EWC's History
By the year 2003, every US College had writing tutoring centers for their students. This year is when Beth Virtanen and Judy Casey had the idea of creating one for UPRM. Beth Virtanen wrote the original proposal to create one within UPRM’s English Department which lead to the EWC’s foundation. However, the idea of having a EWC was new to RUM, and educating the faculty and students about its true purposes of tutoring was a challenge. Some assumed it was a correction center, but educating people was on going from a start, and the EWC’s principles of tutoring never changed. During those early years, Beth and Judy hired and trained four MAEE students, who were also trained to be tutor trainers, and later on, undergraduate students were hired. Since no one knew how a EWC should work, everyone involved was enthusiastic and excited to try something new and different. The grad students were all highly motivated to become knowledgeable and stayed with the EWC until they graduated. One of these original tutor trainers is Dr. Kevin Carroll, who returned to RUM after getting his PhD. The hiring policy Beth and Judy followed was to seek out calm, kind, and patient students with the ability to listen based on an old saying "You can teach anybody grammar but you can't teach anybody how to care." At first, tutees were from the basic track, seeking tutoring mainly with their writing. Upon determining tutoring would be beneficial for improving their skills, these students became optimistic, goal oriented, and never gave up. Their early successful experiences caused word to spread from one student to another until the EWC soon outgrew from a little room in Chardón into a bigger one. Today, thanks to our founders and former tutors, we continue to grow and connect writers every day, now from UPRM’s General Library (B-107).
One of the EWC's Founders
Judy Casey
I worked at the EWC from when we started it, 2003, for about 8 years. My BA was in Biology. I joined the Peace Corps (1980s) and was assigned to teach science in Lesotho (Southern Africa) where I discovered that I was really teaching content-based English as a foreign language. This was a fascinating process and I decided to pursue it, so I got accepted at the American University in Cairo, Egypt, where I got my MA-TEFL. After returning to the USA, I taught ESL and worked in a writing tutoring center for about ten years at a community college, during which time I earned an EdD in Language, Reading, and Culture at the University of Arizona. My biggest interest in EFL has always been writing. Writing in another language is one of the most difficult things humans can do, and there's no end to trying to figure out how to get people motivated to write as college-age adults. Currently, I am retired. My husband and I live in Florida, where we play with our Puerto Rico Chihuahuas, and go swimming and canoeing. I write a gardening column for the local newspaper.
Our Former Tutors
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
Morella A. Rivera |
I started working at the English Writing Center (EWC) during the Fall semester of 2012, and remained there until my senior year. I was really nervous about getting the job because I wasn’t an English major, but, because the EWC is a place that celebrates diversity, I was able to accomplish my goal of joining the EWC family. I graduated in 2014 from “Colegio” and got my B.S. in Electrical Engineering. Right after, I started working at Hewlett Packard Enterprise in Aguadilla, which is an electronics company, even though I specialized in Power Systems during college. I’m currently a Product Engineer working in the Repair Operations business of the company, and I make sure that all our products are managed with the highest quality standards so that our customers receive an exceptional experience when using them. I fell in love with the west side of Puerto Rico ever since the first day I became a student at UPRM, so I decided to stay living and working there. Since I love it so much, during my free time I like to explore new places I’ve never been to, and especially go to the beach, even if it’s just to sit for a while, enjoy the breeze, and snap a few pictures, which is something I also love. If it wasn’t for the EWC, I probably wouldn’t have been able to be where I am now, but thankfully, the opportunity of working there opened many doors for me and helped me achieve my goals. Working at the English Writing Center was the best experience I had as a student because it helped me greatly achieve my future goals, and most importantly, because it gave me the opportunity to meet amazing people with which I formed lifelong friendships.
