After graduation, he plans to pursue a master's degree in technical communication at UNT.

For updates on the department, follow UNT Technical Communication on Instagram and Facebook.