Current Eastern Washington University student, Erica Halbert, graduated from Southridge High School located in Kennewick, WA in 2013. Additionally, she did the running start program through Columbia Basin College, during her last two years of high school. This sets her out from the rest of her graduating class, showing devotion to her post-secondary educational journey.
Halbert began school at EWU in the fall of 2013. She is majoring in Journalism-News Editorial, and minoring in Communication Studies and Visual Communication and Design. As a journalism major, she has spent a quarter as a contributing writer for The Easterner which is the independent, student-run news outlet for EWU. She was many roles, acting as reporter, investigator, writer, photographer, and editor, adhering to Associated Press guidelines. Through this, she has gained valuable experience independently conducting interviews with various people on campus and the surrounding community. From these interviews, she did her own research and wrote up stories for publication in The Easterner, which is widely read by students, faculty, alumni, and other community members. This has given her familiarity with copy editing and using the Associated Press style of writing.
As a Visual Communication and Design student, Halbert has excelled at creativity and expertise in the area. She has created various graphics and logos for theoretical corporate use, including infographics that are meant for public display that utilizes design fundamentals to draw attention. She has also coded and designed websites from nothing; using the latest CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) and HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) technologies, which are both methods that are responsive on multiple platforms. She has some experience with coding using Python and JavaScript. Halbert has also designed and created various publication designs, including newspapers, tabloids, and magazines, designed to be viewed both in print and digitally.
As a Communications student, Halbert has done extensive research and created speeches and visual presentations on various topics, which attests to her experience with public speaking to inform and persuade audiences. She also led a team of four Public Relations writers in developing PR content for a local nonprofit organization, the Gardeners of Cheney. Her group developed press releases, brochures and newsletters that were distributed to local Spokane and Cheney news outlets, organization members and members of the publc.
Halbert is skilled in Microsoft Office programs such as, Word and Excel. She is also proficient in navigating and utilizing Adobe Creative Suite programs like InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator. She is also experienced with non-linear video editing software, as well as digital photography with DSLR cameras.
Over the Summer of 2018, Halbert worked as a Science Communications Intern for Washington River Protection Solutions. She researched various projects and interviewed project leads to create project posters. These posters are intended to be used for public release, to give information on the various technical projects WRPS has been working on at the Hanford site, and to give that information in such a way that the average person can easily understand. Halbert also developed logos for WRPS' Closure and Interim Measures team, and updated the team's internal website.
Halbert is experienced with Windows-based computer hardware and software, as she has built multiple PCs. She also has experience with diagnosing and resolving Windows-based software and PC issues, including network problems.
In her spare time, Halbert enjoys photography, horseback riding, traveling, cooking, and competitive costuming.