The Graceland University Writing Center provides a supportive, welcoming environment where all Graceland students can work together with trained tutor on improving both their writing knowledge and skills. The Writing Center assists students in all majors and at any stage of the writing process to become better, more confident writers.
Students will work with writing tutors who are themselves. These peer tutors are experienced readers and writers specifically trained to assist students of all levels and abilities with their writing, but they know what it is like to be a student and are navigating that themselves. They love helping and collaborating with their peers!
MEET THE GU STUDENT WRITING TUTORS:
Adelia Bristot Goes
Hometown: Criciúma - Santa Catarina, Brazil
Major (s): Criciúma - Santa Catarina, Brazil
Activities Outside of the Writing Center: Women’s Soccer and Honors Program
Favorite Quote About Writing: “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” Agatha Christie
Sophia Lopez
Hometown: Overland Park, Kansas
Major (s): English and Business
Activities Outside of the Writing Center: Women's Soccer, Choir and Harmonium Member, Graceland Theatre Participant, and Head Receptionist for Tess Morgan.
Favorite Quote About Writing: "There is no greater agony that than bearing and untold story inside of you." Maya Angelou
Emily Lewis
Hometown: Centerville, Iowa
Major (s): English with Secondary Teaching Endorsement
Activities Outside of the Writing Center: Cross Country and Track and Field
Favorite Quote About Writing: "Words are a lens to focus one's mind." Ayn Rand
Sydney Sweeden
Hometown: Weston, Missouri
Major (s): History and Sociology
Activities Outside of the Writing Center: Working part-time at Kum & Go gas station
Favorite Quote About Writing: "A word after a word after a word is power." Margaret Atwood
PJ McDaniel
Hometown: Kansas City, Missouri
Major (s): Business Administration
Activities Outside of the Writing Center: Writing Poetry, Playing Video Games, Hanging out with Friends
Favorite Quote About Writing: “If we don’t write our own stories, there is someone else waiting to do it for us. And those people, waiting with their pens, often don’t look like we do and don’t have our best interest in mind” - Hanif Abdurraqib-Willis, “They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us”
Tanis Rees
Hometown: Woodburn, Oregon
Major (s): English / Secondary Education
Activities Outside of the Writing Center: Theatre, Choir, IDEA Rep, Sandwich Artist
Favorite Quote About Writing: "Words are our most inexhaustible source of magic." by J.K. Rowling
Samantha Brooks
Hometown: Odessa, Missouri
Major (s): Nursing, Minor in Psychology
Activities Outside of the Writing Center: Treasurer for McKevit Manor
Favorite Quote About Writing: "You fail only if you stop writing." Ray Bradbury
Maniya Watkins
Hometown: Louisville, Mississippi
Majors (s): Criminal Law and Sociology
Activities Outside of the Writing Center: Women’s Basketball player
Favorite Quote About Writing: "You can’t use up creativity. The more you use it, the more you have" -Maya Angelou
Name: Isabella Herman
Hometown: Grain Valley, Missouri
Major (s):Psychology and English
Activities outside of the Writing Center: Reading, Crochet
Favorite Quote About Writing: “Character, to me, is the life's blood of fiction.” -Donna Tartt
Name: Demeia Johnson
Hometown: Davenport, Iowa
Major (s): Criminal Psychology & Sociology Minor: Hispanic Studies
Activities outside of the Writing Center: Reading
Favorite Quote About Writing: "A writer, I think, is someone who pays attention to the world." by Susan Sontag
Name: Trevor Rogers
Hometown: Riverton, Illinois
Major (s): Communication
Activities outside of the Writing Center: Sports fan
Favorite Quote About Writing: “Writing, to me, is simply thinking through my fingers” by Isaac Asimov
Name: Kaylen Schaefer
Hometown: Hemet, CA
Major: English
Activities outside of the Writing Center: Soccer
Favorite quote about writing: “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” ― Maya Angelou
Name: Molly Sharp
Hometown: Locust Grove, Oklahoma
Major(s): English, minor in Hispanic Studies
Activities Outside of the Writing Center: cheer, very active on her hall, which is Paloma!
Favorite Quote About Writing: "A writer is by nature a dreamer-- a conscious dreamer." by Carson McCullers.
MEET THE GU WRITING CENTER DIRECTOR
Name: Dr. Roger Powell
Hometown: Creston, Iowa.
Degrees:
BA, English, Graceland University, 2012
MA, English, University of North Dakota, 2014
PhD, English: Composition and TESOL, 2018, Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Activities Outside of Writing Center: Traveling, Playing Video Games, Hiking/Backpacking, Watching the Kansas City Chiefs, and Hanging out with my wife, family, and friends.
Favorite Quote About Writing: "Writing is not life, but I think sometimes it can be a way back to life." by Stephen King.