Brenna Lyles
After graduation, Brenna transitioned from a position as a newsroom intern to a staff writer at The Sacramento Bee, where she worked for around a year, covering breaking news and feature stories about homelessness. This burgeoned her interest in public and social policy.
When The Bee was unable to offer full-time work, she took a chance on a new career (though journalism was her dream field since sixth grade) and began working for a consulting firm that helps public agencies reduce homelessness through strategic planning and data analytics. She began as an associate and worked up to senior associate in four years, primarily writing reports and other deliverables as well as taking on some evaluation and analytic work. Currently, she’s in grad school getting her master's in public affairs at the University of Texas LBJ School and works as a graduate research assistant for the Center for Transportation Research. In that role, she manages public and private stakeholder relationships, conducts research, and writes research-focused papers for their portfolio of transportation, smart city, and data initiatives for the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and other public agencies across Texas.
How has your professional writing minor benefited you?
Writing has been essential in every role I've had to-date. It is critical to know how to write in an articulate, concise way in almost every sphere. In the policy sphere, my writing minor has entrusted me the skills to choose my words carefully (think, short and punchy) to ensure impact and memorability. I've learned that most high-up policymakers and legislators don't respond well to long, wordy pieces and are unlikely to read anything longer than a page—so well-written executive summaries count. This applies to corporate executives and nonprofit leaders, as well. Prior to my venture into policy and grad school, my minor and relationship with Professor Stephen Magagnini opened the door to my position at The Sacramento Bee—a position that I look upon with such fond memories. His Journalism (UWP 104C) and Investigative Reporting (UWP 111B) classes were some of the most formative to my news writing skills—he truly refined us by fire.
Why were you interested in pursuing the professional writing minor?
I've always loved writing and thought of myself as a writer above all else. Though I primarily pursued it to help launch me towards my journalistic aspirations, I also recognized the value in the minor no matter what career I ended up in. It's a truly versatile and highly sought after skill that really all people should work on developing.
What advice do you have for current UC Davis students considering or currently completing the minor?
Keep going! Practice writing different forms whenever you have the chance. If you're interested in science writing, take a journalism class. If you're interested in the arts, take a policy writing class. Write creatively, write professionally, write long form, write short executive summaries. The skills you gain from all these types of writing will bleed over into your primary forms and refine your style. Also challenge yourself to journal—it's a great exercise in articulating your emotions and daily experiences.