Spotlighting New Consultants in The Center: Oriana

The beginning of the semester is always energizing and full of opportunities – especially when that semester is the Spring semester. We begin to shake off the affects of seasonal depression, warm weather is only a few months away, and we get to meet new people who may become a huge part of our academic and personal lives. These experiences also include the student employees and faculty that we work with daily to make college a little less chaotic. So, in the spirit of Spring semester, we would like to introduce our new writing center consultants and encourage the community to engage with and welcome them into the space!

We’re featuring a different new consultant in each post all week! For this post, please welcome Oriana!

What inspired you to work at the University Writing Center?

Oriana: I have always enjoyed writing, either academically or for my own enjoyment. During my time at IUPUI, I came to realize how important writing is as a skill, regardless of your field of study. I wanted to work at the Writing Center to support other writers and engage in meaningful discussions about writing, not only as an asset but as a vehicle through which we communicate and relate to others.

What are some aspects of the center that you wish you knew before you started working here?

Oriana :I wish I knew how community-oriented the Writing Center is. Before I joined the center, I had the preconception that relationships here were very hierarchical—that consultants, as mentors, have expertise knowledge which they use to “help” peers. I quickly realized that that’s not the case at all. Consulting is a two-way process, a conversation between writers with different experiences and writing practices. As a consultant, you’re not there to make a person’s writing “better,” but rather the goal is to be a sounding board or audience for the writer as they work towards communicating their ideas clearly.

What are you most excited about in your work at the center?

Oriana: Although I am very excited about consulting with individual writers, I am especially eager to help out in the workshops that we’ll be holding throughout the semester. I know that we’ll be using our Cavanaugh Hall space for UWC programming, and I’m super excited for that. I can’t wait to have transformative conversations with writers and other members of our campus community.

What is one common misconception about the writing process that you want others to know about?

Oriana: I think one of the most common misconceptions is that the writing process is linear and should look the same for everybody. I have very vivid memories of being a high school student and trying to fill out outline templates and things as such to demonstrate and document my progress with my writing assignments. Now, my writing process looks nothing like those templates, and there’s nothing wrong with that! Every person has particular practices that are individual to how they make meaning, and understanding our own process is a key step towards gaining confidence in our writing skills.

If you were a video game character, what kind of game would you be in and why?

Oriana: It would most likely be an open-world, story-driven game—something along the lines of Zelda Breath of The Wild or even Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey. I’m not a very active, outgoing person, but I do enjoy going to new places and exploring what I don’t know. Someday I hope to be able to travel the world and live in different climates and cultures. And learn new things along the way.