Vision Statement
The GWC is committed to providing equitable access to writing resources and seeks to address the needs of our community regardless of ability, native language, country of origin, as well as the myriad commitments of students pursuing graduate study in a city like New York. As a Center, we are committed to growth and foresee our community expanding to one that incorporates a range of academic resources beyond writing, and more online resources that further our goal of equitable access and self-directed learning.
About Our Staff
The GWC staff is comprised of an Assistant Director, numerous Writing Fellows, the majority of whom are completing their doctoral work, and Communication Assistants. To learn more about our staff, consult their short biographies posted below:
Meredith (she/her)
Assistant Director, Graduate Student Life & Development
Meredith Schuman (she/her) has an MFA in Creative Writing from Brooklyn College, where she studied Poetry with Allen Ginsberg and Lou Asekoff. Her work has been published in several small literary journals including Mudfish and B City. She has a BA in Theater from Binghamton University and spent a semester at The Imperial College of London. She was an English Instructor at NYU Tandon School of Engineering for many years and served as Graduate ESL Program Director. Her experience includes teaching literature, expository and creative writing, and public speaking in various schools and centers, with a focus on adult ESL populations. She is an avid photographer, enthusiastic theater-goer, BBC binger, and obsessive knitter.
Emily (she/her)
GWC Assistant
Megan (she/her)
GWC Assistant
Megan is a first-year masters student in the Clinical Psychology program at Teachers College, Columbia University. After completing her bachelor's degree majoring in social anthropology at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, Megan returned to the U.S. and worked as a Montessori educator at the upper elementary level in central Florida for five years, earning her Florida Educator Certificate and Montessori Upper Elementary Teaching Certificate. Megan is passionate about psychology, education, language and writing. In her spare time, Megan enjoys practicing yoga and sharing her passion for mindfulness and movement as a part-time yoga instructor. She also enjoys exploring the mind-body connection through practicing Brazilian jiu jitsu and archery, finding peace and focus in this ancient art. Megan's research interests include flow states and experiences, the healing power of movement, psychosomatic interventions for anxiety disorders, and resilience.
Edith (she/her)
Writing Fellow
TC is where Edith fell head over heels in love with teaching ten years ago, and she is beyond stoked to be back on the TC campus pursuing her lifelong dream of a Ph.D. in English Education! Her research is focused on teacher education and mentorship. For Edith, the pursuit of education is not only a lifelong passion, but the beacon that guides every aspect of her life. It is the value that pulled her from a crumbling communist Transylvanian orphanage in 1991 and opened an incredible myriad of global opportunities.
Edith received her BA in Psychology and English from the University of Connecticut, MAT in Secondary English from Sacred Heart University, and MA from Teachers College, Columbia University. She has been honored with National Writing Project, Pulitzer Center, and Hawai’i State teacher fellowships, as well as a Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms honorarium that merged local pedagogy, policy, and practice with global travel to explore indigenous approaches to education. She is National Board Certified and has loved her fifteen years of public high school and community college English teaching. When her nose is not in a book, Edith loves to be active; she is especially fond of pilates, kitesurfing, skiing, road biking, spending time with her beloved two daughters, and surfing with her service dog Hemingway (yes, he surfs).
Kelly (she/they)
Writing Fellow
Kelly (she/they) is a doctoral candidate in the Applied Linguistics program at Teachers College. She has been a writing consultant for almost ten years at both the undergraduate and graduate level. She specializes in qualitative research, APA style, phases of the writing and research process, legal English, and ESL writing. For her doctoral research, she uses conversation analysis to study interaction in writing centers. As a former Fulbright grantee (Ecuador, 2016-2017), Kelly has taught ESL/EFL for over ten years in the US and abroad. She currently teaches at Teachers College, Columbia University School of Professional Studies, New York University, and Brooklyn Law School. In her free time, Kelly enjoys reading, running, bouldering, and learning languages.
Joel (he/him)
Writing Fellow
Joel (he/him) is studying an EdM in Language Use through the Applied Linguistics program at Teachers College. Before coming to TC he was a full-time proofreader for six years, specializing in technical language as part of a contract with the U.S. Patent Office. He has earned a BA from New York University in Linguistics, with minors in Music and Creative Writing, and an MA in Linguistics from the University of Hong Kong, writing a dissertation to document an endangered dialect of Cantonese. Overall he has lived overseas for 2 ½ years.
Joel is still defining his research interests and is usually happy to talk about working papers or presentations. He enjoys attending events through his department on conversation analysis and participating in the language and technology working group. He always recommends to work with the communities where you belong. On that note, he is also involved with planning events through QueerTC, the LGBTQ+ affinity group on campus. For fun, Joel plays video games, explores coffee shops around the city, and sings in local piano bars. His areas of specialization include technical aspects of writing like grammar and structure, voice, and style — plus he owns a copy of the APA manual!