Miller Writing Center
Office of University Writing

Consulting

Filled with pride and holding back tears, I said my goodbyes and wished her luck before exiting the appointment window on my screen. That was it; my client didn’t need me anymore. After seven months of writing, reading, and revising, her dissertation was ready for defense and publication. None of the 110 pages were written in her native Korean. I am not an editor; I’m a writing consultant, and my job is to help others express ideas with confidence, clarity, and concision. More impactful than merely telling native English speakers where to put commas, my work has shown me that language serves as a window into other cultures and worldviews.

"The experience was a breeze"

Client Feedback

"Did a very

good job and made sure I knew what she was talking about"

"She is the

best person that I met at the writing center. I will rate 100/10 for her. Very satisfied."

"She was very helpful, kind, and encouraging"

Mentorship & Training

In the spring of 2021 I applied and was promoted to the role of Lead Consultant for the Miller Writing Center. In this position I was able to continue consulting with undergraduate and graduate students, while also taking on new responsibilities training and mentoring my fellow consultants. To this end, each semester I was assigned a "Circle Group" of 6-8 consultants to meet with on a weekly basis. During these meetings we discussed strategies to overcome common consulting hurdles and reflected on how our consulting skillsets were applicable to our varied disciplines and future career fields. Facilitating these conversations and establishing strong mentor relationships with my coworkers has given me a greater appreciation for administrative rolls, which I look forward to pursuing in future employment opportunities. The artifacts and narratives included below reflect the responsibilities and experiences I embraced in this role.

Modeling Scaffolding

The video linked here was produced for the pre-semester online training practicum for new consultants. In the demonstration, my fellow Lead Consultants and I modeled proper appointment scaffolding. As described in the video, scaffolding allows the consultant to teach and model strong writing habits and techniques, rather than editing the client's work. This process is key to the Miller Writing Center's mission of keeping writers in control of their own writing at all stages of the writing process.

The Millies

The Millies are the Miller Writing Center's semesterly awards as voted on by staff members and administrators.