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I'm an English Instructor teaching Reading & Composition at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, where I obtained a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature with a certification of Teaching English as a Second Language in Secondary School Level. Currently, I'm a Graduate Writing Facilitator working at the Graduate Research and Innovation Center (GRIC), and pursuing a Masters of Arts in English Education at the UPRM. In the past, I worked at the English Writing Center (EWC) for two years, where I eagerly helped undergraduate and graduate students in their writing, speaking, and language skills. In addition, I also taught other college level courses, such as the EXADEP Exam Review, and Conversational English to graduate and undergraduate students of the Faculty of Business Administration at UPRM. Moreover, I also presented in the Popular Culture Association / American Culture Association (PCA/ACA) national conference, where I presented in the Children’s Literature and Culture panel. My research interests include Children’s Literature, Critical Pedagogy, English Education and English Second Language methodology, Animals and Zoology Literature, Romanticism, Young Adult Literature, Writing Center methodology, Reading, Literacy, and Reading Culture, among other related to these fields of study. My goal is to obtain a PhD in the field of Children’s Literature. I think my spirit animal is a polar bear; my favorite GRE word is Gregarious, for it represents my current personality and well-being. I’m a soft-core gamer, who enjoys almost any genre and platform. I’m also a passionate reader and book hoarder, shopaholic and foodie. My favorite quotes are: “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” –Benjamin Franklin, “In every job that must be done. There is an element of fun. You find the fun and snap, the job’s a game.” –Mary Poppins
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Edcel Javier Cintrón González |
Emily R. Aguiló-Pérez |
I did my B.A. in English on the Linguistics track and my M.A. in English Education, both at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez. I worked at the EWC from January 2010 to May 2011. A fun fact about me is that I’m a karaoke enthusiast! I’m currently a doctoral candidate (ABD) at The Pennsylvania State University in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, specializing in Children’s Literature with a minor in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. My current research examines how girls create plays and what narratives emerge from their play and interactions with dolls, specifically Barbie, and I engage in memory-work with adult women to explore their own play or non-play with Barbie dolls and the social and cultural implications these memories may have on their adult lives. I'll be defending my dissertation on June 16, 2016!
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I received my B.A. in English (2009) and my M.A. in English Education (2011) at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus (UPRM). After obtaining my M.A. degree at UPRM, I moved to South Bend, Indiana, where I completed a Ph.D. in English with a graduate minor in Gender Studies at the University of Notre Dame. I worked as a EWC tutor for two years while studying at UPRM, and I later became head of the EWC’s tutor training program, where I organized weekly workshops on tutoring methods and writing center pedagogy. During the Fall semester of 2016, I will be heading off to Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, where I’ve accepted a position as a Consortium for Faculty Diversity Postdoctoral Fellow in English. While there, I will continue my research and teaching on LGBTQ young adult literature and queer theory.
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Ángel Daniel Matos |
René M. Rodríguez Astacio |
I’m a UPRM alumni from Humacao, Puerto Rico. I love reading, saving the land of Hyrule, and go-karting with Mario & company. I am a die-hard Potterhead who belongs to the Ravenclaw house (muggles, ignore this bit). I worked at the EWC from 2011-2015, and my time as a tutor is one of my most cherished memories from UPRM. My dream is to someday become a published author. As of now, I live in State College, Pennsylvania, and I will embark on my PhD on Curriculum and Instruction at Penn State in Fall 2016. My research interests include Children's Literature, Young Adult Literature, literacy, writing across disciplines, creative writing, and professional development.
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I hold a B.A. in English Literature from UPRM and I am currently an M.A. candidate in Literary and Cultural Studies, with a certificate in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Illinois State University where I also currently teach English Composition. My research foci are Queer*, Trans*, and Intersex theory, literature, and activism. I worked at the English Writing Center from August 2013 to May 2015 and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. In my free time, I indulge in compulsive book buying, reading Lacan until my eyes bleed, and I dream of one day writing a sequel to María la del Barrio. I’ll be applying to PhD programs in the Fall. Wish me luck!
