Our consultants are accomplished graduate and undergraduate Mason students. Our graduate and undergraduate consultants are talented writers and scholars who come from majors across the university. These are the Fall 2022 consultants:
Abigail is a senior undergraduate Honors College student pursuing a BFA in Creative Writing. She received her Associate’s in Communication Studies at NVCC. A teacher at heart, Abigail has a passion for helping writers communicate effectively through the written word and developing writing skills that can be applied throughout their academic and professional careers. Abigail is passionate about all things creative, and as a consultant she hopes to help writers let their creative voice shine across any discipline or assignment. In her free time, Abigail dabbles in other creative arts such as photography, scrapbooking, and painting.
Alice is an undergraduate student who transferred to George Mason in Fall 2021. They are majoring in anthropology, the study of cultures on a personal level. They have experience studying French, Italian, and Hebrew, and recently began studying Korean. Because anthropology is a social science, they have experience writing in several different styles, including Chicago, APA, and IMRAD. Their approach to consulting is greatly influenced by her major and other studies, aiming to help people gain a voice. They believe everyone brings something important to the table and want to honor that by helping writers develop the skills they need.
Allie is in the second year of her Master’s degree in English, concentrating in folklore. She graduated from the University of Mary Washington with a double major in Creative Writing and Vocal Performance as well as a minor in Musical Theatre. While she was at Mary Washington, she worked in the writing center as a tutor for three years and helped writers at any stage of the writing process. Allie loves writing center work because it offers her the opportunity to work with writers and help them find their own unique voice. She highly values the collaborative aspect of writing center sessions and the importance of checking in with writers during the writing process. Outside of work, you can find Allie belting showtunes in her car and living her best fantasy life while playing Dungeons and Dragons and while cosplaying her favorite characters from various podcasts and TV shows.
Arpita is a second-year MFA Creative Writing candidate at the Department of English. Her concentration is in Poetry. She has a BA and MA in English from Jadavpur University, India, where she was also, briefly, a research scholar in the Department of Comparative Literature. Her research interests include subversion, motherhood, life writing and Indian writing in English. Her essay has been published in an anthology about posthumanism by Cambridge Scholars Publishing. She divides her time between working at the Writing Center and reading poetry. Some poets that she enjoys reading are Paige Lewis, W.B. Yeats, Sara Teasdale and Dorianne Laux. Two of her favorite works of fiction are God of Small Things and Hard Times. Born and brought up in an Indian-Bengali household, she enjoys Rabindrasangeet and Bollywood songs equally. She is fluent in English, Hindi and Bengali. She believes that in places where language is a tool for expression, everyone should have equal access to partaking in knowledge-making. Therefore she looks forward to opportunities where she might be able to work with multilingual writers. She believes learning should be collaborative and hopes to learn something from each session.
Bri (she/they) is a first year MFA candidate with a concentration in poetry. She graduated with a BA at George Mason University where she majored in English. There, she focused on researching topics in literature and cultural studies with specific interest in print media and propaganda. She believes that the study of English (in all concentrations) is a study in communication- whether that be in conversation, the written word, or through text and images. As a consultant, she hopes to help writers find faith in their own ability to share ideas with clarity and confidence. A self-proclaimed home body, Bri can often be found reading, writing, or spoiling her roommate’s two cats.
Connor is a first year MFA candidate studying creative writing with a concentration in fiction. He received BAs in English and Communications from the Ohio State University in 2021. After graduation he was employed as a proofreader, working with legal documents such as contracts, memos, transcriptions, and other essay-adjacent writings. Since moving from Ohio and settling near DC, he has spent most of his time trying to figure out how to drive through roundabouts. Connor enjoys working collaboratively with students, allowing conversation and questions to guide discourse while maintaining the agency of the writer. While not in the Writing Center, he loves to bake sweets and spend time in the gym.
Danny is a second year MFA candidate with a concentration in poetry. He studied english, theater, and the Alexander technique at Syracuse University. Then he worked for a number of years producing independent film and theater in NYC. Now he’s settled in DC, teaching yoga and the Alexander technique. He is looking forward to his time at the Writing Center where he hopes to help folks develop their ideas and express their perspective. When not working he likes to stay connected to his friends and big family. He also grows tomatoes and peppers in his garden and plays games like The Long Dark and Stardew Valley on his PC.
