University Writing Center Blog

Spotlighting New Consultants in The Center: Monica

The beginning of the semester is always energizing and full of opportunities – especially when that semester is the Spring semester. We begin to shake off the affects of seasonal depression, warm weather is only a few months away, and we get to meet new people who may become a huge part of our academic and personal lives. These experiences also include the student employees and faculty that we work with daily to make college a little less chaotic. So, in the spirit of Spring semester, we would like to introduce our new writing center consultants and encourage the community to engage with and welcome them into the space!

We’re featuring each new consultant in a separate post. In this post, we’re introducing Monica!

graphic with photo of Monica, who has light skin, blond hair, and glasses. She is wearing a light blue sweater.

What inspired you to work at the University Writing Center?

Monica: I was inspired to work at the UWC by wanting to be more actively involved with my major and to be surrounded by other people who are also excited about writing and writing studies!

What are some aspects of the center that you wish you knew before you started working here?

Monica: I wish I had known that the writing center was such a supportive place to talk through my writing! I sort of avoided making appointments there before because I thought I didn’t “need” it, and now I think that I was missing out.

What are you most excited about in your work at the center?

Monica: I am most excited to share my love for writing and stories, and my hope is that my support might encourage other people to find their own love for writing and to see it as a more approachable process!

What is one common misconception about the writing process that you want others to know about?

Monica: I think that a common misconception is that the writing process is a rigid, linear set of steps that has to be followed a certain way every time. My writing process varies depending on the project, and I sometimes have to switch up the order of how I do things to avoid getting stuck in a creative rut. Different approaches work better for certain projects, and what works well for one person might not be as effective for the next!

What is your favorite dinosaur and why?

Monica: My (current) favorite dinosaur is the Compsognathus, which was a small dinosaur of which only two specimens have been found. This is my favorite since I imagine that there might not have been very many of them, given the limited number of fossils found, which sounds very lonely, and I want to be their friend.