My name is Rachel Duke and I am a December ’10 graduate of Southern Methodist University’s journalism school. When I transferred with a half scholarship to SMU in fall of ’08, little did I know I would discover my love and appreciation for journalism. I grew up reading and writing, with a love for the arts. The first “big girl with chapters in it” book my mom thrust into my hands, as an eight-year-old, was Nancy Drew: Skeleton in the Closet.

I truly enjoy reading the classics and authors such as C.S. Lewis and Jane Austen. They have such a way with words and I hope one day that my writing style will possess even a little of the talent they had. I think that’s why I have a passion for magazine writing; it allows for life, wit, color, and spark. There are very few things as genius or beautiful, as when Austen opens Pride and Prejudice with the thesis, which in turn shapes the whole book: “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.”

One of the things I value most about the SMU journalism program is the emphasis on convergent media. Things I was afraid to try, I've learned, enjoyed, and excelled at. These experiences have embolden me to push myself to try new things. My digital journalism class showed me the value of utilizing social media to more effectively and efficiently report news. It taught me the importance and significance about building on the four pillars of Web 2.0: immediacy and urgency, non-linear presentation, reader interactivity & social media, and multi-media content. I look forward to what lies ahead for me and in the field of journalism. I believe this is the new age in which news is changing mediums, and up and coming journalists will be required to wear the title of social media specialist.

Today, I'm the Print & Online Assistant Editor for a trade publication called WE & MBN Magazines (Women's Enterprise and Minority Business News). We are the #1 magazine in supplier diversity. I update and maintain all four websites as well as our Facebook and Twitter pages.