After writing screenplays and short fiction for over 20 years, I decided to attend Oakland University to study writing. I want to be able to share my passion for writing and to teach others how to express themselves professionally and creatively. As a creative writing major, I enjoy reading and critiquing works of writing in my workshops; and I have both classes and experience in business writing, English, fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and screenwriting. This December I will be graduating with my bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing.

I also work full-time as a financial representative at Oakland University Credit Union. In my spare time I enjoy writing and directing short films. This summer I achieved a milestone—production of my first commercial. My fiancé and I, who will marry next October, co-own a production company that makes short films, podcasts, and online movie reviews. We’re very excited to continue this journey together.

Degree: B.A., 2019

Major: Creative Writing with a focus in Screenwriting

Special Training: Film Fundamentals and Film Directing

Years of Experience:  I’ve been writing since I was 12.

Hero: Jesus and Grandpa Ray

High–Impact Books: the Amplified Bible, works of biblical scholar Major W. Ian Thomas, and 12 Rules for Life by Jordan B. Peterson

High–Impact Lecture: Peter Markus’s “Introduction to Poetry and Fiction,” which helped me understand poetry and that I could write it

Favorite Places I’ve Visited: Meijer Gardens, Downtown Toronto, Sleeping Bear Dunes

Hobbies: filmmaking, watching movies, listening to music, spending time with family and loved ones

Passion: writing and filmmaking (obviously), helping people, spreading positivity, encouraging others to express themselves creatively

Favorite Quotation: “The only person you should compare yourself to is the person you were yesterday.”

My family moved around quite a bit throughout my life, affording me a rich background in cultural diversity. I spent my childhood both in the US in Arkansas, Michigan, Ohio, and Los Angeles, and also abroad in Hong Kong and Tokyo.

After receiving my first degree in psychology, I worked as a behavior interventionist for two years. In that role, I spent a great deal of time in classrooms working with teachers as well as students from divergent socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds who had various academic needs.

Many gifted students struggle with English, but I strongly believe that every person can excel in—and even enjoy—English if given proper guidance. Inspired to pursue my love for literature and writing, I am currently finishing a second degree in education to become an English teacher.

Degree: B.A. in Psychology from University of California, Santa Cruz, completed in 2015

Major: Secondary Education in English from Rochester University, 2018-present

Special Training & Events: behavior intervention using applied behavior analysis, immersion teaching with Native American students, creative writing workshops

Years of Experience: 3 yrs.

Hero: Jack Kerouac

High–Impact Books: On the Road by Jack Kerouac, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway

High–Impact Lecture: “Psychology and the Law” by Professor Craig Haney, UC Santa Cruz

Favorite Places I’ve Visited: Paris, Barcelona, Rome, Tokyo, Hiroshima

Hobbies: bass guitar, writing

Passion: writing, literature, film, storytelling

Favorite Quotation: “Proverbs are always platitudes until you have personally experienced the truth of them.”– Aldous Huxley

As a life-long learner, I like to make learning fun and exciting for others because it is fun and exciting for me. What I’ve been taking classes about recently is the brain. How it works fascinates me. Since the brain can change and improve, I encourage students to stretch theirs for success.

I have taught writing for 35 years. Ten years of that was for an online classical academy. The rest was in various public and private schools, learning or tutoring centers, and home schools. At one of the schools, I developed a program of English from 6th through 12th grades with the end goal of preparing students for college. I’ve also taught ESL, primarily accent modification.

I am now available to teach online with Inkwell.

Degree: B.S. from Central Michigan University

Major: Education, Speech, English

Special Training: 15 hours of theatre studies at Central Michigan University, 10 years of writing seminars at Oakland University, and teacher training classes through the American Association of Christian Schools

Years of Experience: 35 yrs.

Hero: the American soldier

High–Impact Books: Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson

High–Impact Lecture: Introduction to The Lively Art of Writing 

Favorite Places I’ve Visited: Normandy Beach, Paris, Switzerland, Germany

Hobbies: reading, sewing, crafts

Passion: my grandchildren

Favorite Quotation: “Learning never exhausts the mind.”– Leonardo da Vinci

Currently, I am a student at Grove City College in Western Pennsylvania. I plan to graduate in the spring of 2020 with a B.A. in English, and this summer I will apprentice with Inkwell.

Both in and out of school over the years, I have deepened my knowledge of reading and writing. Serving as a copyeditor for the college’s literary magazine, helping children I babysit improve their reading and writing skills, and discussing literary topics with fellow classmates and professors are just a few ways in which I express my love of language and literature.

Now that I’ve interned with Inkwell English Education, I’m available to tutor online.

Degree: B.A., Grove City College (2020)

Major: English

Special Training: copyeditor for The Quad

Years of Experience:  1.5

Hero: all four of my grandparents

High–Impact Books: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

High–Impact Lecture:  “The Power of Introverts” TED Talk by Susan Cain

Favorite Places I’ve Visited: Venice, Italy, and Mirabell Palace and Gardens in Salzburg, Austria

Hobbies: reading, playing the piano, and spending time with my family

Passion: reading new books and sharing my love of them with others

Favorite Quotation: “So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”–The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald

I enjoy sharing my love of reading, writing, language, and learning with students. I journal regularly and sometimes write songs for guitar, which I love to play.

I have tutored English language learners in all subjects both in and out of school settings. I lived, taught, and tutored in Caracas, Venezuela, for over a year and a half and in Los Angeles, California, for three years. The appeal of the Detroit area is the diversity of people I’m privileged to work with.

Bilingual, I’ve found that Spanish grammar and vocabulary studies have helped me better understand and teach English grammar and vocabulary. For six years I taught middle school Spanish, and for one year I taught elementary Spanish.   

I enjoy working with students from a wide range of backgrounds, including English language learners and students with special needs. Joining the Inkwell team gives me an opportunity to share my love of language and my experience teaching writing and reading with my students.

Degree: B.A., Hope College; M.A., Oakland University

Major: Language Arts Composite for Elementary Teaching; Masters in Reading

Special Training: Reading Level Diagnostics, Creating Reading Plans, Reading and Writing Strategies; CPI training; on-site training in reading and writing strategies for students in autism spectrum

Years of Experience: 16+

Hero: Mother Teresa

High–Impact Books: Thirty Years with the Silent Billion by Frank C. Laubach, Chasing the Dragon by Jackie Pullinger, Gracias by Henri Nouwen

High–Impact Lecture: Maya Angelou’s “Rainbow in the Clouds” Student Speaker Series address, Hope College, 2001

Favorite Places I’ve Visited: beaches in Venezuela and the Caribbean, mountains in Central America, California coast, Smoky Mountains National Park, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Cambodia, and Peru

Hobbies: reading, traveling, making music, eating food from around the world, hiking, and exploring

Passion: helping students achieve their goals and fostering a passion for life-long learning and discovery

Favorite Quotation: “The greatest gift you ever give is your honest self.”–Fred Rogers