Eli (they/them/theirs) received their BA in English with concentrations in Cultural Studies and Creative Writing from GMU in 2020. They decided to pursue graduate school mainly to keep their library privileges. While in undergrad, their studies ranged from taking typical English courses like 18th Century Literature and Global English to the more eclectic assortment of Global Horror Film, Science Fiction, Introduction to Screenwriting, and the English Honors course, Knights, Vikings, and African Kings. Outside of school, they have participated in internships with the Folger Shakespeare Library and Coffee House Press. As a writer, they hope to explore the intersections between various genres, such as combining their love of poetry with their love of film. While not writing, they enjoy talking during movies, hiking, and eating way too much ramen.
Evan is a junior studying English with a concentration in Writing and Rhetoric. Evan came to GMU as a Psychology major and has experience with Psychology literature reviews and research proposals. The switch from psychology to English was a big change for Evan but he has found that studying English has made him more attuned to shifts in writing style and genre especially among the wider humanities. Although most of his writing experience falls within the discipline of Psychology and English, he has also dealt with writing from the disciplines of Chemistry, Biology, and Philosophy. In his free time, Evan enjoys reading particularly classic fiction as well as playing sports like tennis, table, or otherwise. He also enjoys writing his own fiction which he hopes to expand into worthwhile reading as his technical skills improve.
Faith is a first-year MFA candidate with a concentration in Creative Nonfiction. She earned her BA at UMass Amherst, double majoring in English and History. While pursuing her undergraduate degree, Faith worked as a consultant in the writing center. She also has experience working with and consulting for several historic house museums (including the Emily Dickinson Homestead) writing grants, tour scripts, social media posts, and object summaries. As a consultant, she understands that writing is a process that is unique to the writer as everyone processes language differently. In her approach, Faith aims to assist writers in an accessible manner. Outside of her professional life, Faith enjoys reading, crocheting, writing letters to her friends, and watching The Golden Girls.
Greeshma is an undergraduate biology student in her sophomore year at GMU. She is an Honors College student currently on the pre-med track and hopes to eventually work in the medical field. She worked as a writing tutor at her high school’s writing center for over three years and has encountered many types of writers with differing skill sets. Greeshma believes in making better writers, not just better writing, and strongly believes in the importance of helping writers develop skills to help them be independent in future endeavors. She has experience with science-based assignments and projects such as lab reports and research papers, but also enjoys helping with humanities-based research, persuasive essays, and non-fiction writing. Greeshma is bilingual, fluent in English and Telugu (తెలుగు), and while she originally hails from Andhra Pradesh, India, she’s spent most of her life in Northern Virginia. In her spare time, she enjoys reading fantasy and horror books, dancing, and watching superhero movies/shows.
Homa has an M.A. in literature from the University of North Florida. Before coming to George Mason, she worked on her Ph.D. in postcolonial literature at the University of Florida, where she taught literature and composition classes as a teaching assistant. She has chosen the poetry concentration but loves writing nonfiction as well. Homa recently completed translating a work of creative nonfiction from Farsi into English and is interested in pursuing more translation projects. She is fluent in English, Farsi, and Urdu. Being a multilingual writer gives her a better grasp of writing issues and challenges that non-native English speakers might face. After a long break from graduate school, she is thrilled to be able to pursue her lifelong passion for poetry as part of a thriving writing community at GMU.
Jackie is an undergraduate senior studying English with a concentration in film and media studies. She has lived in Northern Virginia her whole life and transferred to Mason during her Sophomore year. Most of her academic career has consisted of literature papers, film analysis papers, and argumentative essays. Other than English and film, she is also interested in women and gender studies. Jackie understands how difficult writing can be at times and hopes to help students develop their ideas and gain confidence in their skills. In her free time, she enjoys reading fantasy books, playing video games, and watching films with her friends.
