University Writing Center Coach Profiles

Meet Writing Center Coaches, Gabriela and Chloe!

Exceptional students fuel academic success in University College.  We are fortunate to employ nearly 20% of all student workers on campus as tutors, study coaches, supplemental instruction leaders, SCALE-UP assistants, math tutors, Math Studio proctors, peer mentors, Writing Center coaches, and customer service staff.  Often, we are first introduced to these students when they seek assistance in our academic success centers and yearn to help their peers learn the skills they've acquired through their experience.

Gabriela Acevedo and Chloe Schwartz were inspired to become Writing Center coaches by the experiences they shared when they first came to the Writing Center as students seeking to improve their skills.

Read their stories in their own words.

Gabriela AcevedoIMG_0104-G.jpg

     Becoming a writing coach has been one of the best things that could ever happen to me as a college student. Most people do not give much thought to the fact that writing is such an important part in a student's life. Writing is not only about punctuation and grammar, but about the process that goes along with these two, and the world of possibilities that becomes available to each writer once he or she understands it clearly. My interest in writing began at a very young age, but as I grew up, I realized that there was more to writing than just putting thoughts or creative ideas on a piece of paper.

       When I started attending Wright State University, I took English 1100, a class that most students have to take their first year. My professor, noticing that I was struggling with my writing assignments, advised me to visit the Writing Center. Before my first session, I felt a bit scared and was hesitant to spend time showing my assignment to a stranger, but it turned out to be extremely helpful. First of all, my coach was amazing and I felt very comfortable working with someone who was just like me, a student. Secondly, the time I spent in the session flew by, and I ended up feeling great about how my paper turned out. After that experience, I visited the Writing Center on a weekly basis for my other classes as well. I started to feel confident in my writing, which in return, allowed me to improve significantly and helped my grades get better.

       At the end of the spring semester, one of the coaches told me about how the Writing Center was looking for new writing coaches and, after introducing me to the Program's Director, David Bringhurst, she encouraged me to apply for the job. I never imagined that I would be thought of as a good enough writer to help others, considering the fact that English is not my first language. But here was someone telling me that I actually had a chance to aid students who were going through the same situation I experienced. My work each day motivates me to do the job well because I understand the students' struggles and I can relate to them.

       Working at the Writing Center has turned out to be a major blessing in my life because, not only do I get to work with people that appreciate knowledge and writing, but I get to interact with students every day. I help them understand that writing is not something that necessarily needs to be hard or impossible. Anyone is capable of writing a good essay, research paper, original story, or any other written work that they put their minds into. And what is truly amazing about this all is that, with the right help, this process can be completely enjoyable.

Chloe SchwartzIMG_0101-chloe.jpg

       Before my first semester at Wright State, I experienced the anxiety most freshman do. I had not taken any A.P. courses in high school, and was wracked with feelings of uncertainty as to how and if I was going to make it through a college class.

       English 1100 was no exception. As the instructor talked over the syllabus, a little voice in my mind tried to tell me I was not going to get through this course. In that moment I was concerned that the assignment criteria would be at a level of difficulty I wasn’t ready for, but my underlying fear was that I would give up on the assignments and in doing so, give up on myself. Our first paper was assigned to be a narrative, and I had had experience writing those in high school. My familiarity alleviated my anxiousness enough to begin. The next couple of weeks were spent drafting and revising my story. I was trying to craft every detail to absolute perfection. After four painstakingly-revised drafts, I turned in the final product and breathed a sigh of relief. I was finally finished with this goliath of an assignment.

       That same lecture, the instructor concluded the time frame, “Okay guys, we started out with a lighter and easier paper. Now, time to move on to the hard stuff.” And to that, I actually laughed, certain my instructor was joking. My peers were silent.

       The rest of class was spent explaining this thing called a “text analysis”. I recall that before my instructor explained a text analysis I was fairly certain I had an idea of what this was. After his explanation I realized I had never done any like this in high school. I was, in every practical sense, clueless. I felt like a deer in the headlights.

       After I had completed a first draft, I met with my instructor to receive feedback. Going into the meeting, I was aware that my paper was not what it was supposed to be. My biggest problem, at that moment, was that I was lacking enough understanding of college-level text analysis to the point that I could not articulate concrete questions. This was what led me to seek help from the Writing Center.

       I sat down at one of the dry-erase board tables, and soon after, a writing coach came over and introduced himself. He was a student just like me! At this stage in my college career, it was intimidating for me to ask my professors questions because I was so new to the environment. The ease and informality of having a conversation with a fellow student allowed me to come out of my shell. I asked Josh, the writing coach, so many questions.  Together, we took a more in-depth look at text analysis. Josh talked about it with me until I understood. By that point, I was so excited about the new skills he showed me that we spent another half-hour session writing all over the tables, completely reorganizing my paper. Josh showed me how I could be independent as a writer, which allowed me to perceive myself as a more independent student.  I had no more moments of, “oh my gosh I can’t do this.” When writing every assignment after that, I was confident I had the skills to do so.

       Visiting the Writing Center as a freshman gave me the confidence to apply for a position as a writing coach. I had never before been so excited about an opportunity. I love this job, and my personal mission is to help other students realize potentials they never knew they had- like my writing coach did for me.