By Desaray Hickombottom, Communication Studies major, Class of 2020
Liv Shin, a junior strategic communication major from Lake Oswego, Oregon, has already made her mark on TCU’s campus.
Liv runs her own publication company, Shindig Publishing LLC, has published three children’s books, and won Top Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Submission at the 2019 Bob Schieffer College of Communication’s Research and Creative Festival. She is also a TCU resident assistant.
Her most recent children’s book, “Ezra: A Story of a Young Boy with Blindness,” was released in September.
Liv grew up in New Jersey before moving to Oregon in fourth grade. She said this move made her notice a significant difference in how school systems treat students with disabilities.
“In New Jersey, I always wondered about the classmates that left to special rooms and never came back till the end of the day,” she said. “On the other hand, schools in Oregon always had these students coming in and out of the classroom so that they could be part of as many activities possible despite their specialized learning track.”
“This is when I became inspired,” Shin said. “I decided to combine my passion — kids and teaching, and skills — writing and creativity, to write a children’s book two years ago called ‘Kendall: A Story About A Young Boy with Autism.’”
Shin says her strategic communication classes have helped her run her publishing company and promote her books. “I always thought that strategic communication would solely be handling all the socials of a company,” she said. “However, I’m learning how PR professionals use more in-depth processes and procedures which require analytics and assessment of data to influence others.”
“Especially with my own company where I run all the book sales, PR, budget, and events, I’m learning the importance of tracking everything so I can evaluate what went well, what didn’t, and plan accordingly for the future,” Shin said.
Shin says her classes have also taught her the importance of naming her goals, objectives and visions. “Because of this, my major has reminded me of the purpose of my books: to spread disability awareness to a younger audience.”
You can keep up with Liv on her website or on Instagram. Her books are available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
