Meet the Writing Centre Tutors
Most of our writing tutors are students. The responsibility of the tutor is to offer feedback and advice on writing, with the goal of developing students' writing skills. The responsibility of the writing tutor is not to fix or simply editthe paper or be an expert on the content. Tutors attend up to 20 hours of training on the following topics: writing, grammar, collaboration, interpersonal skills, intercultural competencies, and tutoring and writing centre theories, practices, and strategies.The interaction between the writing tutor and the writer is one of cooperation, respect, and focused learning.
Writing Centre Coordinator
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Jenna Goddard
BA, MAdEd, TESL
Writing Centre Assistant
Chris Lindsay
BA in English, TESL
Peer tutors (Bachelor's or Master's degree in progress)
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Natalie S.
BA in Communications, Creative Writing
Specialties: Literature, MLA, Academic Writing, Essay Planning, Transitions and Flow -
Qingru (Maggie)
BBA in Marketing
Specialties: Essay Planning, Organization, Grammar -
Hanna C.
BA in Psychology
Specialties: MLA, APA, Creative Writing, Essay Writing -
Kyle G.
MSc
Specialties: Graduate students, Scientific Writing, Research skills, Excel, Word, CSEKyle was born in Penticton, BC. He has a BSc Degree from the University of Victoria (majoring in biology and psychology), and a Bachelor’s of Natural Resource Science Degree from TRU. Since 2007, Kyle has fought wildfires with the BC Wildfire Service. This allowed him to see much of BC and Canada, fighting fires as far east as Quebec.
Kyle loves to travel. Some of his experiences include building schools in Mexico, pedaling a bicycle across Southeast Asia (2500 km), motorcycling through Panama, and working at a winery in New Zealand. He enjoys spending time with family (including his dog Wilson), backcountry skiing, mountain biking, wood working, photography, and a good bowl of phở.
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Garima Y.
MEd, BA (Hons) English, MA Media and Communications Management
Specialties: Graduate students, Literature, APA, Presentations, ESLCurrently pursuing master’s in education, Garima used to work as a Features Writer, Content Creator back home. Home for Garima is Abu Dhabi, UAE where she earned her first Master’s degree in Media and Communications Management. Her Bachelors is in English Hons and she also holds both the TESOL and CELTA certifications.
Foodie at heart, coffee addict (Starbucks is her kryptonite), she is a ball of energy who loves to spread positivity and love. Her favourite hobby is sleeping and during her insomniac phase she loves to binge watch anime, Korean and Chinese dramas on Netflix.
Languages: Hindi (native tongue) and English.
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Ritchie L.
MEd
Specialties: ESL, Presentations, Graduate StudentsI was born in China. Before coming to Canada, I was a math teacher for seven years. Now, I am focusing on my thesis for graduating. I have full confidence in a brighter future as I maintain my enthusiasm for learning. I enjoy chatting with my fellow students, and my favorite pastimes are basketball, playing cards, and surfing the web. Sometimes I prefer to be alone, reading, and listening to music, but I do not feel alone.
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Tara D.
BSw
Specialties: MLA, Essay Writing, Business & Technical WritingAlthough she was born and raised in Kamloops, Tara also lived in Vancouver for eight years, and spent three years living abroad in Edinburgh, Scotland. She worked in Hospitality Management before her decision to move home, and has managed top-rated restaurants in both Canada and Scotland.
Tara loves to travel, and has been all around Europe, Canada and the United States. She has many hobbies, but reading a good book with a pint of craft beer is her favorite – preferably while taking a break from exploring a new city.
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Ramya K.
BA in Psychology
Specialties: APA, MLA, Marketing, Presentations, Business Writing, Scientific WritingRaised in Dubai, I am an Indian who has learned to enjoy multiculturalism. I completed my high school diploma as a commerce student, but ended up pursuing my passion – Psychology – here at TRU. While my true love is and will remain Psychology, my secret dalliance is with English. I’m a Wattpadian who enjoys obscure stories and loves to torture my roommates with my guitar. I’ve also taught myself to speak Korean, with a dream of travelling to South Korea one day.
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Jaspreet B.
