Part 4 of Meet the SWC Tutors!

This is me and the one that keeps me busy!

Caroline
My name is Caroline, and I used to work as an on-campus Instructional Consultant. I now work remotely for Stone Writing Center Online. I have a BA in English from Ole Miss and my MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Maryland.  My master's focused in poetry, so that is my favorite genre of writing. However, I enjoy helping students with ALL types of writing. It’s so fun to play with language. If I could tell my younger student self anything, it would be to take more diverse class electives. I know a business course or two would’ve helped me in “real life.”

How I write

I learned at a young age that words hold incredible power. All through my schooling, we had to memorize poetry or Bible verses. Some of the passages gave me feelings I did not have the emotional language for yet, but I knew that those words and passages were important to me and many people.

Something few people know I am good at: I am good at assembling furniture and doing general handyman housework. I attribute most of this to moving so many times in adulthood. I had to break down and reassemble lots of furniture along the way!

Hi!

Brittany

My mother loved Alvin and the Chipmunks, so she named me after the Chipette, Brittany. I learned that language--including names--had power at a young age. My mom fell ill when I was a child, and my name served as one of my only connections to her. The name, Brittany, symbolizes my mother’s love, and I will always cherish this gift she gave me. Language and writing continue to shape me as I achieve my life goals. I graduated in the summer of 2018 with a master’s in public history from Texas State University, and I consider myself an expert in historical research and writing. Using these skills, I am able to help students with primary source research and using an active voice in their writing. Although I consider myself a decent writer, my favorite part of the writing process is brainstorming. I love coming up with fantastical ideas and pushing my analysis skills to their limits. When it comes to writing, I think it is important not to feel confined. If it makes sense to me, I can figure out a way to convey that meaning to someone else in writing and so can everyone else, which is a beautiful thing.

My favorites!

Jackie

My name is Jacqueline, and I absolutely love my job as an Instructional Consultant at the Stone Writing Center. I obtained a Bachelor of Liberal Arts in English from TAMU-CC in December 2012. I am currently working on a Master of Arts in English with a concentration in Non-Fiction Creative Writing. 

Raised in a Spanish-speaking household, I quickly learned that language had power the moment I set foot in the classroom filled with children who spoke only English. I attended private school, so at the time, there was no support staff to help guide me as I learned to speak English. My best friends in school consisted of a dictionary, a thesaurus, an encyclopedia, my pink fluffy pen, and my notebook. I am grateful for this experience because I not only learned a new language, but I also gained a love of learning, research, and writing. 

Reading and Writing!

Writing is a relaxing tool that gives me the ability to express my inner thoughts and creative ideas. The writing process encourages a path of thinking and expanding on your thoughts and ideas. There are no limits to writing; it allows a writer the ability to spark their imagination and create unique content. 

I enjoy working with students in all areas of writing, but my areas of expertise are in essay organization and journalism. I believe that a well-organized essay is not only visually appealing, but also allows the writer to connect with the reader in a logical manner. As a side job, I am a contributing writer for both The Bend magazine and Inspire Coastal Bend Magazine, where organization is paramount in the work I produce. I look forward to working with all our students and inspiring their creative minds to shine through their writing. Happy Writing!

The SWC Tutors, Part 3

Alyssa

My name is Alyssa, and I have a bachelor’s degree in English from Texas A&M University – Kingsville. My areas of expertise are literary analysis and MLA formatting/citations. I’ve never been very good at math, but MLA citations are like a formula to me. I plug in the right information, and out pops a fully-formed citation. It’s as close to being a mathematician as I’ll ever get. I also have a deep-seated love for books and analyzing every last ounce out of them. Don’t get me started.

I love that writing can take my imperfect thoughts and verbalizations and turn them into something poetic. I talk fast, and writing forces me to slow down. On the flip side, I love when I read someone else’s writing and one sentence floors me. I’ll stop and take a second to really absorb what I just read and then read it again. Words are so powerful. I wish I could tell my younger self to stop fighting against what I knew I wanted to do. I went through a couple of majors before I settled on English. This was mostly because of people around me telling me that I needed a “practical” career path. I didn’t know how practical the English discipline would be. Don’t let anyone dissuade you from what you love.

My bakery

At one point, a few years ago, I considered opening a bakery. I wanted to call it The Cupcake Library and have cupcakes named after different books and characters. This was a way of combining my love of reading and baked goods. I still bake a lot, but my bakery never made it past the planning stage. I dreamed of having magical Harry Potter cupcakes and serious Mr. Rochester ones. Maybe someday!

