Our people are our greatest asset.
Check out the bios below to find a consultant who fits your needs - or just for fun!
Every consultant has different ways of writing and every consultant provides different values and it is important to have different opinions. Overall, every consultant provides different values for my writing.
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.
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.
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.
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 17th century. He also likes breakfast and woodworking.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
All of our consultants are students! We employ undergraduate, MA level, and PhD level consultants. While our consultants come from a variety of disciplines and are at different stages of their academic journeys, they share one thing in common: they are passionate about their own development as writers, and they find working with hardworking, engaged fellow writers to be rewarding work.
Undergraduate consultants take a semester-long preparation course for working at the Center in which they look at theories of learning and writing development, as well as practical strategies for helping writers.
Many of our graduate consultants have experience and coursework related to teaching or help us to extend our disciplinary knowledge about writing.
Our goal is that our CEW community be as diverse as our student community. That means we love to hire students from different racial, ethnic, linguistic, national, socioeconomic, and gender backgrounds. Consultants who have experience overcoming adversity, coping with learning differences, studying outside of their native languages, add to our overall understanding of how to best support all UB writers.
CEW consultants regularly share perspectives and learn new concepts and skills through our professional development program. Your feedback is also vitally important for our continuous improvement.