Elizabeth A. Devore

Miller Writing Center - assistant & consultant

 

I began working at the Miller Writing Center (MWC) in fall 2011 as a front desk worker. I transitioned to working as an undergraduate office assistant in the Office of University Writing (OUW) during spring 2013, and in the fall of 2013 I began working as a writing consultant.

The MWC and OUW helped prepare me most for my graduate teaching assistantship (GTA) position through staff trainings, running staff meetings, and most importantly the one-on-one tutoring with students. Teaching punctuation and word choice, and brainstorming ideas for an English composition course may not have directly prepared me for teaching engineering concepts, but it did teach me how to talk through situations to help students learn.

Being able to speak to individuals one-on-one may not seem as intimidating as speaking to a crowd of hundreds, but it is important to adapt to different settings. I have learned that the ability to communicate with an individual is just as important as speaking to a large group, no matter the content.