Writing Center

Hello everyone! My name is Jacob Bojito and I am a rising junior studying History, English, and Spanish. I was born and raised in Springfield, Massachusetts but proudly represent my Puerto Rican roots. I work on campus as an Administrative Assistant in the Office of Student Services and a Resident Advisor in the Keyes Community. Some of my involvements on campus include being a tour guide for the Student Admission Program as well as being part of the Executive Board for the Puerto Rican Student Association and the Organization of Latin American Affairs. Throughout my time at Boston College, I have taken multiple creative writing workshops to find my voice and improve the way I express myself. Through these experiences, I have developed many unique and untraditional approaches to the writing process and have learned how to help myself and my peers think beyond their work. I hope that my experience as an open-minded bilingual writer can provide a useful perspective for students looking to improve their writing!

My name is Yunqi Chen (and I go by Jessy!). I am a senior majoring in economics and Communication, and I study English as my minor. On campus, I volunteer as a new media editor for Muhe Psychology BC. Everyone has, or had, certain issues with writing, could it be long-term struggles with grammar or language barriers which are common in this ethnically diverse country. But every one of us deserves the benefits rewarded by excellent ability to write, either in practical uses or in our development as humans. Coming to BC, I really took some time to reignite my passion for writing in English as my second language, yet the reward was exciting and fulfilling. I sincerely hope that I can share this reward with whoever comes to me. Together we can lift the mysterious veil of writing and gain mastery of our writing pieces.

Hi! My name is Merryn Couto and I am a junior from Duxbury, Massachusetts. I’m studying Applied Psychology with a double major in English here at BC. Outside of academics, I’m involved in culture clubs, Camp Kesem, and the First Year Experience office, through the 48hrs Retreat and Orientation. I also serve as a peer mentor for the freshmen Lynch class, Experience, Reflection, and Action. In my free time, I enjoy running, listening to music, and writing for my blog! Although my primary concentration in college is Applied Psychology, English has always been my greatest passion – whether it’s reading, writing, or editing, I love it all! With that in mind, I am excited to help students anywhere in the process, from brainstorming a thesis to the nitty gritty details of syntax. No matter the case, I am so grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with BC students to unlock their unique voices through the wonderful expression of writing!

Hi everyone! My name is Yinan Ding, and I go by my English name Lemon 🍋 ! I am an international student from China and currently a Junior double majoring in Psychology BA and English. I am interested in studying clinical psychology and literature. I love literature and hope people can benefit from reading literature from different cultures, so I also work as a translator. However, when I committed to English as my second major, I struggled to write essays, especially with the problem of expressing myself in a second language. With the help of the Writing Center, I learned how to write fluent sentences and paragraphs, organize structures, and correct essay format. I believe everyone can be good writers, sometimes people just need a little help. So I decided to be a member of the Writing Center, and I hope my writing journey will help students learn English writing skills and find it interesting!!

My name is Lucas Hurtado, a Junior in the History Major and American Studies Minor! On campus I’m involved in OLAA as their Director of Community Service, but my interests expand way beyond just that club! As it pertains to my role as a writing coach, I’ve been helping peers and friends with their writing for a very long time, and find it a very fun and engaging process! My specialities in writing lie in historical and argumentative-based papers, but I’m happy to tackle any writing questions or problems you might have! I can also help when it comes to stuff like structuring an essay, or even moments where you might not have any idea about what an essay will be about! When it comes down to it, I find the writing process to be really rewarding, and I’m excited to be able to help with whatever you may need!

I'm Kyra Johnson, a junior from Long Beach, California double majoring in English and Sociology with a concentration in Creative Writing! Within my studies, I enjoy focusing on the intersection between popular culture and entertainment media, a large part of which revolves around how we can use writing—formal, creative, journalistic, or otherwise—to express how we interact with and perceive our world. Outside of the Writing Center, I edit and write for The Gavel, am on the BC Esports board, and volunteer with a local cat shelter. I also love using art, puzzles, and games as a creative outlet whenever I'm not writing. I've always found that with the right amount of creativity and ambition in your writing process, you can express ideas that you never realized you had before, and I hope that we can experience that together at the Writing Center! I would love to learn from one another as we take on whatever writing goals you may have—and I'll always be happy to chat about your personal creative pieces, too.

My name is Nora LaPlante and I am a senior majoring in English with a minor in Environmental Studies. I’m from a small beach town in Massachusetts, called Swampscott, which is about 40 minutes north of BC. I’m part of EcoPledge’s Volunteer group on campus, a member of Circle K, and also participated in the PULSE program during my sophomore year. This is my first year working as a writing specialist at BC, as I was abroad during the spring semester of my junior year, and I’m thrilled to be able to help you all with the writing process. While I’ve always loved writing, sharing my work and receiving feedback has been a difficult thing for me, so I want to make sure your experience with the writing process is as relaxed and enjoyable as possible. I hope I can help you discover the writing and editing process that works best for you. Everyone has great ideas and I’d love to help you all get those fabulous thoughts translated to the page for both academic and creative projects!