Howdy!

Rylie
Howdy, y’all. Rylie here! Now that I’ve gotten my obligatory Aggie greeting out of the way, I can tell you that I graduated from Texas A&M University in College Station with a bachelor’s degree in English. I am currently halfway through obtaining my Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Popular Fiction Writing and Publishing through Emerson College’s online program.

My area of expertise is definitely in Creative Writing, and the part of the writing process that I enjoy the most is getting started. The feeling of staring at a blank page that so many people dread is actually one I relish. I know it sounds crazy, but the possibilities of a blank canvas are endless. Who knows where my mind will go? At times, I’m just along for the ride!

My favorite things

My favorite things about writing have to be getting to express my creativity and helping people to see things differently. Ever since I was little, I’ve had a huge imagination. It’s gotten the better of me at times, via nightmares and daydreaming, but it’s also gotten me through a lot, like insomnia and anxiety over school. Whenever I’m stressed, I write myself into a different world. Writing novels means that I get to invite people in to see what I’ve created and if I manage to introduce them to some new ideas or views along the way, even better!

I wish Younger Me could’ve gotten the advice to join clubs early and get very involved. Once I found my favorite club, I had a stress-free environment with many friends; both of which helped me to do better in school. Though we’re now spread throughout the United States, we keep in constant contact and meet up every now and then. 

Ethan 

My name is Ethan, and writing has always had a special appeal to me. I am a firm believer that, as Margaret Atwood said, “A word after a word after a word is power."

Having been a voracious reader since childhood, I understood the power of words early on. Language has the power to inform, to persuade, and to transport us to different times and places. The ability to harness that power through the written form is part of what makes writing so appealing to me. Being able to pass along what I have learned as a student and a writer is just icing on the cake.

Though I’ve always been passionate about reading and writing, if I could go back in time, I would tell my younger self to read and write more. After all, there is no such thing as too many books, and there is always something new to write about. As I try to explain to new students, good writing takes lots and lots of practice, and I am always striving to become better at it.

As an undergraduate, I started out as a science major. However, my affinity for reading and writing quickly caused me to change majors, and I wound up completing a bachelor’s and master’s degree in history at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. I am proficient in general academic writing and research methods, but, as a history student, I will always be partial to historical research and writing and liberal arts topics in general.

In addition to reading and writing, I have a few other hobbies. I am an avid outdoorsman and regularly go fishing and hunting. I also enjoy watching cooking shows and doing my best to replicate (with varying degrees of success) the various dishes I see on TV. 

Meet More Tutors, Part 2

Annastacia

Annastacia 
Greetings!  My name is Annastacia.  I have a bachelor's and master's in English from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.  The areas that I studied most closely in school were literature, rhetoric, and composition.  Admittedly, British Literature is my guilty pleasure and what I most enjoyed discussing and analyzing in school.  One of my final papers talked about how desire is heightened when there is an element of danger involved.  Even though the process of writing it was intense, I cannot express how much I enjoyed researching and composing that essay.  

Believe it or not, I received my first low grade in English when I was in elementary school.  If I could go back and revisit my 5th-grade-self, I would let Annastacia know that grammar is not the enemy.  Although diagramming sentences was a detriment to me at that time, I can now appreciate the ability to understand how words function differently in a sentence.  In fact, one of my teachers once told me that I had a talent for putting together compound complex sentences.  Grammar is now one of my greatest strengths.

It is important to understand the amount of power that words have.  I learned from an early age that words have the ability to build someone up or tear them down.  I struggled for years with low self esteem because of one short sentence muttered to me when I was a child.  Through writing, I have been able to communicate these feelings and find a new voice.  Writing, after all, is a mode of communication; therefore, writing is unique depending on the writer and what is being communicated.  While writing needs structure, the possibilities for how to build this verbal infrastructure are endless.  What can I help build today?

Heather

What’s up, y’all?! I’m Heather, and I was born and raised in Houston, Texas. I came to Corpus Christi to pursue both my B.A and M.A in English at Texas A&M University- Corpus Christi. 

Heather

I can be described in 3 words: Writer, Dancer, and Cosplayer. I’m quite passionate about creative writing and mostly interested in the dystopian, sci-fi, mystery, and supernatural genres. In fact, I have several work-in-progress novels lined up in those genres. My favorite thing about writing has to be painting a picture with my words. No matter what I’m describing, whether it is an epic fight scene or simply describing a room, the words I choose have the power to make the image come alive.

