I am a technical communicator by degree and title which means by experience I am a writer, editor, designer, content strategist and creator, and wordsmith extraordinaire.
I spend my days teaching, creating, writing, and contemplating the hustle.
“…nothing but idiosyncratic arrangements in horizontal lines of twenty-six phonetic symbols, ten numbers, and maybe eight punctuation marks…” – Kurt Vonnegut
My name is Lasamee Kettavong; in some circles, people call me Laci. My family calls me Lat. My parents arrived in Texas on Halloween Day, 1989. I am a first-generation Lao-American and daughter of refugees. Watching my parents and siblings work their hardest and being part of the family’s growth and wellbeing instilled in me a work ethic that I bring to every role in my life.
Because of my upbringing, I was fortunate enough to be able to pursue higher education and training beyond traditional schooling. For that, I am grateful. My values come from my honest, compassionate, and hard-working mother.
When I’m not working, I enjoy reading, gardening, attempting to develop my photography hobby, hanging out with my partner and cats, and cooking Lao food.
Spoken
I was invited to speak about principles of design on The Not Boring Tech Writer: Skill #35 Understanding Basic Design Principles.
I recorded a short video tutorial that lives on the City of Denton’s Small Business Resources page: 4 Basic Design Principles to Creating Content For Your Business (11 min video)
I visited with the Denton Chamber of Commerce on an episode of the Denton Insider in January 2022. “Welcome back to the Denton Insider! Today, we talk coworking, business resources and upcoming Stoke happenings.” (28 minute podcast)
Check out our conversation with Lao chef and influencer, Ae Southammavong, co-hosted with Lao Food Foundation’s communications fellow, Danae Hendrickson.
Recommendations
“During my tenure at UNT Sustainability, Laci was always an exceptionally hard worker and her attention to detail was unmatched. She always took the initiative and required very little oversight. Whenever she completed a project, I often received far more work than I asked for, and always within the deadlines I set. Laci is the kind of person that makes her supervisor look good! I would recommend Laci without reservation to anyone lucky enough to hire her.”
-Nicole Cocco, Graphic Designer
Graphic Solutions Group Inc.
“Laci is a talented, skilled writer and designer who brings fresh perspectives to her projects. She is able to think critically and adapt to new genres in interesting ways, and I was lucky to be able to work with her.”
–Dr. Jordan Frith, Associate Professor
Technical Communication Department, University of North Texas
“Laci is a highly organized and dependable professional that can be counted on to deliver quality work, whether working independently, leading others, or as a team member. She has been the perfect employee to lead the STARS Sustainability reporting for UNT which required a high level of autonomy, communication, problem solving, and organization. I also value being able to access Laci’s expertise in technical communication and marketing when administering the UNT We Mean Green social media accounts, and her contributions make our messaging more effective for garnering student engagement with the initiatives we promote.”
-Gary Cocke, M.S., Sustainability Coordinator
Student Sustainability, We Mean Green Fund, University of North Texas
“Laci’s diligence, sense of responsibility, tenacity, approachability, and her drive for excellence with every task she is given has made her an invaluable part of our work at UNT. It is truly a pleasure to work with an individual whom I can trust to do an excellent job with any duty assigned.”
–Elijah Cumpton, Coordinator
Office of Spiritual Life, University of North Texas
Lasamee Kettavong 