Jaime is a first-year MFA candidate studying creative writing with a concentration in Fiction. Back home in Singapore, she majored in digital animation and minored in creative writing. She was the chief editor of two college literary publications and has facilitated workshops on how to give writers and poets effective feedback. Her strengths lie in proofreading grammar and syntax, but she’ll happily get in the weeds of a brainstorming and restructuring session with anyone who asks. As a recovering competitive debater and blogger, she knows her way around an argument and is eager to assist writers in making their papers as persuasive as they can be. She also studied Chinese for twelve years; while she’s far from proficient, she empathises intensely with the struggle of learning a second language and looks forward to working with multilingual writers. After hours, you can find her loafing around, drawing comics, and writing niche fanfiction.
A PhD student in the Writing and Rhetoric program, Jenny has taught Composition at Mason for two years. Her recent research focuses on writing centers expanding into learning centers or merging with learning centers. Other research interests include community literacy, antiracist pedagogy, and the use of yoga and mindfulness strategies in writing instruction. She also serves as an adjunct instructor in the MA in Teaching Writing program at Johns Hopkins University. Before coming to Mason, Jenny worked for eleven years as a high school English teacher at West Springfield High School (WSHS) -- just down the road from campus. At WSHS she founded and directed the writing center for eight years, and has played an active role in the secondary school writing center movement. Here at the Mason Writing Center, she provides support for graduate writers working on thesis, dissertation, and academic projects and develops workshops for graduate writers. Jenny is also a mother, distance runner, musical theatre nerd, and lover of podcasts.
Jessika is a first year MFA student in fiction. She graduated from Emory University with a B.A. in Creative Writing and minors in Political Science and Korean Language. She has experience with a multitude of disciplines, including: non-profit grant writing, political research and legislative advocacy, literary analysis, business and copywriting, and interviewing a number of artists and authors for publications. She was also a teacher for many years and feels comfortable collaborating with students from multilingual backgrounds. She loves discussing drafts at any stage of the writing process, but especially enjoys digging into nitty-gritty details, brainstorming, and stylistic assistance. She briefly lived in Seoul and speaks Korean intermediately, though it’s a bit rusty. Outside of academia, she loves thrifting, roller blading, cuddling her two cats, Bao and Ditto, and spending a little bit too much time on Twitter.
Josie is a first-year MFA Creative Writing (fiction concentration) student. She received her BFA in Creative Writing at Pratt Institute, where she won a thesis award for her short story collection. As a result of long-term substitute teaching 9th & 10th Grade English and Oral Communication, she is well-versed in evaluating and advising on speech writing, literary analysis essays, and analytical research papers. Her recent work as an elementary school reading tutor taught her the incredible impact of positive feedback and individualization on student learning, and her primary goal is building writers’ confidence via these practices. On an ideal evening, Josie cooks up some General Tso’s tofu, watches at least one movie (preferably a musical), and plays an endless game of fetch with her cat.
June is a first-year graduate student in English. Her concentration is the teaching of writing and literature. Her academic interest is multiculturalism and ESOL. She is an international student. Her undergraduate major was English education, including the senior thesis exploring the connection between reading and writing and the teaching of English. She gained teaching experience through internship in a Chinese junior high school and tutoring Chinese students English. This facilitates her interactive skills with students, especially with ESOL students. She is well-organized and appreciates attention to detail. Also, she is a virtual learner. She encorages students to think critically and indepemdently. June is open-minded and enjoys learning about other cultures.
Karen is a Malaysian first-year MA Linguistics candidate interested in multilingual studies. She earned her BA in English and Economics from Penn State University, during which she was also a writing tutor. Her current research interest blossomed in the sweltering heat of her youth, where she drank in the sounds of Malay, English, Mandarin, and a Chinese dialect or two. As a result of this upbringing, she is not sure which language is her first or if she even has a first language. After one too many linguistic identity crises, Karen resolved to learn all about the mystery that is herself. While on her journey to self-discovery, she loves making detours to learn about other cultures, languages and especially, food. So, the next time you catch Karen at the writing center, please tip her off on the best spots in town for some delicious grub!
Kayla is a third-year candidate in the MFA program, concentrating in fiction. She earned her undergraduate degree in English Literature from the University of Alabama. She spent two years teaching ESL in Guangzhou, China- and she misses the authentic boba! In 2016, she joined Teach for America in San Jose, California, working with middle school students. She also earned a Master’s degree in Education in 2018 from Loyola Marymount University. Kayla is excited about the flexible and collaborative sessions at the Writing Center, which are much different from teaching middle school! She is familiar with the many stages of the writing process and is eager to offer support to other writers who are looking for a fresh perspective on their work.
Keerthana is an undergraduate sophomore at Mason. She is a Criminology, Law and Society major and Forensic Science minor. She is familiar with writing lab reports for Biology and Forensic Science at the undergraduate level. She also has experience working on writing literature reviews, research proposals, and policy analysis papers. She’s excited to learn more about the different writings within each discipline. Keerthana is eager to help individuals become better writers through the help of the writing center. She also thinks it is important for writers to maintain their voice and ideas in their writings. In her free time, she enjoys baking, going on walks, listening to different kinds of music, watching horror movies, and reading thriller and romance novels.
Kierstin graduated with a BA in English from Towson University in December, 2019. During her time at Towson, Kierstin worked as both a fiction editor and creative non-fiction online editor for Towson’s literary magazine Grub Street. In her final year, she won the Hannah Nathan Rosen Writing Award for a creative non-fiction piece titled, “Letter for My Sister.” Despite escaping school right before the switch to online classes, Kierstin continued online editing and proofreading over the next year and a half while working for Yellow Arrow - a Baltimore-based, female-run literary magazine. In her free time, Kierstin enjoys writing fantasy, watching depressing TV, and cuddling her old, grouchy-but-sweet tuxedo cat, Kena.
Laura is a senior undergraduate English major in the honors program, concentrating in Creative Writing and minoring in Psychology. Originally starting her college career at Northern Virginia Community College where she earned her Associate’s degree in Science, Laura transferred to GMU from the College of William & Mary in the fall of 2020. Having enjoyed the opportunity of taking classes in a wide array of academic fields over the years, she is excited to work with writers across the disciplines and hopes to share her own writing experience in creative collaboration with student writers. Laura is passionate about the written word and empowering others to hone their unique writerly voice. In her free time she enjoys running, reading, and music.
Michael Panciera was raised in Blacksurg, Virginia. He studied computer Science at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg. He has experience with scientific research (bioinformatics) and science writing, as well as writing for the humanities. He has worked as a personal coach, dishwasher, daycare substitute, dogwalker, and software developer. He is interested in the use of AI and other new technologies to assist writers. In his free time, he studies linguistics. He likes math but is bad at it.
Nick (he/him) is a first year MFA candidate studying poetry. He received his Associate of Arts in English from the College of Southern Maryland (CSM), and a Bachelor of Arts from Washington College, with a major in English and a minor in Creative Writing. As an Undergraduate, Nick took a variety of courses in African American Literature, pre-and post-1800 literature, and Women & Gender studies. While attending Washington College, Nick worked as a Researcher and archivist for the digital humanities project, Putting Them on the Map: Mapping the Agents of the Colored Co-operative Publishing Company, and as a Reader/Screener of Poetry for Cherry Tree: A National Literary Journal @ Washington College. Nick believes that education should be accessible to everyone and applies that philosophy to his work as a consultant. In his free time, Nick likes to cook pretty much anything.
Olivia is a current graduate student pursuing a Master of Arts in English Literature. She received her Bachelor of Arts in English and Psychology from the College of William & Mary (Go Tribe!). She also has experience in writing for Music, Gender Studies, Creative Writing, and Religion classes. Olivia has seen immense improvement in her own writing from her freshman year to her senior year and believes that through practice anyone can become a great writer. She was also a part of the William & Mary Pep Band as Associate Band Director and Social Chair and a member of the Music Fraternity, Delta Tau Omicron, as second Vice President. If she is not reading or creative writing in her free time, Olivia enjoys painting on her balcony. She also has been playing the clarinet for 13 years and has a pitbull mixed dog named Mango.