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Karlie Rodríguez |
Leila Joyce |
I was an EWC graduate tutor during the 2013-2014 academic year. During my time at the EWC, I helped edit master's theses, doctoral dissertations, and what seemed like an endless number of essays about the Diary of a Part-Time Indian. My favorite tutoring sessions were speaking logs. I loved sitting in the back office having a conversation with someone, giving them a zero-pressure environment to practice their spoken English. My least favorite tutoring sessions were any that involved MLA citations. Having to use MLA is the one thing I definitely don’t miss about tutoring at the EWC. Since leaving the English Writing Center, I received my M.S. in Geology from UPRM and I’m currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Geology/Geoarchaeology at the University of Kansas. My time at the EWC was great, fun and a wonderful learning experience. I made friends with people I would not have met otherwise, and was reminded to be patient with students who are struggling; we all learn a little differently and at our own pace.
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I have a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez and I just graduated from a Masters of Arts in Magazine, Newspaper,and Online Journalism from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. My current interests are writing, reading, and internal tourism. I worked at the English Writing Center from Fall 2013 to Spring 2015. Fun fact about me is that I actually want to get a degree in history and then go to law school. Currently, I'm working on my capstone at Syracuse University where I'm the social media manager and a writer for a start-up magazine called Fan F1rst which is a sports magazine for female fans.
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Sophia Melissa Caraballo |
Victoria Rivera Banuchi |
I worked at the EWC for 1.5 years while completing my B.S. in Geology. I graduated last December from UPRM and I have been living in Isabela with my four dogs since then. In this time I completed the graduate school applications, took on a job in a restaurant, and gardened a lot. Now I am close to starting my Master's in Temple University in Philadelphia. My research there will be in planetary geology and I will be working with Mars mineralogy. Working in the EWC was undoubtedly one of the most enriching experiences I had in UPRM. I will remember all the lessons I learned there throughout my whole academic journey.
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I majored in English (Literature) at UPRM, and will be pursuing a Master's in English (Literature). My research interests include Minority and Third-World Literature and Cultural Studies, Intersectional Feminism, and Creative Writing. I worked at the EWC from August 2015-December 2015. I'm passionate about reading, writing and photography, and I enjoy long walks, traveling, eating, people-watching, making others laugh, stimulating conversations, and trying new things.
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Ana Portnoy Brimmer |
Rebekah Sánchez Cruz |
I’m a senior Horticulture major from Bayamón at the UPRM. The main topics I research are sustainable agricultural methods and biblical studies. I’m also interested in analytical reading and writing. My aspiration is to improve agricultural systems in developing countries to decrease famine and/or improve their economic statuses like in Puerto Rico by educating about better sustainable methods. “I believe passing forward what we have been given is very important to make the world a better place as well as to enrich our own lives. Tutoring is a great way to do this as one gets to pass on knowledge and in return gains the satisfaction of helping others improve their skills.” A fun fact about me is that I loooove food. Currently, I am working as a research assistant as well as conducting my own undergraduate independent research at the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station in Michigan. My research is focused on the greenhouse gases produced in agroecosystems.
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I’m a doctoral candidate of the Academic-Research Psychology program at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras campus. I possess a bachelor degree in Psychology from the University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez. My research interests include: learning, memory, language development and marginalized populations. I worked at the English Writing Center as a peer tutor for a year from 2013-2014. Also, I collaborated as an assistant coordinator for the 2014 summer. Currently, I’m a research assistant in Cayey at the Institute of Interdisciplinary of Research where I worked for the past year and a half in several projects exploring student access and retention in order to increase graduation rates. I enjoy research so much; I consider it a hobby.
