Personal Description:

I'm an introvert, so working one-to-one with people is perfect for me. I'm kind and gentle. I don't mind working hard, but I also love to laugh and have some fun! When I'm not absorbed in writing or reading, I'm cooking or watching tv shows (everything from food shows to documentaries to crime dramas to Ru Paul's Drag Race). I love dogs. And although I appreciate living in Canada, my heart belongs in Mexico.

Tutoring Experience:

Both my educational background and professional experience are centred on writing. After completing a B.A. in English Literature, I worked for a short time as an editor for a literary book publisher called Red Deer Press. From there, I went on to spend several years as the editor and proofreader for an evaluation and market research company, working directly with all of the researchers (mostly economists and social scientists) on their writing of proposals and reports.

While I was working for the research company, I returned to university to work on a Master`s degree, at which time I also started working as a Teaching Assistant, which meant grading undergraduate student papers. This was where I developed a very high level of skill working with students' writing--and how I became very passionate about it.

From there, I moved back to Central Alberta and worked for many years as the coordinator and chief tutor in the Writing Skills Centre at Red Deer College, further honing my skills in helping undergrad students with their essay writing.

Tutoring Approach:

I care about the power of language and encouraging people to wield that power effectively in their lives. I also simply want people to be well, do well, and feel good about themselves.

With the above points in mind, the two best ways in which I can help someone are, first, to help that person grow into an independent learner. That means that instead of merely editing or proofreading a person's writing for him/her/them, I will teach a person how to do that independently so that the student can take that skill and apply it to every other writing-related project in the future.

I also know exactly how stressful writing is for so many people and how, sadly, some people feel that they can't do it. Some students find themselves almost paralyzed, i.e… unable to find the words to express their ideas, because they lack confidence. Therefore, in addition to fostering independent learning, it's also my goal as a tutor to build students' confidence, which they can then also hopefully apply in future contexts.