With collaboration as one of our core values and rapport-building as one of our core practices, it’s no wonder that the UCWbL is a place to build not just coworker relationships, but genuine friendships as well. In fact, many peer tutors became interested in the job opportunity in the first place because of our welcoming atmosphere: whether that
’s in writing groups, Writing Fellows, or just when talking with friends.
Writing Groups
Writing center tutor and SCRAWL Radio team member Marina B.’s first experience at the UCWbL was attending Writers Guild with a friend. “My best friend Kristen, who was a first-year tutor at the time, brought me along to expose me to the wonderful world of peer tutoring,” she says. “I think it’s pretty funny that my first exposure to the UCWbL was in such a niche, or perhaps relatively ‘underground,’ part of the Writing Center, as opposed to coming in for tutoring or having a Writing Fellow in one of my classes.”
“I remember that I brought in my journal and felt comfortable enough to share some lines of poetry with the other writers present, and it was an extremely warm and supportive environment,” says Marina. “It ultimately led me to apply to be a writing tutor the following year. Ironically, Kristen is no longer an active tutor at the UCWbL as she has an internship this quarter, and I’m now part of a team that she was on last quarter. In some capacity, I feel like she guided me into the Writing Center and I’ve now filled her vacuum. Either way, I could not ask for a better job or better coworkers!”
Recommendations from Friends
Will R. first learned of the UCWbL through one of his good friends, UCWbLer Zoe K. Will says: “[Zoe] worked there during my sophomore year, and they’d talk about really enjoying the job. I didn’t think I was cut out to apply, but eventually decided to try anyway after seeing the space when I went in for a Fellows appointment.”
After working here for two quarters, Will enjoys the friendly environment the UCWbL maintains. He says, “It is so, so nice to work a job where I enjoy being with my coworkers. They are all incredibly smart and sweet, and they have all taught me so much!”
Tomorrow we’ll have another set of UCWbL origin stories! Hope everyone’s enjoying International Writing Centers Week!
Happy writing!
Savy