My name is David, and I’m a senior majoring in psychology with a minor in English. Around BC, I’m involved with BC Bigs, 4Boston, and the BC chapter of If You’re Reading This. Outside of school, I’m a big lover of music and love sharing and discussing it with others. I think writing is an opportunity to share one’s identity with the world through their voice, perspective, and style. I recognize that sharing one’s writing is a very personal and vulnerable experience, even if said writing is a history paper. My ultimate goal is to be not just a writing resource but also a personal source of encouragement. It is my hope that I can provide a safe space so that others will be both excited about and proud of their writing. I think some of my strongest skills are paper organization and outlining. I’m excited to get to know everyone and their writing, and I hope to pass that excitement on to those I work with!

My name is Garrett Martin, and I am a junior from San Francisco, CA. I'm studying Secondary Education and English with minors in Theology and Managing for Social Impact. Outside of class I manage BC's Women's Volleyball Team, play for our Club Volleyball Team, and serve on the e-board of the Philippine Society of BC (PSBC). My favorite part of the writing process is helping writers find their own voice! Working with high school students in my pre-practicum experiences has given me exposure to this work, but I am excited to broaden it to college level writers. In my personal writing, I would describe myself as someone who is organized, methodical, and creative; I love to push the boundaries/rules/conventions of academic writing while also planning intently. I hope to help others develop their unique voice as well as share some of the writing practices that I have gained in my years as a writer!

Hey everyone! My name is Layla Oubssis and I am an incoming junior studying Psychology and English. I absolutely love reading, so much that it inspired me to write my own creative pieces. I do my best to catch up on as much reading and writing as I can during my free time, although it certainly was not like that when I was younger. For a while, writing seemed to be a purely academic task that was quite scary, especially since I struggled with grammatical rules growing up. That was until I opened myself up to having fun with it! It was then that I began to understand that most writers craft their best pieces when they are in an environment that promotes freedom, creativity, and most importantly, receptivity to new ideas, especially ones we are passionate about. I believe that everyone, even if they do not love writing, can be an incredible writer with the proper support and encouragement. While this is my first year at BC’s Writing Center, I spent all of high school tutoring both my peers and elementary school students in English. I hope to boost students’ confidence and help them find their own, unique love for writing!

I am Katelyn Rivera. I am majoring in Political Science and minoring in English. I am a member of the Montserrat Coalition Advisory board. For the past two years I have worked off campus so I am extremely excited to work at the Writing Center this year. I love writing and I am happy to share that with you by helping in any way I can.

Hi! My name is Yuan. I'm from Brookline, Massachusetts (about 15 min away from BC). I'm a junior with an English major and a concentration in Creative Writing. Ever since I was little, I have always loved reading. I loved reading about fantasy worlds that I'd insist were "realistic" fiction because anything is possible. As I got older, I would experience things that were hard for me to understand. To process them, I would write and try to make my characters go through the same things (in a slightly different scenario) and see how they might react. Because I am shy, I was terrified to be connected to my work, but I loved hearing feedback about my writing from people because it provided new insight that I had never thought about; it helped me improve the clarity of the concepts and themes I was writing about as well as the structure and mechanics of my writing. This all applies to analytical as well as creative writing. I hope to provide a comfortable environment for us to work and grow together as writers and humans.

My name is Caroline Watson and I am a senior from Sudbury, Massachusetts. I am majoring in Art History and English at BC. In addition to working at the Writing Center, I love to write, draw, and paint sneakers in my free time! Although I write frequently and enjoy the creative process, I didn’t declare English as my second major until the end of my sophomore year. The inconsistency in my paper grades discouraged me from believing in my writing. After working as a copyeditor last year, I began to realize that even published works often need revision, and that great writers don’t always produce perfect writing in their first few tries. By working with others on their writing, I learned a great deal about how to improve my own. I hope to encourage students at the Writing Center that needing work on your writing does not make you a bad writer, and that every good writer is still learning. I am excited to learn from them as they learn from me!

My name is Jenny Zeng, and I am a senior majoring in Biology and minoring in English. Many people think that the sciences and humanities have very little in common, but that’s not true! Writing well is an essential skill applicable to all fields of study. Although writing can all too often feel like agony (I’ve been there), it doesn’t always have to be that way, especially when there are so many resources available to support our writing journeys. This is my first year working at the Writing Center, and I’m excited to work with students from all backgrounds and areas of study, including multicultural and STEM students! Outside of the Writing Center, you can find me doing research in the McMenamin Lab, editing pieces for the Medical Humanities Journal of Boston College, watching a horror movie with my friends, or reading a novel. I look forward to working with you at the Writing Center; here’s to a wonderful year together!