Our next Tutor of the Week is Renee Okenka, an English secondary education junior with a minor in English as a Second Language.
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Renee Okenka |
"Being a Writing Center tutor has been more fulfilling than I ever could have imagined. When I first came to the Center with my first college essay, I was intimidated and unconfident in my writing. After my first session, however, I knew that I wanted to work at the Writing Center one day to make other unconfident writers feel good about their projects and to combine my two passions of English and education. After being hired this past fall, my perceptions of the Writing Center have broadened dramatically. I found out that our center is involved in the community, conducts research, and has international connections. In just two semesters, I have presented at a regional writing center conference and have received the opportunity to work in a writing center in Tokushima, Japan, this upcoming summer. And of course, the tutorial sessions that I have conducted have taught me so much about writing and the world in general. As an English as a Second Language minor, I have had the opportunity to work one-on-one with international students and put some of the theory I’ve studied to practice. I have also learned different writing strategies across different disciplines and become a better writer myself.
"Along with working in the Writing Center, I’m also a Resident Assistant in the First Year Suites and a Club Red tour guide. In the past few years, I’ve become somewhat of a workaholic to get through college, so when I do have free time, I typically end up sleeping or watching How I Met Your Mother, New Girl, The Office, or Parks and Rec on Netflix. I enjoy aquariums, nature, dogs, and food too much and would love to spend the rest of my life traveling the world with my dog.
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