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As you'll see below, TWLS is fortunate to have a team
of very experienced learning assistants who bring with
them their own love of learning and genuine desire to
help others in the learning process. During any hour The
Studio is open, two or three of these talented people
are working:
JANA: I started working in The
Writing & Learning Studio in January, 1995. During my
high school years and college education at the
University of Washington, I always took great pleasure
in helping students with reading, writing and math. The
wide variety of elective classes I have taken enables me
to assist with writing in different disciplines. Since
graduating from the UW in 1991, with a Bachelor of
Science degree in mathematics and a minor in English, I
have continued to thoroughly enjoy assisting students to
build a strong foundation for education and improve
skills for more extensive learning in the future.
Reading and writing can be fun as well as tremendously
important life skills.
MARGARETE: I have enjoyed the
privilege of working at TWLS since September of 1996.
I earned my B.A. degree in English with a minor in
Elementary Education from the University of Northern
Colorado in 1995. I continue to be inspired daily,
assisting so many dedicated and determined students
desiring to improve their English skills.
MELANIE: My work as a Learning
Assistant here at The Writing and Learning Studio is the
most rewarding, inspiring job I've ever had. Not only do
I get to support student learning at all levels, but I
have the opportunity to facilitate students' expression
of their unique ideas, stories, and perspectives. As a
lover of literature and language, I feel excited and
honored to participate in others' first steps in these
academic subjects.
In 2000, I began
tutoring in The Writing and Learning Studio. Four years
later I graduated from UW-Bothell with a B.A. in
Culture, Literature, and the Arts. I have worked in two
college writing centers, taught a community ESL class,
and taught reading and writing to young Korean-American
students at an after-school learning center. As a
fiction writer, I also know how invaluable community and
reader feedback is to writing. I belong to a writing
group where I receive input from fellow writers, and I
see my work in TWLS as an extension of this community
involvement.
JACKIE: I began tutoring at The
Writing & Learning Studio in the spring of 2005.
After completing a master’s degree in Biostatistics at
the University of Washington in 1991, I worked in
medical research for several years. I have
always loved language, and I am currently working
toward a second master’s degree, this time in TESOL
(Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages), at
Seattle Pacific University. I will be graduating
in June, 2010. I enjoy
helping students from many countries work to improve
their writing and other English language skills.
BOB: Hi, Everyone!! My name
is Bob. I've been working at The Writing &
Learning Studio (TWLS) as a Learning Assistant since
January 2006. I was born in New York City and did
most of my early education there. My family moved
to the suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where I
finished my last year of high school. After high school,
I graduated from York Junior College with an Associate
of Arts degree.
Due to the Vietnam conflict, I joined the
United States Air Force. During this war I was stationed
at Reese Air Force Base in Lubbock, Texas, for four
years. My specialty was medical administration, and I
worked in the base hospital. Aside from the admission
and disposition of patients, I coordinated aero-medical
evacuations to send the seriously ill to larger military
hospitals. I was awarded the Air Force Commendation
Medal upon discharge.
After completing military service, I continued
with my education and earned a Bachelors of Arts degree
in education from York College of Pennsylvania. After
college I worked as a manager for a major retailer and
then was hired by United Airlines, with whom I worked
for many years.
I have been having a great time tutoring many
wonderful students in the TWLS over these past years.
It has been a great experience, and I look forward to
meeting and working with many more of you.
ELIZABETH: I received my Bachelor of
Arts from Boston University and a Masters Degree in
Education from Columbia University Teachers College.
Later in life, I obtained an A.A.S. degree in
Horticultural Technology in order to pursue a hobby as a
career. I have taught elementary school, managed the
horticultural department for a garden center and
performed customer service duties in the corporate
world. I am looking forward to helping students acquire
the writing skills that will assist them in pursuing
their academic, professional and personal goals.
MARY: (Mary is traveling
internationally the 2008-09 year and not currently
working in The Studio.) I began tutoring in the fall
quarter of 2006, and I am quite familiar with the The
Writing & Learning Studio. It was my mainstay while I
was enrolled in English 101 and 102. In fact, I was
conjointly enrolled in TWLS's credit courses (English
089 & 099) to beef up my study skills, get the most out
of text books, and strengthen my grammar and composition
skills following a 20-year hiatus from school. I was
delighted to find that while studying in TWLS, my
confidence and skills in English flourished, and I also
enjoyed and appreciated the help freely offered by the
learning assistants. Hence, I decided to become a
student learning assistant and enrolled in the tutor
education course, EDULA199. Encouraging students to
master their English skills and to build confidence in
their ability is very gratifying and meaningful to me. I
believe mastering writing brings rewards and builds
confidence in all areas of life: home, work, school, and
community.
I lived
internationally, both in Saudi Arabia and the
Netherlands, from 1995-2001. I loved the privilege of
living and conversing with an international community,
and I thrived on the mutual exchange of culture and
language. Currently enrolled here at Shoreline as a
transfer student in psychology, I am also involved in
the Snohomish County Search & Rescue K-9 unit, and love
to hike, bike, swim and quilt.
VIVIAN: I began tutoring at The
Writing & Learning Studio in winter 2008. I’m
originally from New York City, where I completed an
Associates of Arts degree in Liberal Arts from Pace
University in 2001. Shortly after, I attended
Shoreline Community College and began tutoring for
Shoreline Community College’s Transfer Tutoring Office
in fall 2004. I graduated from Shoreline Community
College in 2005 with a Certificate in Education
specializing as a Paraeducator/Instructional Aide.
I love reading books and have a passion for writing
poetry, fiction/non-fiction stories as well as teaching
reading and writing skills. Besides writing, I
enjoy biking, photography, and learning about other
cultures. (My working knowledge of Spanish has
even helped me in some tutorials!)
In The Writing & Learning Studio, I have the
opportunity to be part of a wonderful team of fellow
writers with a common goal of helping students with
their reading and writing skills, which I find immensely
rewarding. I’m currently working on a bachelor’s
degree at Pace University with a major in Liberal Arts
in Psychology/Sociology and a minor in English Writing.
TARA: I started tutoring at The
Writing & Learning Studio in the fall of 2008.
Currently, I am working toward a degree in writing and
directing for the camera. Writing stories for film has
been a refreshing new hobby that I hope to make a career
of in the near future. I have realized that writing can
be an amazingly fun outlet for expression, and I always
look forward to assisting students in the writing
process.
MAUREEN: I am thrilled to join the
TWLS community (Winter 2009). Working with students
during the writing process is a passion of mine""one that
I hope to make my life's work.
Having just
recently moved back to Seattle after receiving a Master
of Arts in English from Georgetown University in
Washington, D.C., teaching in the classroom and library
at an elementary school in Montana, and getting my B.A.
in English from The University of Portland, I am excited
to finally be back in my hometown and to get to know the
writers and learners of SCC. Thank you for giving me the
opportunity to work with you!
ROSS: Hello! My name is Ross
McMeekin, and Fall 2009 will be my first quarter on
staff in The Writing & Learning Studio. I enjoy
assisting students in their writing and learning
pursuits and am grateful for the opportunity to do it
here at Shoreline Community College.
I completed a B.A. in English at the University of
Washington in 2002 and am currently at work on a M.F.A.
in Creative Writing at Vermont College of Fine Arts. I
am a fiction writer and a poet. I am also a
singer/songwriter and play in a local indie rock band
called The Charity Stripe. In my spare time, I
enjoy cooking, gardening, fly-fishing, and taking part
in all of the pleasure and pain offered to those who are
University of Washington football and basketball
fanatics.
11-9-2009
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