The Give and Take at the Writing Center

November 21, 2024

Jesse Dolojan | Writing Center Tutor 

Writing has always been difficult for me. When I was a child, I despised writing papers and planning an outline. And even as an English major, I still hesitate to start my papers. Even this semester, during my senior year after four years of extensive writing and reading, I still do not enjoy writing papers. I also do not have a lot of practice writing “cool stuff” like poetry or short stories.

But during my time at Xavier, I have learned how rewarding writing can be as a practice. Having the ability to communicate clearly and concisely with my writing has allowed me to become effective in expressing my thoughts. And that is something I have always struggled with, so knowing that I can use writing as a way to express myself brings me comfort and joy.

I have learned to enjoy the process of exploring a topic about which I am passionate, and I can then share that passion through my writing. While the act of sitting down in front of a computer to write can still feel hard, I have developed the skills needed to write and edit my own work. Once I have finished my first draft, I can discern which areas are in need of improvement and which areas are acceptable as is. I have learned, too, how important it is to listen to others when they have feedback for me. Being receptive to feedback is important, regardless of how someone delivers it, and can only help us grow as writers and students.

And these are all skills which have helped me while working at the Writing Center. When I started working here, I thought that I was very underqualified and way out of my depth. But I learned that many of the students who visited the Writing Center for feedback were just as nervous about their papers, if not more so, than I was.

My challenging experiences as a writer have informed the way I worked with students at the Writing Center. I draw on my own struggles with brainstorming, outlining, drafting, and editing to help students feel more confident in both their assignments and their writing. Knowing that I could use my time writing papers in school to help others has felt both rewarding and empowering. 

While I have worked here, I have also noticed my own writing skills have improved. Not only that, but I have grown as an effective communicator; I am much more confident working with students because I have grown both as a student and a tutor during my time at Xavier. I’ve been very lucky to have so many incredible people as co-workers around me every day who support me as a tutor and a person. I have a phenomenal supervisor who cares about my well-being as much as my performance on the job. I am truly grateful to be around such wonderful and talented individuals.

Despite my continued challenges in writing, I understand how valuable written word is. I am so grateful that my employment at the Writing Center provided a rich environment for me to explore my relationship with writing. I have grown tremendously as a result, and I will always value the time I spent at the Writing Center.