Congratulations to Minor in Writing and Peer Writing Consultant Graduates

Aniyah Fisher

My experience with Sweetland has been influential in my professional career. In addition to thetechnical writing and consulting skills that I have gained, Sweetland has taught me to value thework that I do and to do it for a community that I love. Currently, I am an administrative aide atan elementary school serving Chicago’s southeast side. My work involves a lot of writing andmy ability to do it confidently can be attributed to the time I spent honing my craft as a PWC.Furthermore, just like consulting, my new role is part of a bigger mission to dismantle inequitiesin education and increase accessibility to quality resources. I am beyond grateful for theopportunity to be a PWC at Sweetland. It has truly been instrumental in all aspects of my life.

Lucy Mao

Being a peer writing consultant was a highlight of my undergraduate years, and part of what made the program so special was the many learning opportunities it provided. The peer writing program encouraged me to explore the power of dialogue and conversation, providing a space to engage with diverse perspectives. Through my interactions with writers, peers, and mentors, I came to appreciate how writing does not exist in a vacuum but is undergirded by expansive discussions, debates, and thought processes. Now, as a student at Georgetown Law, I continue to see the importance of dialogue. Spurred by what I learned at Sweetland, I recognize how laws do not exist in a vacuum but are situated in diverse interpretations, lively debates, and vigorous conversations. This understanding encourages me to approach legal doctrines not as absolute, fixed bodies but rather as living beings with powerful real-world consequences. I'm forever grateful to the PWCP for supporting my growth as a writer, learner, and individual, and it is an experience that will always stay with me.

Hailey Fiel

I'm a first year PhD student in the MCGD Track of the Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program at Yale University. I'm currently rotating through 3-4 different labs and taking classes before deciding which lab to complete my dissertation research in. As an undergraduate at UMich, I studied Biology, Health, & Society with a Minor in Writing and did biosensor design research in the Wenjing Wang lab. I was also a peer writing consultant at Sweetland and a writer, artist, and editor for Gargoyle Humor Magazine, the oldest and funniest student publication on campus. I think about my time in the PWCP frequently and miss the writing community dearly as I embark on a mostly scientific journey for my PhD. The PWCP's shared values and practices of open-mindedness, inclusivity, and collaboration continue to inform the way I show up in my new science community, a community, I feel, that does not match up to these principles quite as much. Forever working to bridge gaps between the science and writing communities.

Rafah Al-Shohaty

I graduated with a honors in anthropology in Fall 2023. Working as a peer writing consultant has improved my approach in making decisions and collaborating with people, from small-scale projects to career choices. I was challenged to ask the right questions and find purpose in what we create. I greatly enjoyed my time as a PWC, as I was constantly learning from my peers and from the students I had the privilege to collaborate with. This experience has led me to start my own writing consultancy and help people beyond university to find their voice and create the work they intend to do.

Gus Boyer 

I am currently an English teaching assistant in a primary school in Galicia, Spain. Sweetland prepared me to approach challenges in a variety of ways, and I am constantly adapting to different strategies when working with my new students.

Lindsey Bixler, "Bixler"

I graduated with a degree in English and a minor in Education for Empowerment in May of 2024. I am currently on the path toward earning teaching certification at the high school level. It is not an exaggeration when I say that my time at the Sweetland Writing Center has completely transformed my understanding of teaching, learning, collaborating, and connecting. I had so many wonderful opportunities and experiences as both a Peer Writing Consultant and as the Program Assistant/Assistant to the Director that I have translated into my teaching praxis and learning philosophy. A long-term career goal that I have now is to build up a writing center for high schools that lack such supplemental writing support. The PWC built up my confidence and leadership skills, helped me to better understand myself as a writer and communicator, and helped me practice self-compassion. This program and its members gave me a sense of community when I felt otherwise isolated and overwhelmed by my studies and the pressure to do well academically. This program gave me balance and joy, and challenged me in ways beyond the classroom. I had opportunities to learn for learning's sake, which I haven't always been able to do. I attended the ECWCA conference in April of 2023, and it was incredible. I spent time as the PA/AttD doing an independent research project on queer writing center studies, which I recently presented at the MiWCA Ideas Exchange conference in September of 2024. I could go on and on forever about what this program and its members mean to me, but I will simply end with this: thank you, to my mentors, peers, and the writers I collaborated with over the course of those 2 years. It was an honor to work with you all!

Abbie Kelleher

My time completing the Sweetland Minor in Writing Program has allowed me to stretch and experiment with my writing skills in ways I wouldn’t have previously thought possible. As an English major, I’ve done a whole lot of writing throughout my time at the University of Michigan, but it wasn’t until I enrolled in the Gateway Course for the Minor in Writing that I began to play with new forms of writing – from flash essays, to creative nonfiction essays, to zines. The professors encourage exploration and experimentation, and each class quickly becomes a community where we all learn and grow together. When it came time to complete my Capstone project, I created a nine-week experiment investigating my writing routine as well as trying eight of my favorite authors’ routines. The project was daunting, but it was something I was excited to explore. Supported by my cohort of writers who were all embarking on unique and personal projects, I have learned so much through completing my Minor in Writing. The program has taught me new ways to think about the craft of writing, and I have no doubt that it will continue to inspire me after I graduate.

Amanath Khandaker

My time at Michigan would not be the same without the Minor in Writing. Ever since I started at Lloyd Scholars for Writing and the Arts, which introduced me to the minor, my path was set for me – a college career filled with wondrous opportunities and the wide variety of knowledge bases the minor had to offer. Regardless of the form it takes for me, whether it be my playwriting, creative nonfiction, poetry, screenwriting, fantastical world building fiction, or even the succinct conventional writing necessary for the real world, I carry with me a newfound expertise in this artform I treasured for so long. Not only have my writing skills grown, but the efficiency and compellingness with which I convey and communicate myself to those around me has also been nurtured. I also don’t know who I would have by my side without the Minor in Writing – friends, mentors, and a huge community every step of the way, some of which stand to me as beacons and sentinels, examples of what I could do or be. I see myself coming back to them, even beyond my time here at Michigan and the Minor.

Please join us in celebrating these wonderful and talented graduates: