Writing Consultants

Makaela B.                  Sociology              Doctoral Student

Makaela Brass is a Ph.D. student in Sociology at UB. She has a certificate in Anti-Human Trafficking, which has influenced her interest in the intersections of race/ethnicity, gender, culture, and social inequalities, mainly how these aspects relate to human trafficking and exploitation. She is also interested in Black feminism, where she wants to research how interactions within communities and cultures create social expectations and controlling images among Black women, leading to exploitation.In her free time, she also makes upcycled jean purses and sells them under the Remnants of Brass brand, an initiative dedicated to preventing labor trafficking.

Amanda H     Dance, Linguistics, & English     Undergraduate Student

Amanda is an undergraduate student from Massachusetts. Her interests include anything in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. She loves to dance, paint, read psychological thrillers, travel, study foreign languages, and listen to true crime podcasts. Amanda plans to perform as a professional dancer after college, then pursue a graduate degree in linguistics. In the writing center, she enjoys meeting students from diverse backgrounds and learning from them and their experiences.

Schedule an appointment with Amanda

Amy G        English     Doctoral Student

Amy loves teaching science writing, and her current research focuses on the connections among different forms of popular genre fiction. Her other research interests include literary postmodernism, Derridean philosophy, the history of science, and animal studies. In her spare time, she's a dedicated cat whisperer.

Schedule an appointment with Amy

Antonio C             English               Undergraduate Student  

Antonio is an undergraduate, studying English literature and the crafts of poetry and prose. If he isn’t currently writing, he’s definitely planning on it. His other interests include building LEGO, drinking coffee, and thinking too hard about Star Wars

Botan D        Philosophy     Doctoral Student

Botan studies philosophy, and his main research interests are the nature of agency and reasoning. He also studied psychology as an undergraduate. Some of his non-academic goals are to produce electronic music, learn to speak German, and become an amateur astronomer. 

The CEW celebrates translingualism. Botan is fluent in Turkish and happy to work with Turkish-speaking students.

Schedule and appointment with Botan

Brandon B    History     Doctoral Student

An old boss once told Brandon that being able to write a good email would lead to easier jobs and less time unloading trucks. Brandon never forgot that advice. He no longer has that job and is now a PhD candidate in History studying how the possible decimation of beaver populations during the early fur trade era might have affected the Seneca in the 17^th century. He also likes breakfast and woodworking.

Schedule an appointment with Brandon

Brooke B     English     Doctoral Student

Brooke is a Ph.D. candidate in the English department studying contemporary American poetry interested in the intersections of individuals with space. She enjoys driving in reverse, talking to inanimate objects, and physical mail.

Schedule an appointment with Brooke

Cassidy P     Classics     Doctoral Student

Cassidy is a native Floridian pursuing her PhD in the Classics Department.  Her research focuses on Roman ceramics in the Arno Valley.  Outside of school, she loves cooking and baking bread, vegetable gardening, and taking her dog Baco on adventures.

Schedule an appointment with Cassidy

Ciara F     English     Doctoral Student

Ciara is currently a second-year PhD student in the English Department at UB. Her interests vary from "pop" Shakespeare adaptations and appropriations to comic books, graphic novels, and cultural studies. In her free time, Ciara enjoys running, fangirling over any and all Marvel and DC content, and taking care of her three cats, Tasha, Bruce, and Peaches (pictured). 

Schedule an appointment with Ciara

Duncan M         Engineering Education       Doctoral Student            

Duncan is a PhD candidate in Engineering Education, studying specifically how future engineering faculty consider learning and teaching. He enjoys reading fantasy novels, staying inside and looking at the snow with his cats, and strategy video games. Duncan also has been described by friends as a social butterfly, and has embraced that reputation.

Emily A     Linguistics     Undergraduate Student

 I am a Linguistics undergraduate student. I have a huge interest in learning more about different cultures. I am also  taking Korean language classes and planning to study abroad in the future; I am fluent in all areas of Spanish as well. In my spare time I enjoy knitting, playing violin and ukulele, as well as baking sweet pastries and painting. I like reading, collecting rare coins from around the world and sleeping :) I have a Mini-Pin named Mia and lastly my favorite flowers are daisies.

The CEW celebrates translingualism. Emily is fluent in Spanish and happy to work with Spanish-speaking students.

Schedule an appointment with Emily

Eric V        English/Computer Science             

Eric is interested in new ways of reading various avant-guard, experimental, and liminal textual practices, particularly those dealing with scientific discourses and atypical fiction writing methodologies. His dissertation focuses on the fiction of William S. Burroughs.

As a CEW consultant, he enjoys working on graduate-level papers, dissertations, and peer-reviewed articles in STEM fields.

Jade D     English     Undergraduate Student

Hello my name is Jade Dennis, an undergraduate senior studying English here at UB. Writing has transformed the way I market myself to professionals and everyday interactions. That said, I aim to help students enjoy the writing process and develop skills that carryover to real life.

Schedule an appointment with Jade

Jermaline C   Law Student 

Hello fellow writers! My name is Jermaline and it is my pleasure to work with you and help you with your writing. I am a law school student who came to UB to learn the law and how to best practice it. A few months ago I graduated from St. John Fisher University located in Rochester NY, but originally, I am from Brooklyn, NY and I am Haitian American. 

