Make the assumption that your readers don’t know a single thing about your subject (that is, the person, place or event).  You have two primary goals in this piece—(1) to inform your readers about the subject, and (2) to entertain them, or hold their interest, as they read.

 

To get an idea about how such an essay might treat its subject, think about profile articles in mainstream magazines.  Most of the feature articles in mainstream magazines are “profiles” of one kind or another—of a band, an individual, a vacation spot, a significant event in a specific location, etc.  Some of those subjects are famous or well-known individuals or places, but a significant number of articles are also about obscure or non-famous entities.  The writer simply sees something worth writing about, and makes the subject interesting to the reader through the power of description and evaluation.

 

Don’t assume that the subject you write about has to be of some obviously tremendous, earth-shattering importance.  We’ve read (and will be reading) essays about family members, very personal places, small restaurants and locations, and people and places we might never think about, or learn about, if we hadn’t read that particular piece of writing.  That doesn’t make their importance any less.  In fact, a good piece of writing can make the unknown known to us, in some very moving ways.

 

Regardless of what you write about, all of these essays are going to have to describe relevant people, locations, and actions / anecdotes.  In addition, you’re not working solely from memory this time.  You’ll have to go and collect data, do a short interview or two, make notes on what you see and hear around you, and then come back to your laptop or pad and compose an essay drawn from that information. 

 

The subject you choose to write about will largely dictate the structure of your essay.  In all cases, however, you’ll want to find the “hook,” that is, the focus of the subject that will serve as the main point of your essay.  Some possibilities for profile subjects might be the following: a local business establishment, like a restaurant or small-business enterprise; an individual with a unique personality, life history, or skill; or a sporting or performance event (of which there are several, on this campus).  As always, though, the topic is up to you.