Amanda Arp

English: Ph.D., Rhetoric and Professional Communication & Women's and Gender Studies

Pronouns: she, her, hers

Hometown: Clutier, IA

Favorite word: Fluffy

Hobbies: Quilting, reading, writing, and gaming

Favorite part of working at the WMC: Helping students achieve their writing goals and learn more about communicating in the process.

Jericho Baker

Senior: English Education

Pronouns: he, him, his

Hometown: Forest City, IA

Favorite word: Cerulean

Hobbies: Running half marathons, reading, bow hunting, kneeboarding, and hiking

Favorite part of working at the WMC: My favorite thing about working at the WMC is the opportunity to help people refine and polish their work. Knowing that I am able to help a fellow student succeed with an assignment makes the job extremely rewarding.

Julia Benda

Sophomore: Journalism and Mass Communication

Pronouns: she, her, hers

Hometown: Cedar Falls, IA

Favorite word: Serene

Hobbies: Reading, listening to music, playing piano, Netflix, and spending time with friends

Favorite part of working at the WMC: I am looking forward to meeting new people and working to better the writing skills of myself and others! 

Yahan Chang

Junior: Mechanical Engineering and Energy Systems

Pronouns: she, her, hers

Hometown: Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Favorite word: Sub specie aeternitatis

Hobbies: Painting, baking, gardening, working out, investing, learning new things, and meeting new people

Favorite part of working at the WMC: My favorite part of working at the WMC is being able to interact with students and faculty from a variety of colleges and backgrounds.

Vivian Cook

MS, Sustainable Agriculture and Community & Regional Planning

Pronouns: she, her, hers

Hometown: Prescott, Arizona

Favorite word: Luminescence

Hobbies: Baking, gardening, taking long walks, dancing, and listening to and playing music

Favorite part of working at the WMC: Listening to the voices of my peers at ISU and learning about the many stories, interests, and discoveries that exist within our community.

Emily Dux Speltz*

English: Ph.D., Applied Linguistics & Technology

Pronouns: she, her, hers

Hometown: Pella, IA

Favorite word: Ineffable

Hobbies: Hiking, biking, running, and watching Parks & Recreation, New Girl, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, or The Good Place!

Favorite part of working at the WMC: I love that I get to help students improve their writing abilities and their confidence in those abilities. Each session at the WMC is a chance to learn and grow, and it's wonderful to have the opportunity to guide and encourage students in that process.

Brittany Eide

English: MA, Rhetoric, Composition, and Professional Communication 

Pronouns: she, her, hers

Hometown: Hawthorne, CA

Favorite word: Kerfuffle

Hobbies: Reading

Favorite part of working at the WMC: The people.

Charlie Esker

Senior: Integrated Studio Arts & Psychology

Pronouns: they, them, theirs

Hometown: Cedar Rapids, IA

Favorite word: Petrichor

Hobbies: Running, reading, cooking, tennis, making art, and watching good films

Favorite part of working at the WMC: I love the WMC! Not only do we provide a useful, helpful, and needed service to students (for free), but I get to work alongside some of the most amazing people, all who have helped me grow professionally, as a student, and as a person.

Nick Flores

Junior: Journalism and Mass Communication & U.S. Latino/a Studies

Pronouns: he, him, his

Hometown: Glendale Heights, IL

Favorite word: Expeditiously

Hobbies: Playing/watching soccer, listening to music, watching Netflix/Hulu

Favorite part of working at the WMC: I’m most looking forward to getting to know my coworkers and creating a fun and efficient work environment.

Alexa Gormley

Junior: Animal Science

Pronouns: she, her, hers

Hometown: Marion, IA

Favorite word: Pumpernickle

Hobbies: Riding horses, spending time with my dog, painting, listening to music, hiking, and hammocking

Favorite part of working at the WMC: I am so excited to start working at the Writing and Media Center so I can meet new people and interact with a variety of students as they check in for their consultations. 

