LEONARDO SWEARINGEN

EDUCATION

M.A. Writing, Rhetoric, & Discourse; Professional and Digital Writing Concentration. Exp. June 2025.
DePaul University, Chicago, IL. GPA: 4.0

B.A. Writing, Rhetoric, & Discourse and Psychology. June 2022.
DePaul University, Chicago, IL. GPA: 3.94

DEPAUL UNIVERSITY WRITING, RHETORIC, & DISCOURSE DEPARTMENT. Chicago, IL. Sept 2023 – present.
Graduate Assistant

Oversee and create social media content following university guidelines for a major university department.
Interview faculty and students for weekly WordPress blog content on departmental achievements.
Represent the student body on the Writing, Rhetoric, & Discourse Equity Committee, championing student interests, inclusive policies, and creating and publishing informational materials such as the quarterly newsletter.

THE UNIVERSITY CENTER FOR WRITING-BASED LEARNING. Chicago, IL. Sept 2021 – present.
Logistics Student Leader and Writing Tutor

Provide one-on-one tutoring to students across various academic disciplines, contributing to an increase in tutoring volume by +600 appointments and +360 new writers from the previous academic year.
Manage scheduling, significantly increasing organizational efficiency for the professional development team.

LYRIC OPERA OF CHICAGO. Chicago, IL. June 2024 – Sept 2024.
Marketing and Public Relations Intern

Write copy for advertisements, emails, blogs, press releases, and program books, reaching audiences of 85,000+.
Research performances, market trends, and niche audience development opportunities to develop innovative marketing strategies and compile prospect contact lists to grow new and existing audiences.
Coordinate, schedule, and supervise events such as photography shoots with executive staff.

DEPAUL UNIVERSITY BLUE BOOK. Chicago, IL. Sept 2023 – June 2024.
Associate Editor

Solicit and evaluate promising creative writing from high school instructors across the nation for DePaul University’s annual journal of best high school writing, acquiring nearly 1000 submissions.

DARREN B. EASTERLING CENTER FOR RESTORATIVE PRACTICES. Chicago, IL. Sept 2023 – Nov 2023.
Grant Writer

For a university course, collaborated with the Executive Director to identify grant opportunities and craft a full grant proposal aiming to secure $85,305 in funding for evidence-based and trauma-informed community care.

WordPress, G-Suite, Office 365, Slack, Cision, Canva, Content Strategy, Editing, Research, Writing