Rachel Dykes

Hello there! My name is Rachel Dykes. I am a senior at Idaho State University.

At Idaho State, I am double-majoring in Physics and English -- Professional Writing, with a minor in Applied Mathematics. I am also a member of the University Honors Program. Previously, I earned a Certificate in Communication from North Idaho College. I have studied a variety of subjects during my academic career because I absolutely love to learn. I take great pride in doing well in my studies.

Eventually, I want to pursue a Master in Library and Information Science and become a public librarian. I volunteered for my local library as a community service requirement in high school and loved the experience so much that I continued volunteering whenever I returned home.

In the meantime, I may work as a technical writer or proofreader. I will gain practical experience in technical writing through completing the guide project.

One of my favorite projects is a handout I created for the course Professional/Technical Writing. I designed a six-page handout geared toward middle school students that introduced the concept of exoplanets. This portion of the handout defines the terms circumbinary planet and habitable zone.

To create this document, I catered to my target audience by using simple vocabulary and referencing a well-known movie series. I also considered my secondary audience — teachers — and designed the handout entirely in black and white, so that it would look the same when printed. I expanded my knowledge of exoplanets and Star Wars when performing research for the handout. This project allowed me to explore science education for the first time.

I have minimal experience with repairing things. I have occasionally consulted online guides to fix small issues, most of which were unhelpful. Therefore, I am excited to contribute to guides that allow people to easily understand their gadgets and how to repair them. I am most interested in learning how to fix mobile devices.

• Idaho State University Dean’s List (2016-2019)
• North Idaho College Dean’s List (2017-2018)
• Idaho State University Presidential Scholarship (2016-2019)
• Idaho Opportunity Scholarship (2016-2019)

• Mortar Board (2019)
• American Physical Society (2018)
• Society of Torch and Laurel (2015)

In my free time, I enjoy reading, playing video games, spending time with friends, and snuggling with my dog Tracker.

Thank you for learning a bit more about me!