Sharing Their Story: Writers Play Vital Role in USU Student Tech Startup

LOGAN, Utah — When you picture a technology company, it’s the coders, analysts and marketers — most likely clad in hoodies — that come to mind. But at Tarifflo, a Utah State University student-led startup recently awarded the $20,000 grand prize at the Tim Draper Utah Entrepreneur Challenge, two young women, both English majors, are helping reshape what it means to be a techie.

Tarifflo, co-founded by USU students Tanner Helms (computer science) and Bryce Judy (information systems), is an AI-powered platform that helps companies comply with harmonized tariff schedule regulations — a growing concern in a volatile global trade environment. While the technology behind the product is cutting-edge, the startup’s success also hinges on the strategic communication and storytelling expertise of Lauren Astle and Brooklyn Hibshman.

Both Astle and Hibshman are majors in technical communication and rhetoric, a program housed within the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Hibshman is also double majoring in creative writing. As Tarifflo’s technical writers, their job is to make complex ideas accessible, provide seamless user experiences, and support everything from usability testing to press releases.

“Most of our work happens on our laptops,” Hibshman says. “In previous weeks, Lauren and I tested Tarifflo’s main website and app, looking at things like login information, button targets and efficiency of the AI model. We also spend a lot of time doing user experience testing, which involves looking at how accessible their website and social media accounts are, taking notes and presenting them to Tanner and Bryce.”

But their contributions go far beyond the screen. Astle and Hibshman are embedded in every aspect of Tarifflo’s operations: writing blog posts, managing social media, preparing investor slide decks, researching AI markets and even assisting in the hiring process.

“We have collaborated with students from computer science, data science and marketing programs,” Astle says. “[Navigating] so many different backgrounds can be hard at times, but … more perspectives [are] always better. We’ve also come to see what we really bring to the table as humanities students, and it’s been exciting to see how valuable our work is when put into action.”

For both students, the opportunity to work with Tarifflo was made possible through support from USU faculty, especially Jared Colton and Chen Chen. Colton, a professor of technical communication in the Department of English, worked closely with Chad Mano from the College of Science to integrate TCR students into USU’s sandbox program — an initiative that merges computer science and entrepreneurial thinking.

“At the beginning of this semester, Dr. Colton reached out to me about this opportunity,” Hibshman says. “I had never worked with a tech company before or [researched] tariff law. [It] sounded like a great learning experience where I would practice skills I’d learned in my classes, work with people outside of my department, and do projects with real-world effects.”

The experience is also transforming their visions for the future.

“When I first started college, I didn’t have strong career goals,” Hibshman says. “After working with Tarifflo … I see the importance of working in a diverse workplace where you have the opportunity to collaborate with people from multiple fields. I want to work somewhere where I can be stretched and tested but still have a support system.”

Astle agrees, noting how this role has fused her passion for both writing and technology. A former engineering major, she was drawn to the opportunity to combine her skills.

“The potential to put my writing and technology skills to use in the same setting was irresistible,” says Astle, who has discovered that entrepreneurship doesn’t have to be a cutthroat process. “It will always require a lot of work and effort, but you can do it your way and make it people-centered.”

And their advice for other humanities students unsure about joining a fast-paced startup? Don’t sell yourself short.

“No job will be 100% perfect all the time, but … have faith in your foundations,” says Hibshman, who sees a place for her skillset in tech. “Without my English, journalism and TCR classes, I never would have picked up press releases so quickly.”

Astle encourages students to approach peers from other disciplines with an open mind. CHaSS majors bring valuable ethics and communication training to the table, and when people from multiple fields work together, Astle said the whole team benefits.

As Tarifflo continues to grow, its diverse, cross-disciplinary team is proof that successful innovation doesn’t happen in silos. It happens when writers, coders, designers and data scientists come together to build something none of them could build alone.