Writing is an inseparable part of education and essential in our daily life. However, it can often become an inevitable toll for many individuals who do not find it enjoyable, or even those who usually enjoy it but are facing writer’s block. If you feel like you are one of those people, don’t worry! You are not alone. On top of that, Andrews has the writing center (Nethery Hall 134) to help you. This week, we met Camilia Howell (senior, psychology), one of the many students working in the writing center, to hear about her experience being a student worker and what help the writing center can provide.
Hi, Camilia! Could you explain to us your role in the writing center?
Yes! I work a couple of hours on Mondays through Thursdays as a writing tutor. On Mondays and Wednesdays, I provide virtual tutoring; on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I come to the writing center to provide in-person tutoring. So students can schedule a meeting time and place that works best for them. Any Andrews students, regardless of their class standing or major, can come to the writing center if they need help with their writing.
Why did you apply for this job, or how did you get this job?
We have a good amount of writing tutors now, but we were pretty short-staffed a couple of years ago when I was a sophomore. Dr. Ivan Davis, the director of the writing center, asked some of his students about working as a writing tutor, and he also asked me since I was taking a college writing course from him. So I took that offer, went through some training, took a class I needed to become a tutor my junior year, and have worked as a writing tutor since then.
So it’s been two years since you have been working as a tutor! What do you like the most about this job?
Sometimes it’s hard to see what should be edited when reading your own writing. So I like that I can provide a third-person perspective and clarify what parts of the paper can be fixed to improve the flow, structure, or delivery of the message. Meeting many students from different majors and backgrounds has also been a cool part of this experience.
What do you think is the most challenging part of this job?
I would say the most challenging part is when I have to work with papers from areas of study that I am not very familiar with. For example, I am not used to the structure, formatting, or requirements for lab reports that many science students have to write. Graduate-level papers, like the seminary, also contain topics and writings that I think are challenging since I am not used to them. But I don’t frequently face this problem as we have graduate tutors to help in these areas like Kayla Goodman (graduate, MDiv).
Do you think working as a writing tutor was a learning or valuable experience for you? If so, why?
I think it was a meaningful experience since it taught me to improve and become a better writer by helping other people assess what might need improvement in their papers. Another thing I appreciate about this job is that I get to interact with a variety of people. I’m hoping to become a mental health counselor, and it might seem like my future career is not aligning with my writing tutor job. But this work experience has helped me practice many essential skills such as connecting with people and making them feel comfortable, since students can visit the writing center or the same tutor several times. So I am glad I’ve been able to work as a writing tutor.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.