Jake S        English     Doctoral Student

Jake's research interests include nationalism and national identities in twentieth-century British and Irish fiction, literature and social sciences, transnational literature relating to migration, and film studies. He enjoys photography, visiting museums, biking, and cooking.

Schedule an appointment with Jake

Juntralai (Jun) M    Environmental Studies     Undergraduate Student

Jun is currently a third-year undergrad studying Environmental Studies with a minor in Studio Art and Earth System Science. Their career interests include horticulture, conservation, and environmental education. She is highly involved in the LGBTA club as Event Coordinator and loves to plan events. In her spare time, she likes to spend time on a variety of creative projects like doll making, crochet, and fine arts.

Schedule an appointment with Juntralai

Lianzi (Lily) O     Education Leadership & Policy     Doctoral Student

 Lily is currently focusing on her dissertation proposal and her research interests in education policy, racial discrimination, comparative studies, gender equality, LGBTQ+ rights, critical race theory, and queer theory. Writing is one of her passions. As a qualitative researcher, she enjoys observation and interaction with different people of diverse backgrounds. In the Writing Center, she loves to learn from others and seeks to sharpen her skills further. 

Maria A     Environmental Studies     Undergraduate Student

Maria is an undergraduate in Environmental Studies, as well as an amateur connoisseur of teas and birdwatching.  

Schedule an appointment with Maria

Maya P        English Education (UB Teach)     Master's Student

Maya is a part of the UB Teach program, studying English Education with the intent of becoming a high school English teacher. She has a background in working with non-native English speakers and is interested in learning about diverse perspectives while making important interpersonal connections. In her free time, she enjoys playing soccer, traveling, and writing poetry.

The CEW celebrates translingualism. Maya is fluent in Spanish and is happy to work with Spanish-speaking students.  

Schedule an appointment with Maya

Mahshad N.E.      Language Education and Multilingualism                                                    Doctoral Student     

Hello, my name is Mahshad, and I am a first-year Ph.D. student in the Language Education and Multilingualism program. I graduated from UB with an M.Ed. degree in TESOL. With a profound interest in learning new languages and connecting them with their respective cultures, I embarked on the journey of learning Korean. As I strive to expand my horizons, I find joy in understanding diverse students and their unique backgrounds. I am a Persian native speaker and would love to work with Persian writers as well.

 As the renowned writer E.B. White once said, "Writing is an act of faith, not a trick of grammar." This quote beautifully captures my deep passion for writing in different languages and education. Join me in exploring the richness of communication and growth!

Nehal V     Art History     Undergraduate Student

Nehal is an undergraduate student studying art history at UB. They've always had an interest in English and enjoy getting to work with other students at the center. In their free time they enjoy reading, crochet, horror movies, going for walks, and spending time with their friends.

Schedule an appointment with Nehal

Ryan B        English     Doctoral Student

Ryan is a writer and musician from Florida. As a PhD student in English and Poetics at UB, his current research examines uses of the voice in 20th-century experimental music and poetry.

Schedule an appointment with Ryan

Spencer W     English     Doctoral Student

Spencer Williams is currently a PhD student in Poetics at UB. Her research interests include contemporary trans poetics, documentary poetics, queer theory, and film theory. She received her MFA in creative writing from Rutgers University-Newark. 

Schedule an appointment with Spencer

Stephine H       American Studies     Doctoral Student

Stephine earned her BA in English with a minor in History at Alfred University and her MA in English from SUNY Fredonia. She is currently a PhD Candidate (ABD) in American Studies at University at Buffalo. Her fields of study include Critical Indigenous Studies, Native American History, and the Environmental Humanities. Her dissertation examines Haudenosaunee literary and artistic representations of waterways in WNY as decolonial interventions in historical and contemporary settler grammars of place. Beyond studying, writing, and teaching at UB, Stephine enjoys gardening, running, and exploring local parks and woodland areas with her fiancé and rescue dog. She is also an avid speculative fiction, climate and science fiction, and fantasy reader.

Schedule an appointment with Stephine

Yueqiu (QQ) Z     Learning and Instruction (LAI)     Doctoral Student

Yueqiu, who also goes by QQ, was born and raised in China. She is getting her doctoral degree in Education, with a research interest in the second language writer’s engagement with on-script feedback. She’s also working on research projects to enhance inclusion in higher-ed for international students. QQ has organized or been involved in programs and activities to advocate for international students and to enhance the quality of their experience at UB.  She craves road trips, and there are three must-go sites on her travel checklist: a museum, National State Parks, and an outdoor market. 

The CEW celebrates translingualism. QQ is fluent in Mandarin Chinese and is happy to work with Mandarin Chinese-speaking students.  

Zi D     Environmental Studies     Undergraduate Student

Zi is an undergraduate student in the Environmental Studies program. They want to learn about the intersection of sustainable development and Indigenous cultural understandings of environment, to get closer to imagining what a truly sustainable society would look like. Their favorite things to do in their free time are knitting and watching bad movies, and talking about how much they absolutely hate knitting and watching bad movies.

Schedule an appointment with Zi