Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies Community Development and Housing Fellow focusing on homelessness and housing in Boston.

My primary focus outside of Fragomen was advocacy surrounding homelessness. In an iterative process to decide whether to eventually attend graduate school to further that activism through law or public policy, I first chose to work at Fragomen to get a better understanding of working in law. Wrote and prepared nonimmigrant visa petitions for a large business immigration law firm during a volatile immigration climate. After preparing over 150 petitions, I took on guiding legal strategy for my team in compiling H-1B petitions and drove changes in how we responded to requests for evidence (RFEs), the critical last step before possible deportation. - Worked with clients and company HR representatives to gather necessary information to write and prep nonimmigrant petitions, often dealing with highly sensitive client relations; - Offered and had implemented several evidence-based changes to team strategy in preparing petitions and responses to RFEs; and - Collaborated with attorneys to adapt our nonimmigrant processes to changing policies.

- Drafted all press materials and handled all press relations- Worked with Company teams to organize panels of and interview industry experts to assess barriers to product launch, resulting in crucial changes made to instrument specifications- Analyzed price, footprint of product, clinic workflow, UI and UX specifications of current methodologies used in hospitals leading to enhancements made to Specific’s products- Developed a database of 500+ leading lab directors, clinicians, and other key contacts. Coordinated internal, market, and corporate communications resulting in 200% increase in Company follow-up - Managed all aspects of Company team participation in two international conferences

Wrote on a variety of subjects from earnings reports to wearables to startups as well as how technology affects homelessness, dating, healthcare, etc ranging in length from hourly spot news pieces to multi-week investigative articles. Produced photography, helped host two shows and a podcast focusing on tech (the 3:59 and Open Tab) and worked on CNET’s speed desk (7 stories in a few hours) and copyediting desk. Also wrote a feature piece for CNET’s print magazine published this fall. (www.cnet.com/profiles/samantha.rhodes/)

Put together the feature story of the day every Thursday on an hourly deadline for six months. Wrote the piece, gathered multimedia, created original content (ie interactive graphics, photography) and scripted HTML and CSS. Now, as a Day in 10 writer I pitch and compose 10 shorter, punchier stories over 2-3 hours covering current events with embedded multimedia (http://gokicker.com/author/samantha-rhodes/). First on-the-ground reporter for Kicker.

One of the founding Editors of the online student publication, Venture Capitol, which promotes the entrepreneurship and tech culture in DC and connects that scene to students. Wrote several pieces a week and mentored nine writers as City Editor for 1.5 years. Became Editor-In-Chief in May 2015 and directed all branches of the publication: finance, editorial, and design. Spearheaded and led writing and interview workshops, redesigned our social strategy, fostered partnerships with incubators and tech professionals in DC and streamlined our hiring process. Building a publication from the ground up, along with the magazine's transition to WordPress, allowed me to expand upon my knowledge of SEO and front- and back-end publishing, continue learning HTML, and be responsible for how our magazine uses data analytics to optimize social media results and ultimately grow readership (www.venturecapitol.co).

Pitched and wrote an extensive multimedia-based story each week, worked directly with USA TODAY editors, and created original photography, videography, graphic and audio content for every article. (http://college.usatoday.com/author/samanthakahnrhodes/).

Interned for DC-based lifestyle magazine. Reported on and photographed events in the DMV area, interviewed a wide range of DC locals, business owners, artists, among others, and helped implement a more streamlined editorial schedule and hiring process. Wrote long-form as well as shorter pieces for the magazine, many of which can be found at www.dclifemagazine.com/author/samrhodes/.

Wrote a column titled Watch Your Step directed towards college students, with content focused on what I wish I had known coming into school – and what I have learned since (www.thehoya.com/author/samantha-rhodes/).