Writing Center Staff

Professional Staff

Name, Role	Bio
Daniel M. Gross Director	Bio coming soon
Evin Groundwater Associate Director	As Associate Director, Evin supports the Undergraduate Writing Peer Tutors, the Writing Specialists, and helps coordinate programming and collaborations across campus. Ask Evin about how the Writing Center can support you and your unit!
Percival Guevarra Writing Specialist (multilingual student emphasis)	Percival has been working in higher education around the world for more than a decade. To keep improving as an instructor, he enjoys learning new skills and exploring new cultures. Most recently, he has been learning storytelling and martial arts, which stem from his interests in anime and video games. Percival offers in-person and remote sessions on Zoom.
Jung-Hsien Lin Writing Specialist	Jung-Hsien loves language and food. She has taught writing and has been baking for over a decade. If she can’t feed you with knowledge, she will feed you cookies instead. Come visit her at the Center, and she offers both in-person and remote sessions on Zoom.
Kerri McCanna Writing Specialist (multilingual student emphasis)	Kerri loves working with multilingual and First Gen students (she’s both!) on highlighting these strengths through their writing and communications at UCI. Ask Kerri about Academic English, Business Writing, sailing, and anything Education-related (P-16). Kerri offers remote sessions on Zoom, and can provide Live Transcript, video recordings and time-stamped transcripts of your meeting, as well as occasional evening appointments.
Leanne Ozaki Affiliate Writing Specialist	Bio coming soon

