University of South Carolina Honors College
Graduation with Leadership Distinction in Professional and Civic Engagement
History
Mass Communication
Strategic Thinking & Communications Certificate
Pre-law
Norah Dixon
Welcome!
Welcome to my portfolio! My name is Norah Dixon, and I am a senior in the Honors College at the University of South. Carolina. I am a history major with a minor in mass communication on the pre-law track. I am also on track to graduate with a Strategic Thinking and Communications Certificate and with Leadership Distinction in Professional and Civic Engagement (GLD) in December 2024. Upon graduation, I plan to go to law school. Ultimately, I aim to open a law firm in Columbia, my hometown, and accept numerous pro bono cases because I believe one’s socioeconomic status should not be a barrier to justice. As a history major, I want to use my awareness of how the roots of our past to impact our society today to become an impactful civil rights attorney. I chose this career path because of my passion for advocating for marginalized communities. Furthermore, I want to live in a community defined by inclusivity, equality, peace, empathy, and justice, which starts with becoming involved in the communities I am currently a part of. So, I hope that one thing you take from my ePortfolio is that all of the academic, extracurricular, research, and volunteer work I have done as an undergraduate student and will continue to do revolves around my goal of using my talents to better my community day by day.
In pursuing a Graduation with Leadership Distinction in Professional and Civic Engagement, I have seen the intersection of history, mass communications, and the legal field firsthand. I have been able to apply this newfound knowledge of how my academic interests overlap with my professional and leadership experiences outside the classroom. First, you will see how I learned to apply the power of ethos in public communication to my leadership positions outside the classroom. Next, you will read how I connected the Agenda-Setting Theory to politics and my work in public relations. Finally, you will learn what is necessary to create a public history display in the era of technology and how this applied to my first presentation at a research conference. After connecting my in-the-classroom experiences with my professional and leadership experiences, I have been inspired to make a difference in my community by using the skills I have learned to create a public education partnership program in the future (Leadership Section).
While I do not believe personality inventories can fully encapsulate one’s personality, they can be good starting points in helping one determine their strengths and weaknesses and how to use these to better the world. According to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator test (MBTI), I am a part of the 2.2% of the world’s population who identify as an INTJ (Architect) female. INTJs have introverted, intuitive, thinking, and judging traits. INTJs tend to be thoughtful people who “love perfecting the details of life, applying creativity and rationality to everything they do.” INTJs are intellectually curious and have a deep-seated thirst for knowledge. We tend to value creative ingenuity, straightforward rationality, and self-improvement. We consistently “work toward enhancing intellectual abilities and are often driven by an intense desire to master any and every topic that piques our interest” (Source).
I do not entirely identify with the characteristics of the INTJ personality type that are identified by the MBTI test, but several of these traits are reflected in the experiences I include in this ePortfolio. So, I believe knowing more about my personality type can help you better understand why I decided to pursue a GLD in Professional and Civic Engagement and how my personality type shapes the experience I share with you in this ePortfolio. I hope you were able to get to know me better and that you enjoy reading my recollections of some of my best experiences at UofSC!