Tutor Week: Meet Dianna!

It's Tutor Week at the Miller Writing Center, and we're showcasing some of the awesome members of our staff all week. To kick things off, we're interviewing one of our stellar lead consultants, Dianna! 

Name: Dianna Tingle

Major: Communication Disorders (soon to be a doctoral candidate in Audiology!)

Year: Senior/Future Graduate Student

What do you like doing best in your spare time?

If I have a lot of free time, reading is my spare time activity of choice. If I’m busy and just need a mental break, Netflix is my go-to. I also enjoy playing volleyball any chance I get.

What’s the best advice anyone has ever given you about writing?

“Write crappy rough drafts.” Seriously, before someone told me this, I focused on perfection with every sentence I wrote.  Now I get all of my ideas out on paper and write multiple drafts. It has changed my writing process and actually sped it up.

What has been the most rewarding part of your job at the Miller Writing Center?

I have enjoyed getting to know my clients over the years. I love learning from their thoughts, ideas, and papers. Everyone who comes into the writing center comes from a different background and major, so I get to learn something new every single day. My range of general knowledge is so much greater now because I get to read about so many topics from week to week. My clients also keep me updated on other important life things; for instance, do you know there is a really awesome Canvas app for iPhones? I didn’t until a client told me about it.

Is there anything challenging about your job in the Writing Center? If so, what is it?

I also struggle when reading chemistry papers, especially dissertations. I don’t know what it is about chemistry, but I have a hard time reading through all of the formulas and symbols.

When and where do you work at the MWC?:

I work on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 9-11 in Multicultural and 2-4 on Tuesdays in RBD.

Hidden talent?

I can pogo with no hands.

Book recommendation:

If you haven’t read The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, get on Amazon Prime right now and order it.

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Meet the Staff Monday

Consultant: Courtney Hewitt

 

Major: French and German.

Year: Junior

What do you like doing best in your spare time? I love to bake all the amazing recipes I find on Pinterest! And watch foreign films

What’s the best advice anyone has ever given you about writing? "Just write." I'm one of those people who tries to write the sentence perfectly the first time, but one of my high school professors told me to just write everything that came to mind and worry about making it sound perfect later. So I always get a brief outline written, and then word-vomit. And edit later, of course!

What has been the most rewarding part of your job at the Miller Writing Center? Repeat appointments! It really feels great when people come back over and over again- it shows that 1) you're a pretty cool person and 2) you're really helping them out!

Is there anything challenging about your job? If so, what is it? The hardest part of my job is balancing it with my 20 credit hour week of classes and my other job at SI. Time management is one of the most difficult skills to master, but it's great practice!

Hidden talent? I'm pretty good at lucid-dreaming...where you realize you're dreaming and then can control how the dream plays out.

Any good book recommendations? Well, it's a classic, but East of Eden is possibly my favorite book of all time.

If you want to visit Courtney for writing help, she is available from 9AM-12PM on Tuesdays in the Multicultural Center in the Student Center!

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Meet the Staff Interview: Ben Croomes

Ben Croomes

Major: SociologyYear: Junior

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I have a lot of hobbies. I've been an amateur carpenter for a few years.

What’s the best advice anyone has ever given you about writing?

I was in a group of writers that consisted of myself and 5 elderly women. After reading one of my short stories, the oldest of the group said, "It doesn't make sense. It should make sense." The simplicity of her statement killed me, but it's also stuck in my head.

What has been the most rewarding part of your job at the Miller Writing Center?

The people I've met. Every client I've had has shown me a new way to look at writing, a new way to relate to people.

Is there anything challenging about your job? If so, what is it?

Working with dissertations in hard science fields.

Hidden talent?

I have a degree in culinary arts.

Any good book recommendations?

"Less Than Zero" by Bret Easton Ellis. I'm fascinated with the excess and ruthlessness of the Reagan 80s. This book captures the depressing nature of the popular drug culture during that decade and its juxtaposition with the overwhelming desire to be something more.

Ben is a priceless member of our all-star Miller Writing Center team! He is qualified to work with all writing, but his specialties are creative writing, literary analyses, and essays. Hope that you’ll come visit him in the RBD location of the Miller Writing Center on Tuesdays from 4-7PM and Wednesdays and Thursdays from 5-7PM!

~Ashley

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