Jason Guderjahn

Junior: Technical Communications and Linguistics

Pronouns: he, him, his

Hometown: Rosemount, MN

Favorite word: Tumultuous

Hobbies: Climbing, playing ukulele, hiking, and running

Favorite part of working at the WMC: I’m excited to meet writers of all shapes and sizes at the WMC, and I hope to learn and grow alongside them.

Daniel Hayes

Senior: Political Science

Pronouns: Ask in person

Hometown: Bartlett, IL

Favorite word: Free

Hobbies: Chess/Film photography/making people’s days

Favorite part of working at the WMC: I’m excited to work at the WMC because I will be able to meet new people and help people and learn new perspectives and improve my communication skills and communication critique! 

Kaitlyn Heims*

Senior: English

Pronouns: she, her, hers

Hometown: West Des Moines, IA

Favorite word: Asaleutos

Hobbies: Reading, playing the piano and ukulele, working out 

Favorite part of working at the WMC: My favorite thing about working at the WMC is getting to learn from the students who come in. I love getting to meet people from different countries and I also love learning about different topics from reading through papers with students. 

Jack Ihry

Junior: Child, Adult, & Family Services and Psychology

Pronouns: he, him, his

Hometown: Naperville, IL

Favorite word: Brouhaha

Hobbies: Exercise, meditation, reading, writing, and meeting people

Favorite part of working at the WMC: I'm looking forward to helping people improve their writing skill. I want to help people accomplish things they thought they couldn't, and try to bring something better out of them. 

Allison Justus

English: MFA, Creative Writing and the Environment & Poetry

Pronouns: she, her, hers

Hometown: McMinnville, TN

Favorite word: If you really want me to answer this, I will never finish this questionnaire. Today it's "archetype." No, "shadow." No, "shine."

Hobbies: Hanging out with trees or cats! People are nice, too. :) I also enjoy yoga, exploring, and music.

Favorite part of working at the WMC: I'm excited to see what everyone's working on and to see grad and undergrad writing become the best it can be!

Haeun Kim

English: Ph.D., Applied Linguistics & Technology

Pronouns: she, her, hers

Hometown: Daegu, South Korea

Favorite word: Mesmerizing

Hobbies: Listening to music, playing the ukelele, photography, and traveling

Favorite part of working at the WMC: I am so excited at the thought of meeting new people at the WMC and working together to help students become better writers/communicators.

Lena Menefee-Cook 

Senior: Performing Arts, Art and Design, & French

Pronouns: she, her, hers

Hometown: Prescott, AZ

Favorite word: Ephemeral

Hobbies: Biking, reading, playing music, making jewelry

Favorite part of working at the WMC: I love meeting students, learning about all different topics, and discovering new perspectives on writing and communication with each session! 

Izabelle Nanke

Junior: English and Technical Communication

Pronouns: she, her, hers

Hometown: Cedar Rapids, IA

Favorite word: Iridescent

Hobbies: DIY thrifting / flipping, reading and writing, and hanging out with my cat!

Favorite part of working at the WMC: I am most excited to work at the WMC because I really enjoy language and knowing how it works together to form books, movies, etc. I love improving my craft and that's what I hope to do here!

Emily Neitzel

Sophomore: English, Spanish, & General Business

Pronouns: she, her, hers

Hometown: Mokena, IL

Favorite word: Inspire

Hobbies: Reading, hanging out with friends, and going to sporting events

Favorite part of working at the WMC: I’m most excited to meet new people and help others with their writing skills.

Walker Ochs

Sophomore: Global Resource Systems

Pronouns: he, him, his

Hometown: Cedar Rapids, IA

Favorite word: Shark

Hobbies: Loves fantasy novels, cycling, and occasionally doing what I am supposed to be doing!

Favorite part of working at the WMC: I'm really looking forward to being able to help students who are struggling with an assignment. We've all been there, and I think it's so cool that I get paid to help people conquer such stressful stuff!