Me dancing

If I’m not writing, I’m dancing my heart out. I’ve been a dancer for about 20 years. I started out in ballet just like every young girl, but I loved it so much I never stopped. I’m well versed in several styles: ballet, hip hop, jazz, contemporary, modern, high kick, military, and the like. I competed in dance competitions in high school for three years, then continued casually dancing well into college. 

When I’m not dancing or writing, you can find me attending anime conventions and cosplaying as various fictional characters. I started out in 2010 and slowly learned more and more about the craft. Cosplaying is my hobby; it has allowed me to hone my make-up, prop-making, and sewing skills. While my make-up skills are the most evident, my passion lies in prop-making and crafting. I just love the idea of making replicas of fictional weapons and other props. 

Well, that’s me. Happy to assist y’all in the Stone Writing Center!

Christina

Christina

Bienvenidos! I am Christina, an Instructional Consultant at the Stone Writing Center. Even though my last name is Greek, I am Bilingual in English and Spanish. I have a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in English, with a focus in literature and journalism, from Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi. I am also an Instructor for the Crossroads: Adult Education and Literacy program at the Education Service Center – Region 2. I have always been passionate about writing, especially creative writing. It can take me to places I’ve never been. I always thought writing was important because of the books I loved to read; however, the first time I was published in a school newspaper helped me to realize how impactful writing could be. I had never been published before, and for a day, everyone knew who I was because they published my photo along with my opinion column. They wanted to know what I thought about a certain issue. I knew then that I wanted to write more for publication. I look forward to sharing my novel (my current work-in-progress) in the future, which I hope will show how creative writing can be just as powerful as journalism can be. 

Meet the Tutors of the SWC, Part 1

Hi, again, Roxy Readers! As you know, I spend my time helping students at the Stone Writing Center at Del Mar College. It’s mid-term around here, and everyone is busy, busy, busy getting their papers done. It takes a village to keep things running, and I don’t do it alone. My next few entries will be devoted to introducing the talent of the SWC. Everyone - I’d like you to meet the tutors of the Stone Writing Center!

Laura 

Hi everyone! My name is Laura. I graduated from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV…formerly UTPA) with both my bachelor’s and master’s degree in English Rhetoric and Composition. I’ve always enjoyed writing, so it seemed like the best fit for me.

I’ve actually loved to write since I was five. Back then, I wrote mostly about princess mermaids and PowerPuff Girl fan fiction. When I started learning about teaching writing, I began to learn more about the struggles that people have with writing, and now, I really enjoy helping students with their writing. I like that it always changes, it’s never the same from student to student, and it’s a form of expression. Plus, I love to read!

I love to read!

People need guidance, but I think students especially need guidance. If I could go back and tell my younger student self anything, I would tell myself that it’s okay to stumble through obstacles as long as you keep working through them. I would also tell myself that it’s absolutely, perfectly OKAY to ask for help. Being a student is hard, and I learned very late that professors are there to teach you; they want to help. I wish I wouldn’t have waited so long to ask professors to re-explain something or guide me through starting an assignment. I only hope that my younger student self would listen to me because I know I never listened to my mom!

Getting ready to write!

The one thing that I did listen to my mom about was when she said that I would, in fact, be a writer. I do think I’m a very strong writer both in academic writing and in fiction writing. I love to write stories, and I’ve actually submitted and published two short stories on the Young Adult Review Network; one of which was a humor contest winner. In the spare time I do have, I enjoy working on short stories and (potential) novels. Hopefully, I’ll write for the rest of my life. 

Jenny

This is me!

Hello, Del Mar Community!  My name is Jenny.  I am a born and raised Californian with a passion for culture, outdoor activities, arts, and languages.  I received my bachelor’s degree in English from California Baptist University and my master’s in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) from Arizona State University. 

From technical writing to poetry, I have always loved how language and writing could do so much.  As Professor Dumbledore stated in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, “Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic. Capable of both inflicting injury, and remedying it.”  When we know how to use language correctly, there are endless possibilities for what we can do and who we can help. 

Besides my passion for language learning, something that people might not know about me is that I play the ukulele.  I started playing about 6 years ago, and it has quickly become my most relaxing hobby.  After a long day, playing a few songs on my ukulele instantly relaxes me.

If I am not working on some form of language arts or playing my ukulele, you will find me running.  I love to run. It is the way I start my day, and the thing I look forward to most in the mornings besides my big cup of tea. To me, it is the most therapeutic activity I have ever done. On good days, I run. On stressful days, I run. Whatever type of day it is, my run always makes my day better. 

Toby

Toby

My name is Toby, and I earned an Associate of Arts in English from Del Mar College in 2017. I continued my education at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and graduated Summa Cum Laude in May 2019 with a Bachelor of Arts in English and a TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) Certificate.

One of my areas of expertise, at Stone Writing Center, is helping students get started on writing projects when they say they don’t know how or where to start. As a student, I learned the hard way that prewriting and outlining are excellent for getting started writing, and I am now passing this knowledge on to others.

There are many things I like about writing, but I especially like the feeling of

accomplishment that comes with a well-written piece. I have always enjoyed writing, and I considered myself a good writer before I came back to college. Prior to returning to college, I enjoyed writing informative articles for the SWCHR Bulletin, a quarterly publication of Southwestern Center for Herpetological Research, which can be found at southwesternherp.com. In sophomore classes at Del Mar, I discovered that I was not as great at writing as I had believed, and there was a lot that I needed to learn. This discovery piqued my interest in writing; I worked hard to become a better writer, and it fueled my desire to pass on what I had learned to new writers. At TAMU-CC, I continued to hone my writing skills, and I found my voice in poetry and fiction while attending creative writing classes.

My hobby! Can you see him?

It's Roxy, again. That's it for now! You'll get to meet more of my friends soon! See you next time the sun is up, the breeze is cool, and the waves roll into view. ‘Til then, hang ten!

Hello to Fall!

Hello, hello, hello, Roxy Readers! Summer is in our rearview mirror. It’s October! It’s FALL, and I’ve been busy helping with writing consultations. I can’t do it all alone, though, and I have lots of new friends at the Stone Writing Center. You’ll get to meet them here. They will introduce themselves over the next few weeks, so check back often!

Me!

My favorite thing to do

What I use to write

Summer 2019

About Paraphrasing and Citations

Hello there, Roxy Readers! It’s time to tackle the rest of the semester like a boss! A research paper is probably in your future, so let’s chat about paraphrasing and citations.

I think we can all agree that if something has quotes around it, it needs to be cited. That’s the easy part. However, what do we do if we’ve changed a few words? Does that still need to be cited? What if it’s information you already had in your head? Hopefully, I can answer those questions. 

Let’s talk about paraphrasing. Take a look at the Purdue OWL’s explanation of paraphrasing. Paraphrasing is defined as putting someone else’s important ideas and information into your own words. So you’re changing up the wording a bit, but you’re borrowing ideas or information from a source. 

To really be able to paraphrase something, you need to fully understand it. Read the passage carefully and then read it again. Now try to write a paraphrase of the information without looking at the source. This ensures that you aren’t just copying the information but putting it in your own words, which is what you’re aiming for. The information and ideas belong to the source author, but the words belong to you.

Here are a couple of examples of paraphrasing – one works and one doesn’t.

Original Excerpt: "Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense." 

Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. New York, Scholastic Press, 1997.

Paraphrase: Mr. and Mrs. Dursley lived at number 4, Privet Drive. They said they were completely normal. They never did anything out of the ordinary, and they were very proud of that (Rowling 1).

Plagiarized: Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were happy to tell people that they were completely normal. They would never get involved in strange things, they couldn’t deal with that nonsense.

See the difference? The paraphrase changes most of the key words, but still retains the information and idea. The plagiarized version uses a lot of the same words and sentence structure. Note: The paraphrased version still needs a citation after it, just like a direct quote would.

Now about citations. If you read something and then use it, it needs to be cited. But what if you pull some information out of your head and use it? Well, if this is information that the general public doesn’t know, it still needs to be cited. Even if it’s something you’ve known for half of your life, it still needs to be cited. For example, if you know random facts about King Henry VIII because you watched a documentary a decade ago, you still need to cite those facts. Chances are, other people don’t know the exact order his wives died in. Please cite that information.

Another common question…how do you cite a bunch of source material in one paragraph? If all that information comes from the same source, then you can include one in-text citation at the end of the paragraph. This eliminates repetitive citations throughout the paragraph. If the information is from different sources, then you’ll need to cite each individual source as you use it.

I’ve just touched on a few common citation issues. As with anything, you can come visit the SWC to get help with these and any other writing questions you may have. We’ve also got some very helpful handouts on our Stone Writing Center website. On campus or online, we can help you navigate the murky waters of citations. Happy researching…and citing!

See you next time the sun is up, the breeze is cool, and the waves roll into view. ‘Til then, hang ten!