Regan Levitte — 2019 English and Women’s and Gender Studies MA graduate
What is your job title, and what kind of work does it involve?
I am the new Assistant Director/Writing Specialist of the Claude J. Clark Learning Center at SUNY Plattsburgh. Day-to-day, I onboard, train, and manage about 25 writing tutors, manage the center's website, and facilitate writing workshops all across our campus.
What sparked your interest in your areas of study?
I have always loved reading and writing, and so pursuing graduate work in English was really rewarding for me. In addition, WGS really influences how I see and process the world, and has also inspired my teaching and tutoring efforts.
How have you applied your education in your areas of study to get to where you are now?
I've been working in writing centers since my time as an undergraduate back in Michigan; I was notably never able to settle into a specific area or time period of interest in my literature-based major then. A lot of awesome mentor-ship encouraged me to look into Composition and Rhetoric as a field of study, which would let me study process, collaboration, and writing techniques that don't always happen in literature--my thesis work researches alternative discourse communities and their feedback procedures (this is my fancy way of saying "fan fiction beta readers and their experiences"). UNL's MA in English really helped find a footing, and provide the opportunities to do my own research, and I feel that I apply my WGS certificate every day, as I work with a lot of at-risk populations at SUNY Plattsburgh.
Were there any other experiences from your time at UNL that helped you get to where you are now?
Working as the graduate assistant for the UNL Writing Center was a valuable experience that helped me develop as an administrator, and gave me real-world experience in managing tutors!