Peer Tutors

Name, Major(s)	Bio
Keely Blissmer Criminology, Law, and Society	As a returning peer tutor, I look forward to using my prior experiences as a tutor, Criminology research assistant, and former intern for several film studios to assist you with all forms of writing, from academic to professional to creative. Writing is a process, not a product, and I strive to help students find and identify the strategies that work best for them! Language: English
Adeline Cheng Biological Science	I have tutoring experience as a Learning Assistant with Chem 1LE and two years in the Bio 199 program. I’ll also be a LA serving the English 9 program. I focus on the planning process of writing and the organization to ensure logical flow. I’ll be a great tool to help you shape your brainstorming ideas into a rough draft. Languages: Cantonese, English, Mandarin (Limited)
Isabella Curtis Business Administration; Literary Journalism and Creative Writing (minors)	Professionally, I’ve worked with a comic book publisher, performing assistant editor duties, I’ve had my own writing published, and I’ve worked as a freelance writer. While I have a preference for creative writing I am also well-versed in business writing (emails, resumes, cover letters, etc). When I’m not writing I can be found reading, getting boba, or doing an obnoxiously long skincare routine. Languages: American Sign Language (Limited), English, French (Limited)
Ananya Devarajan Neurobiology	Hi everyone! I’m a UCI Writing Center Peer Mentor and a third-year undergraduate majoring in Neurobiology. I have extensive experience in developing argumentative and research essays—like the ones you see in the Writing 39 and HumCore series—as well as personal statements and creative fiction. When I’m not writing or reading, you can find me watching my favorite Bollywood movies. Language: English
Beatriz Galeana Psychological Science and Comparative Literature	Beatriz is a second year Comparative Literature and Psychological Science double major. Her favorite parts of the writing process are brainstorming and analysis, and she loves talking through ideas. She has worked on a range of papers, from histographies to research proposals, but particularly loves working with Humanities Core coursework. Languages: English, Spanish
Makenna Hicks Business Economics	Hi there! I’m Makenna Hicks, a third year studying Business/Economics. While my own writing background is derived from a primarily academic context, I am also able to write in professional contexts and within several different genres and styles. I truly believe that being able to clearly and effectively articulate a point, whether that might be in a rhetorically argumentative essay or merely an email, is a skill that is imperative to success in any type of career or venture of study. That being said, I look forward to meeting you and supporting you throughout your writing journey! Language: English
Chinaenye Ibeanusi Anthropology	Bio coming soon
Caitlyn Johnson Film & Media Studies and English	Hi, I’m Caitlyn! I’m a Film and Media Studies and English double major and this is my third year tutoring for the Writing Center. While I’m a humanities major and have taken HumCore and a whole bunch of English classes, I’m here to help with any subject and any form of writing, from class papers to personal statements or even creative pieces. Besides writing and reading, I also love crafting, music, and old TV shows. Looking forward to meeting and working with you. Language: English
Kelly Kang Psychological Sciences	I am a psychological sciences major and a research assistant at the CRH Lab who has great familiarity with constructing academic papers for writing, arts, and humanities courses. My strengths in writing involve structure, argumentation, citation, and grammar. My goal at the Writing Center is to have students hone the necessary skills to create exceptional literary pieces by providing constructive criticism and focusing on each writers’ needs. Languages: English, Korean (Intermediate), Spanish (Limited)
Jacob Kodner Language Science and Anthropology	Majoring in Language Science and Anthropology, I greatly enjoy working with the vast linguistic and cultural diversity we have here at UCI, especially in light of my experiences at home and abroad in teaching English to speakers of other languages. Besides having providing quick tips for grammar, I additionally enjoy working on strengthening a piece’s organization—both at sentence and paragraph-level. Here at UCI, I enjoy facilitating conversations in English with the English Conversation Program (ECP), and I am also looking forward to leading my own seminar on the relationship between language and thought with the UTeach program. Languages: English, Korean (Limited), Mandarin (Advanced)
Kevin Liu History	I am majoring in history and also the editor-in-chief at Morning Sign Out at UCI, a biomed publication. I also currently work as a mentor for high school students applying to college. Much of my work involves editing things from texts such as translations, journalistic articles, and other essays, so I am familiar with various types of writing ranging from academic to creative. Languages: Cantonese (Conversational), English
Chloe Low English	Hello, it’s nice to meet you! I am an English major with minors in creative writing and literary journalism. I have a great passion for writing and peer reviewing poetry, creative nonfiction, and fiction! Some classes I have taken are the Humanities Core series and upper division writing. Also, I am currently in the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) and am familiar with research proposals, personal statements, and applications for journals and scholarships. Language: English
Autumn Martin Literary Journalism	Hi! My name is Autumn Martin, I am a third year Literary Journalism major. I am passionate about creative writing. I enjoy writing screenplays, poetry, and short stories. In fact, one of my screenplays was turned into a virtual reading production this past April. I also like to journal, watch movies as well as read books. I look forward to helping everyone with their writing! Language: English
Yasmin Miranda Literary Journalism and Criminology, Law, & Society	Throughout my time at UCI I have taken a diverse number of courses and writing workshops that have made me comfortable in many different styles of writing. As a student journalist, I have been able to learn and become comfortable with different writing styles, including traditional essay writing, reporting, and long-form narrative writing. Criminology, on the other hand, has taught me how to excel in writing detailed arguments and weaving statistical and database information into easy-to-read reports. I am constantly trying to find new ways to tell a story. Languages: English, Spanish
Matthew Nelson Music	What’s good everybody! My name is Matthew Nelson. I am a fourth year music major with a focus in jazz studies, and this is my second year as a peer tutor at the writing center. Since I was in middle school, I have been involved in some sort of mentoring program whether it be for a school band or for private lessons with saxophone players. Since coming to UCI, I have discovered the many similarities between writing and music, and I look forward to sharing what I have learned to any and everyone who comes to the writing center! Language: English
Mary Nguyen Pharmaceutical Science	My name is Mary, and I am majoring in Pharmaceutical Sciences with a minor in Economics. I love working on personal statements and research writing but also enjoy the process of brainstorming and writing a concise thesis. When I am not at the Writing Center, I am playing the piano or watching a Korean drama. Languages: English, Vietnamese
Jordyn O’Rourke Film & Media Studies and English	Hi Anteaters! My name is Jordyn O’Rourke, and my pronouns are she/her/hers. This will be my fourth year working in the Writing Center. In addition to tutoring, I also run our social media, so keep an eye out for our memes! I’m looking forward to reading your amazing papers this year! Languages: English, Spanish (Intermediate)
Chaya Pearl Psychological Sciences	Hi Everyone! My name is Chaya (pronounced hi-ya) and I am a 4th year Psychological Sciences Major. I hope to lessen any anxiety you have while writing, and maybe even enjoy it! When I’m not in class I can be found binge watching literally anything. I have experience with Writing Courses, research papers, and creative writing. I have 4 years experience teaching cello and music and I have previously served as a Peer Academic Advisor in the U/U office. Language: English
Pallavi Rajan Cognitive Science and Drama	Pallavi Rajan (she/her) is a 4th-year Cognitive Science and Drama major. She has over 7 years of experience teaching and tutoring a variety of subjects, including classical vocal music, biology, history, literature, and math. She has also assisted with university applications to both undergraduate and graduate programs. Through her double major, she has been exposed to writing styles varying from scientific research studies to free verse. In addition to English, she speaks Kannada, Tamil, Hindi, and some French. Languages: English, French (Limited), Hindi, Kannada, Tamil
Kaye Regalado Literary Journalism and Film	Hi! I’m Kaye and whenever I’m not obsessing over fictional characters or obsessing over a concern that ends up being completely irrelevant, I love a good story of any kind, whether it’s a book, movie, video game – I’m all here for it. I enjoy thinking creatively as a creative writer and an artist, and I’d love to work creatively to help any student out with their writing. Languages: English, Spanish (Basic), Tagalog (Understanding)
Varvara Rubtsova Biological Sciences	Hi everyone! My name is Varvara Rubtsova, and I am a second year majoring in Biological Sciences. This will be my first year as a peer tutor, and I am so excited to be able to help you all become stronger and more confident writers! My writing strengths lie more with research and argumentative essays (like Writing 39C course material); additionally, I enjoy helping with personal statement related writing. Languages: English, Russian
Haley Tran Political Science	As a sophomore in Campus wide Honors Collegium majoring in Political Science, I am well-aware of the vigorous writing standards expected of UCI students. My writing strengths include generating complex arguments, organization, and improving the fluidity of a paper. Although it is my first year as a tutor, I am passionate about the writing process and am looking forward to working with anyone in any stage of their draft! Language: English
Lucy Yang Chemistry and Biological Sciences	I’m happy to look at all kinds of writing, from papers to lab reports to personal statements. As a double major in chemistry and biology, jargon-heavy lab reports are something I’m used to, and my minor in creative writing also gives me a soft spot for creative pieces and stories. This will be my third year as a peer tutor with the UCI writing center! Languages: English, Mandarin, Spanish

Administrative Assistants

Names and bios coming soon!