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Yaileen Maldonado Méndez |
Adrienne N. Cruz Peralta |
During my time as an English major at “Colegio,” I had the wonderful honor of working in the EWC for about 2 1/2 years. It was my first job ever, and I began when I was only in my second year. I left when I was about to graduate. So I can say the EWC watched me grow. In the “center” I feel like I learned as much as I shared. I loved the feeling of satisfaction I derived from helping students improve their communication skills and the family-style closeness that characterized us as tutors. After I graduated I moved to San Juan, where I currently live with my husband and cats. I’m in the process of completing my master’s degree in Teaching English as a Second Language in the UPR of Rio Piedras while I work as a middle school English teacher in The School of San Juan. In my spare time (when I magically have spare time) I enjoy reading, EATING, cooking, watching TV, and travel, mostly by car within the boundaries of our breathtaking island. What’s next for me? Time will tell, but I’m thinking Peace Corps, actual airplane travel, and teaching/learning wherever I land.
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I worked at the EWC from 2012 to 2014. I have B.A. in English with a concentration in Linguistics from UPRM, and an M.A. in Applied English Linguistics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. My interests consist of Online gaming, card games, tabletop gaming, exploring new places, cooking and dining, and politics. I had never left Puerto Rico until I was accepted to the University of Wisconsin-Madison and moved here for my first year in their M.A. program. Today, I am continuing my graduate education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, as I was accepted into their PhD program in English Language & Linguistics with full funding. Also, I have two jobs at the time being: one as Executive Assistant to the Chair of the UW-Madison Dance Department, and another as Project Assistant with the Spanish & Portuguese Department, where we work on an outreach and community building project with Heritage Spanish speakers in Wisconsin. My current research goals center on exploring the intersection between Diachronic/Historical Linguistics and Sociolinguistics within the relatively novel field of Historical Sociolinguistics. Within that scope, I aim to explore lexical-semantic and phonological change in Spanish and English as guided by sociopolitical factors, such as community-integrative motivation, and changing political landscapes.
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Cristopher Font Santiago |
Lorena Cruz Quintero
I'm a Chemical Engineering student that wants to pursue a career in Materials Engineering. I'm currently working on finishing my last semester of school and hope to find a job with a company that challenges me and allows me to explore my capabilities. I also wish to complete a Masters Degree in Materials Engineering while I work in the upcoming years. I worked in the EWC from August 2015 to August 2017. At first, I wanted the job to keep me busy in my free time between my classes. Two years later, I fell in love with the idea of being able to help students everyday. I also found that the most rewarding part of the job is getting to work with an amazing group of people, the EWC family.
Claudia Irizarry Aponte
I am a news, politics, and culture reporter based in New York City. She graduated with a degree in English Literature from UPRM in 2017 and worked at the English Writing Center for three years, and is currently completing her Master of Arts degree in Spanish-Language Journalism at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism. Her work has appeared in NPR's Latino USA, El Diario NY, Her Campus, El Nuevo Día, Logón, [Id]entidad Magazine and El Post Antillano, and as a production assistant at Univision.
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Mildred M. Vargas Astacio is a graduate student at UPRM from Cabo Rojo, and a compulsive video game buyer. She worked in the EWC from August 2015 to June 2017. Her interests consist of pop culture, journalism, gender perspective, and H.P. Lovecraft, Poe and Dante Alighieri's influence in literature. In the future, her goal is to become an English professor and a professional editor. "Tutoring benefits both the student and tutor. As the students learn and improve their skills during a tutoring session, the tutor learns how to deal with the different ways of learning each student has, and adapt the tutoring sessions to the needs of each student." When she is not playing a video game or tutoring, she loves to read and cosplay at local comic cons. In addition, she continues with the process of learning Mandarin.
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Jonathan P. Machado Rodríguez is a senior Mechanical Engineering student from Isabela. He has worked at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland OH, and at the Knolls site of the Naval Nuclear Laboratory in Niskayuna NY. His long term goal is to obtain a master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering focusing on Thermal Sciences and Fluid Dynamics. Jonathan believes being fully bilingual has opened many doors for him, and he would like to help others develop their skills in the language so they can have the same opportunities. “The English Writing Center presents an opportunity to meet people who, like me, are looking to become a well-rounded professional, and I love being part of a team that is helping students achieve their academic goals.”