Jill Olson

Senior: Journalism, Spanish, & Food Science

Pronouns: she, her, hers

Hometown: Mahtomedi, MN

Favorite word: Ephemeral

Hobbies: Hip Hop dancing, playing ultimate frisbee, reading, cooking

Favorite part of working at the WMC: I am excited to meet many ISU students and collaborate with them to create their strongest possible pieces. In these interactions, I also hope the learning goes both ways, and these students can illuminate me on new, unique writing processes to strengthen my own work.

Colin Payton

English: Ph.D., Rhetoric and Professional Communication 

Hometown: Cleveland, OH

Favorite word: 3: Malversation, unctuous, chary

Hobbies: Developing keychain chemistry, pondering beyond the ponderous, strumming and plucking be-stringed objects, writing rap lyrics to chill-pop beats. I like coffee.

Favorite part of working at the WMC: “I don’t know” strikes as much fear in learned folks as spiders and budget cuts. So, most people avoid uncertainty. But, uncertainty, like spiders, enthralls once the shock wears off — uncertainty reveals new ideas, new perspectives, new conundrums. Writing consultations offer me multiple “I don’t know” moments: Who is the audience? Are these effective maneuvers? How can I assist? And, together, a writer and I demystify uncertainties, both of us thrilling at the discoveries. 

Jordan Schroeder

Senior: Animal Science & Teaching English as a Second Language 

Pronouns: she, her, hers

Hometown: Roscoe, IL

Favorite word: Periwinkle

Hobbies: Playing Legend of Zelda games, running, and hanging out with animals

Favorite part of working at the WMC: I love how we all became a huge family despite all of our different backgrounds and interests. 

Jennessa Sharratt

Sophomore: Dietetics

Pronouns: she, her, hers

Hometown: I'm a military brat, but most recently was Omaha, NE

Favorite word: Phenomenon

Hobbies: Primarily homework ;). After that, hanging out with friends, reading, and spending time improving myself.

Favorite part of working at the WMC: I am excited to learn from all of the students I work with! I think it will be interesting to see what students in all disciplines are learning, as well as their creativity and way of thinking. There is so much to learn and I can't wait to meet you!

Grace Shultis

Senior: Technical Communication, Linguistics, & Chinese Studies

Pronouns: she, her, hers

Hometown: Shellsburg, IA

Favorite word: Intersectionality

Hobbies: Reading, knitting, and bullet journaling

Favorite part of working at the WMC: I really enjoy being able to explore how a writer wishes to communicate and helping them feel more confident in their writing.

Haley Spengler*

Senior: Linguistics & Spanish

Pronouns: she, her, hers

Hometown: Marengo, IL

Favorite word: Ope

Hobbies: I love to play with dogs, spending time with my favorite people, and watching Friends. 

Favorite part of working at the WMC: My favorite thing about working at the WMC is building relationships and learning from all of the amazing people I work with as well as all of the students that come visit us!

Kennedy Varisco

Junior: English Education, Spanish, and Journalism & Mass Communication

Pronouns: she, her, hers

Hometown: Altoona, IA

Favorite word: Steadfast

Hobbies: My favorite hobbies include reading, working out, spending time with friends, playing with my dogs, or checking out the local businesses/coffee shops. I like to shop small! 

Favorite part of working at the WMC: I am looking forward to meeting new people and getting to indulge in their writing with them. I think that writing is a very personal and vulnerable thing and I personally want to ensure that the individuals I work with understand that their words matter. 

Jensen Wilke

Junior: Speech Communication, Spanish, & Performing Arts

Pronouns: she, her, hers

Hometown: Panora, IA

Favorite word: Effervescence

Hobbies: I love to run, play soccer, read books, and watch psychological thriller films (I love a great plot twist). When school is in session I love to partake in plays with ISU Theatre!

Favorite part of working at the WMC: I have always enjoyed the positive and welcoming environment at the Writing and Media Center, so I am very excited to be a part of it! I particularly look forward to helping others with their public speaking and speech-making skills!