A Letter of Gratitude for the Writing Assistant Program

by Billirae Engelman, Class of 2014

My name is Billierae, and I am a graduating senior in the anthropology department. I just wanted to write to you to express my overall gratitude for the writing program.

I, myself, am a writing tutor for freshman core courses so I know the value in this type of program for college campuses. What the anthropology department program allowed me to do was to strengthen my writing within my discipline. The anthropology writing tutors were a blessing for me and I honestly would not have gotten any better without their guidance. Having tutors not only familiar with the general structures of writing but also the professors, past classes, and department was incredibly important to me. I could trust that these tutors had first hand knowledge about how to make my paper stronger both grammatically and content-wise. Not only that, but many of them are excellent brainstorming partners, a skill not many possess.

As I exit the safety bubble of UCSC, I realize just how important it is to be able to write effectively, concisely, and correctly. I am about to write countless cover letters, statements of intent, and general professional written communications. I can trace directly how the writing program will put me above the curve in my chosen career and future graduate school endeavors.

Please do everything you can to keep this program alive and well. I have always regarded the faculty, graduate students, and administration of the UCSC anthropology program to be top-notch. But there's nothing quite as devastating to a high-calibre department as producing graduates who cannot communicate their ideas well.

Thank you for your time and your dedication to this program.