MEd
Specialties: APA, ESL, Presentations -
Ian M.
Law, BA in English
Specialties: MLA, Essay WritingAlthough he was born in Burlington, Ontario, Ian has lived in Kamloops since he was one. He graduated from Thompson Rivers University with a Bachelor of Arts (English major), and a Graduate Certificate in Business Administration. He also was a Queen’s University Master of Public Administration candidate until he realized public policy is not his passion.
Ian is in his second year of TRU’s law program and would like to practice exclusively in criminal law. Ian likes using fountain pens, drinking coffee, playing guitar, and writing letters with fountain pens. He dislikes writing about himself and delayed writing this profile for as long as possible.
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Michael T.
BA in Math and Geography
Specialties: APA, Research Essays, Scientific Writing
Community, faculty, and staff volunteers
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Anne P.
BA in English, Journalism
Specialties: Academic, Business, and Creative Writing, and PresentationsAnne was born and raised in Vancouver. She majored in English at the University of Victoria, and graduated from a journalism program at Vancouver Community College.
She worked as a reporter for a community newspaper on Vancouver Island, and then as a staff and freelance writer for business magazines, and design and travel publications across Canada. Her media work took her to the Philippines, and to the U.S. She has explored Central America, Venezuela, and learned basic Spanish as a homestay student in Guatemala.
She now lives on an off-grid farm in Pritchard with her husband, horses, dogs and goats.
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Claire L.
PHd in English
Specialties: Brainstorming, Research Essays, MLAClaire taught a variety of first-year English classes at TRU before going back to school for her BCS. She loves thinking about the connections among literature, the sciences, and social theory. In her spare time, she can often be found at the Y, a good coffee shop, or the Kamloops Art Gallery.
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Chris W.
BA, Business and Communication and Professional Writing Certificate
Specialties: Essay Planning, Structure and Flow, Grammar, and APA CitationChris works as a Course Editor at Open Leaning, and has been volunteering at the Writing Centre since 2012. He has lived at various times in Africa, the UK, Asia as well as his home country Canada, and has travelled to pretty much every corner of the globe. Chris taught English for two years, and also worked in educational publishing and language test development for six years in South Korea. He loves scary movies, spicy food (especially 춘천닭갈비!), mountain biking, and poetry.
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Shawn T.
BA, MA
Specialties: Creative Writing and GrammarProf. Shawn Thompson has made a career of mixing journalism, a love of literature, and a passion for nature. After doing graduate studies in English literature in Ontario, he worked as a reporter, photographer and editor with newspapers in Ontario for seventeen years, and then accepted a position in 1998 to teach in the new Bachelor of Journalism program at Thompson Rivers University. He has published six mainstream books, as well as articles in publications like Reader’s Digest, and wrote an online column for Psychology Today magazine. Shawn’s last book was about apes and the jungles of Borneo, called The Intimate Ape: Orangutans and the Secret Life of a Vanishing Species. That book took 10 years to write and research, with repeated trips to the jungles of Sumatra and Borneo, and is now the basis of an annual eco-tour that he leads to take people upriver into the jungle to see orangutans. The eco-tour raises funds for the non-profit foundation the Orang Utan Republik, of which Shawn is a member of the board. He is currently writing a column online called The Ethical Ape for the environmental magazine Mongabay, which is work-in-progress for his next book. He also consults with film producers working on orangutan documentaries and with people and organizations doing communication projects involving apes. In the journalism program he teaches basic journalism skills, photojournalism, layout and creative non-fiction writing.
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Ani G.
MEd, BA in English
Specialties: Thesis Development, Essay Structure, Critical ThinkingVenerable Gawa Khandro, an ordained Buddhist nun, is the resident teacher and Spiritual Director of GawaLing Buddhist Centre in McLure, BC. She received ordination at Thrangu Monastery in Richmond, BC from Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche. Venerable Gawa is a member of the North American Buddhist Alliance, United Sangha Vancouver, and Interfaith Kamloops. She is also the Conflict Resolution Mediator for RAFT Kamloops, and offers service at New Life Community, Kamloops. She holds academic degrees from Simon Fraser University, and taught for many years in a university setting.