What larger idea about this person do I want to emerge from the profile?”

Choose someone you find interesting and have access to, then interview this person. How you use the interview will be at the core of your paper. According to the book Writing Today, profiles try to create a snapshot of a person by taking a specific, focused angle that allows the writer to capture something essential—an insight, idea, theme, or social cause . . . . You should strive to reveal a fundamental quality of your subject. Keep this question in mind: “What larger idea about this person do I want to emerge from the profile?” A profile is not a biography (though it contains elements of biography). It is a slice of the person’s life which you have carefully framed for the reader. Good profiles rely on a couple of strong elements: an intriguing angle and memorable details from the person’s life (so make sure you conduct a strong interview along with a possible follow-up interview if necessary). Two other points to remember: (1) use the interview in the essay but don’t directly refer to it (e.g., don’t write, “In the interview . . .”); (2) do not refer to yourself in the essay, either as the interviewer or otherwise.