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Gabriela Ramírez Cuebas is a senior Biology major who had the beach as her backyard her entire life, having grown up in Boquerón. She is twenty years old and enjoys creative writing and dystopian novels. She plans to go into medicine and research and wants to work as a pediatrician, even though everybody looks at her like she is crazy when she mentions it. “I hope to be able to help students see writing not as a painful assignment but as an outlet, as a means to express yourself and show others what you are made of.” She is a Capricorn who color-codes everything, and she loves going to the movies just for the sake of it.
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Roselyn M. Pérez Valle is a graduate student at UPRM from Ponce. Her research interests include pop culture, the supernatural, gothic literature, medieval literature, and mythology. She is interested in novels, literary theory, epic poetry, and deep comparison writing. Her career goals include completing a Master’s degree in her current field of study and be an editor in the book publishing industry. “It is beautiful to provide assistance to those in need, even with the smallest of gestures. Tutoring is a wonderful way to provide the help needed by planting a small seed of knowledge into the mind of a student in order to help them sprout in the academic world.” Though Roselyn’s exterior is dark as night, don’t let the black lipstick fool you. She enjoys testing her imagination and creativity by transforming herself into the brightest of characters through cosplay. She also enjoys making her own props, sewing clothes, and watching Dragon Ball Z.
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Laura M. Olivieri is a senior Physics major from Ponce. She found a sweet spot between her two passions, science and writing, in science communication. Her goal is to become a science writer and take advantage of her bilingualism to communicate the latest science advances to the public. “I believe that good communication is key to a good life so I really enjoy helping students transmit their ideas clearly and efficiently through my tutoring.” She dresses as if it were her birthday every day.
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Austin Hallquist Jayne is a senior Animal Science major from Portland, Oregon. He has done research within the area of Animal Nutrition and has plans to continue in that area for the rest of his Bachelor's degree. His long term goal is to obtain a Ph.D in some field related to Biology or Animal Science. "For me, the most rewarding aspect of helping someone to improve their English communication skills is the overall collaboration effort between both parties. There is nothing more satisfying than helping someone who genuinely wants to improve some area in their academics." He likes to travel, go hiking, and listen to music.
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Lorainne Ortiz is a a graduate student at UPRM from Mayagüez. Her research interests are creative writing, gothic literature, poetry, fairytales, witchcraft, pop culture, and Shakespearean Drama. Her long-term career goals are to become a novelist, film editor and screenwriter, and a gothic literature professor. Besides all these wonderful goals in mind, she also desires to travel the world and learn from other cultures and their traditions. “The most beautiful thing about tutoring is helping others unveil true potential and develop a burning passion for knowledge.” When not busy, this Ravenclaw enjoys cosplaying and reading. She is a wolf; she lives by the moon. Her favorite quote is: "I am burdened with glorious purpose."
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Desireé Nieves Canabal worked at the EWC for 1.5 years from 2017-2019. She applied for the job because she loved helping friends develop their writing skills and wanted the experience of learning to assist people of all backgrounds. Being from the Animal Science department, she was intimidated to be among English majors in the center. Nevertheless, she quickly felt at home in this loving community of tutors/students and even found a family (La Juntilla). Helping students find their voice through writing and helping them realize that English is not as intimidating as they thought, was truly the greatest pleasure. This job was one of the best experiences of her college career. She graduated in December of 2019 and is looking to apply to graduate school for Wildlife Conservation and Management. As an undergraduate, she gained experince in animal behavior and conservation in wonderful places throughout the US, the Amazon in Ecuador and various forests of Costa Rica. She wants to escape into the jungle someday and, when she does, she will always remember her time as a tutor at the EWC as a beautiful learning adventure.
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