“Ordinary people with extraordinary vision can redeem the soul of America by getting in what I call good trouble, necessary trouble,” - John Lewis
MILLER WRITING CENTER
When I began working at the MWC in August of 2021, I was determined to feel more comfortable assisting clients of different disciplines. Since August, I have assisted clients with lab reports, personal statements, application essays, and dissertations in Music Theory. I believe that the professional development tasks assigned to us empowered me as a consultant to believe in my abilities as a writer and to learn techniques that would aid clients to reach their desired comfort level with their writing.
In my four years at Auburn, I have had a plethora of on-campus positions. This one immediately felt different. It is the most diverse, the most welcoming, and one of the ones where I get to do the most contributing. Contributing to the lives of others and contributing - in a way - to my own skills as a writer. I have also learned so much more about being an even better friend! As a consultant, I want to emulate the same feeling for others that I feel when I show up to work. I want every client and coworker that I come in contact with to feel a sense of calmness and confidence because of our encounter and that their apprehensions about the MWC can be erased! I want to serve as a representation of why the MWC is a safe space for anyone regardless of identity or writing abilities!
MWC Circle Meetings
Attending our circle meetings are extremely important for both professional and personal development. I was able to build lifetime friendships while also learning new techniques that I can apply to my philosophy as a consultant. Circle sessions served as a time designated to debrief the appointments from our previous week and analyze the consulting philosophy that we enlisted during that session. We were able to seek advice from our co-workers and develop a plan of action for the next time that we have a similar appointment. Circle meetings also fostered an environment for consultants to examine the required reading/professional development for the week. As a result of my circle meetings, I was able to formulate ways to apply the suggested techniques from our professional development to our consulting style. My artifact from our circle meetings is a reflection on the professional development assignment about open ended versus closed questioning as a consulting practice, as well as my opinion on the compassion practice that was reviewed and shared during that week's meeting.
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Consulting Philosophy
As a consultant it is my desire to provide the best assistance to my client as they tackle their writing task. My three main goals are to be a motivator, collaborator, and an organizer. Oftentimes, clients are discouraged and feel as though they aren't “great writers”. As a consultant, it is my philosophy that by leading with these three things, I can assist clients in understanding that everyone’s writing is a work in progress and together, we can organize and collaborate on their assignment to ensure that they feel confident.
MWC Welcome Week
Marketing the MWC is very important to the overall success of the writing center. We want to not only increase participation, but also increase the awareness across disciplines of this resource on campus. Participating in this welcome week event afforded me the opportunity to meet with a plethora of potential clients and inform them of this amazing campus resource that they have access to as a student! I also was able to learn about some of the other programs that the MWC offers like the Graduate Writing Partners, Write Fest, and more! My favorite part was being able to answer any questions that fellow students had about how to make an appointment, the number of appointments allowed per week and more!
Consultant as a Client
During the Fall 2021 semester, I was applying for law school and therefore needed to compose a Personal Statement. Writing this statement was one of the most unexpectedly difficult things to write. I decided to make an appointment with one of my trusted co-workers to tackle this statement. The appointment was my first ever appointment at the MWC. I was able to not only complete my personal statement, but also learn some important techniques from my consultant that I now use in my own appointments with clients - particularly those who are writing personal statements. I left my appointment feeling impowered and thankful that I finally got another set of eyes on my statement. I have included my completed personal statement as an artifact because without my appointment, this statement that I love wouldn't be possible!