Reema is a junior undergraduate student majoring in Business with a concentration in Marketing. She also plans to minor in Professional and Technical Writing. Along with her writing experiences in her Business major, Reema has also dealt with writing from disciplines of Biology, English, History, and Philosophy. Previously working as a private English tutor has allowed her to become well-versed in guiding writers through their understanding of literary texts and composition of analytical and argumentative essays. Outside her world of academics, Reema also has a great passion for writing poetry and hopes to pass on her passion for writing to others. She looks forward to working with writers and supporting them in their writing journeys.
Rob is a graduate level MFA student focused on Creative Writing and creative essaying. He has workshopped with published authors, served as a genre editor for a literary journal, taught a professionalization course as a Teacher’s Assistant at Salisbury University where he received his BA, and he has been published multiple times himself. When Rob isn’t in class, or at the Writing Center, he is likely to be found in the woods behind his house drinking too many cups of tea and reading books about strange historical events. Before Rob joined academia he had a job as an animal handler where he would crawl under houses with a flashlight to flush out scared or trapped animals. Why is this important? Because whether you are a poised professional seeking publication or you feel like a scared raccoon in the dark, Rob is happy to help.
Shelby is a third-year undergraduate Honors College student pursuing a BS in Criminology with a concentration in Homeland Security and a minor in Forensic Psychology. During her academic career, she has gained experience working in a writing center and tutoring high school students in chemistry. She has taken a variety of courses including STEM classes such as Chemistry and Biology, as well as courses in the social sciences. Shelby has worked on various different research papers and proposals and even worked in a private attorney's office where she learned how to write legal briefs and other court documents. As a consultant, she hopes to assist writers in letting their personalities shine through their writing. Shelby is very passionate about tennis where she has worked both as a coach, a member of the GMU club tennis team, and as an organizer of multiple charity tournaments.
Sophia is a junior undergraduate majoring in Government and International Politics. She is getting a minor in Data Analysis and is studying Arabic and French. Her dream is to one day work at the Department of State to help promote human rights and democracy abroad. She has experience writing a wide variety of essay types across several disciplines, but is especially interested in research papers, policy briefs, and personal statements. Sophia has a deep love for writing in all its forms and is excited to help those that come to the writing center find their own voice and enhance their writing skills. Outside of school, Sophia enjoys watching anime and drinking coffee at cat cafes.
Tori is a graduate student pursing her MFA in Poetry. She earned her bachelor’s degree in English Literature with a Concentration in Creative Writing from Gettysburg College. She also minored in Italian language, although her proficiency has dropped due to a lack of practice. She served as a Primary Learning Assistant for the Italian Department in undergrad and has experience teaching students in an approachable setting. She values making sure students are comfortable and confident when they leave her consulting sessions. After graduation, she moved out west to Aspen, Colorado and was a ski instructor for seven years. She knows how to make a mean snowball. Fun fact: She didn’t learn how to ride a bike until she was twelve, but now commutes to campus on her vintage Schwinn Breeze bike. (Watch out!)
Vez is a first-year student in the MA program in English with a concentration in Linguistics. Along with his graduate degree, he is earning a certificate in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). His interest in TESOL led him to pursue a BA in English with a concentration in Linguistics. He has experience writing Linguistic research papers dealing with language acquisition and datasets. Vez recently earned another certificate to teach ESOL classes and uses this experience to teach immigrants and refugees. His passion for helping writers, along with his communication skills, encourage writers to easily express themselves as he focuses on building their confidence. He enjoys writing and producing music and has completed several creative projects as part of his undergraduate coursework. With this experience, as a consultant, he hopes to help other writers explore creative possibilities in their own writing.
Vincenzo is a junior undergraduate at GMU majoring in Psychology. Originally from Italy, he came to the United States to attend Northern Virginia Community College and most recently, following his graduation, George Mason University in pursuit of higher education. After a lifetime of speaking Italian, Vincenzo experienced the many challenges that multilingual writers face upon moving to the States; this experience made him passionate about supporting multilingual students maintain and express their identity in writing while achieving their goals. In his free time, Vincenzo spends his time cooking, playing with his dogs, and deepening his knowledge of neuroscience and neurobiology.