Angela Nelson is a master’s student in the Sociology program. She is also a Graduate Writing Advisory Committee member, whose role is to provide input and feedback from the graduate student perspective.
“I learned about the Graduate Writing Initiative from emails directly from the GWI and emails forwarded by professors,” she said. “I became involved with the GWI by attending various events and workshops that have been offered.”
Angela was involved in one of the 2016 writing groups. She has also attended several workshops, including “Writing for the Sciences” and “Thesis and Dissertation Formatting.” She has utilized the online submission portal for feedback, and she uses the graduate writing workstations on a regular basis.
“I would say the most beneficial workshop for me has been the all-day write-ins, because I am forced to set goals for the day,” she said, “and I have reached those goals within that day – that has given me a great sense of accomplishment.”
Angela decided to join the Advisory Committee to give a voice to the graduate student perspective. She also liked the idea of getting to know other people on campus who represented other departments and units.
“Writing skills are very important to effectively communicate with different audiences or readers in various contexts,” she said. “Graduate students should take advantage of the GWI resources because they are very beneficial in many ways. I found that the resources help build confidence as a learner/student. The resources are convenient and easy to access. Most of all, they are free!”
Angela encourages graduate students to take advantage of the available resources.
“Take pride in the University’s GWI resources and be enriched by them,” she said. “Sometimes we do not realize the wealth of benefits available or what we may need until we have encountered them. Once you are no longer on campus or no longer with the University, you may look back and wish you had taken advantage of the very things that were designed and put in place to assist in your success.”