Translating Complexity into Clarity

Hi, I'm Tegan!

On the farm with Cici, one of the many loving rescue animals I am honored to work with! In the wise words of Julia Carney, "Little drops of water make the mighty ocean."

I also bring experience from working in a high-volume clinical setting as an ophthalmic technician, where I helped patients navigate complex medical information and healthcare systems. Working directly with a diverse patient population has given me meaningful insight into communication barriers in complex systems. Whether it’s accessibility issues due to vague insurance policies, mental health challenges stemming from medical concerns, or administrative burden disrupting effective patient care, these challenges reinforced my belief that clear, specialized, and individualized communication makes all the difference in how people understand and access important information. I’ve learned to navigate confusing systems, address emotional and logistical challenges, and step in when structural barriers stand in the way.

Today, I volunteer as Social Media Coordinator for a local nonprofit animal rescue, a cause that’s very close to my heart. I stepped into this role after first joining the team as a general communications volunteer, where I focused on creating marketing material like flyers, brochures, and pitch decks in Canva. As the Social Media Coordinator, I help shape the organization’s digital voice and online presence, creating social media content that supports community outreach, storytelling, audience engagement, and donor development. Growing into this role has allowed me to deepen my skills in strategic messaging, content creation, and mission-driven communication, while contributing to work that connects my community with a cause I care deeply about.

I’m a communications professional with a background in writing, publishing, and healthcare communication, and I’m passionate about making complex information clear, accessible, and human.

I graduated in 2024 from the University of Illinois at Chicago with a B.A. in English, concentrating in Literatures in English and Professional Writing & Publishing, along with a minor in Gender and Women’s Studies. My studies helped me develop a strong sense of nuance in language, audience-centered communication, and client success, while also grounding my interest in advocacy, equity, and thoughtful public engagement.

During college, I built hands-on experience in writing and editorial work as a writer for the UIC Honors College Journal The Ampersand, Assistant Editor for Red Shoes Review, and a peer tutor and social media coordinator at the UIC Writing Center, where I worked closely with students to help them find clarity and confidence in their writing and to drive engagement with the Center’s Instagram.

Outside of campus, I dove headfirst into the world of professional communications, moving from publishing to social media to marketing with a curiosity for how ideas take shape and reach audiences. I spent a summer as a publishing intern, learning how ideas come to life in educational publishing, gaining hands-on experience in manuscript formatting, planning, and editing, supplemental material creation, and cross-functional team coordination. I then stepped into social media, turning strategy into action, creating SEO-friendly content, managing event marketing, and curating a cohesive brand voice and modernized brand presence. I worked as a marketing and communications intern for a biotechnology company, crafting internal educational materials and presentations while helping shape the company’s internal brand, writing white pages, and developing legal presentations. Across every role, I discovered that communication isn’t just sharing information, but rather guiding, connecting, and making ideas resonate.

Skills I bring to the table:

🌟 Administrative and Customer Service: Phone etiquette, problem-solving, electronic record management, data organization

🌟 Marketing Strategy and Execution: Digital marketing, social media content creation, SEO optimization, brand voice alignment, market research

🌟 Communications: Copywriting, copyediting, active listening, public speaking, media relations, critical thinking

🌟 Community Engagement: Event promotion, relationship building, cultural competency

🌟 Digital Tools and Platforms: Canva, Google Analytics, Mailchimp, Monday.com, Salesforce, WordPress

Key Career Achievements:

🎯 Community Relations with HHH Ranch:  Managing social media platforms, using engagement analytics to predict what types of content the community wants to see, driving engagement and donation rates. Responding to community engagement with personalized and heartfelt interactions.

🎯 Relationship and Trust Building at Retina Associates: Strengthened patient-clinician relations by prioritizing health-literacy through a plain-language workflow and reducing procedural confusion, resulting in more adherence to long-term treatment plans.

🎯 UIC Writing Center Audience Engagement: Increased Instagram engagement by 47% and drove increased student self-referrals by building and executing a content strategy focused on introducing Center services and addressing common barriers to using campus resources.

🎯 Streamlined Communications at Cybergenetics: Standardized external communication designs across legal, clinical, and customer-facing materials, creating format templates to streamline brand presentation and accelerate creation turnaround time.

🎯 SEO and Audience Engagement at STC Chicago: Improved audience engagement by 40% by consistently producing SEO-aligned content and maintaining a cross-platform posting calendar.