The Writing Center is staffed by graduate instructors and undergraduate peer tutors. Our graduate instructors have received highly competitive fellowships and assistantship awards that fund their work in the Center. Our undergraduate peer tutors have been nominated by Catholic University professors and then selected after a rigorous review and interview process. All Writing Center staff undergo extensive and ongoing training.
Writing Center Instructors
Caelan Elliott is an MA/PhD student in CUA’s English department. A Texas native, Caelan completed her undergraduate degree at Baylor University studying Great Texts and English, where she wrote for and edited several campus publications. Her writing has also been published by the Turkish Heritage Organization and The American Spectator. Before moving to D.C., she taught writing, literature, grammar, and poetry at Valor North Austin, a classical charter school. Caelan’s research interests include Modernism, contemporary Irish literature, and cross-cultural storytelling.
Writing Instruction Specialties: Structure and Outlining, MLA Style, English Literature, and Personal Statements.
Bridget Matz
Bridget Matz is a Master's student in the English department. She grew up in nearby Virginia and received her B.A. in English from George Mason University, where she graduated summa cum laude. Her interests include medieval literature, the 19th-century novel, and the various developments of English literature and its genres through history. She is also a graduate scholar in the Institute of Human Ecology’s Graduate Scholar at CUA.
Writing Instruction Specialties: English literature, sentence structure, and argument organization.
Michelle Datiles
Michelle Datiles is our Writing Center Outreach Coordinator. She is a History Ph.D. student focusing on religion, law, and society in late medieval/early modern England, writing her dissertation on Catholics and the English Reformation. She has taught in the History Department (incl. HIST 322A, The Tudors and the English Reformation) and for several years in the Intensive English Program. Michelle is also a graduate scholar in CUA's Institute for Human Ecology (link here).
Writing Instruction Specialties: history, philosophy, law.
Sumeeya Chishty Mujahid
Sumeeya is a second-year doctoral student at the National Catholic School of Social Service. She has a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Women’s Studies from Hampshire College Amherst, MA, a master’s degree in Education from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA, and an Education Specialist degree in Community Counseling from The George Washington University, in Washington, DC. Sumeeya greatly enjoys teaching and has taught at a private middle and high school in Karachi, Pakistan, as well as undergraduate and graduate students at Hampshire college and Harvard University. She has taught a wide range of subjects-- English Language, English Literature, History, Sociology, Education, African and African American studies, and Women’s Studies. Sumeeya’s current doctoral research focuses on women of color and the emotional impact of institutional/systemic racism, and she uses the theories of intersectionality and feminism as her conceptual lens. Sumeeya loves reading (especially humor and feminist writers) and traveling (while eating all the delicious food the world has to offer along the way). She has visited over twenty-five countries, lived in two continents (Asia and North America), and visited all the rest except Antarctica--as she is not very fond of the cold. Sumeeya is excited to work at the Writing Center this year!
Sophia Giudici
Originally from New Jersey, Sophia Giudici is a second-year Master's student in the English department. She received her B.A. in English Language in Literature from Fordham University and her Masters in Teaching (English K-12) from Montclair State University. Through her experience as a middle school English teacher, she enjoyed facilitating student-led editing and growth in the writing process. While her primary interest is Shakespeare, she is also intrigued by formal verse and epic poetry in every period of literature.
Undergraduate Peer Tutors
Amelia "Millie" Bamsey
Amelia “Millie” is a sophomore from St. Paul, Minnesota pursuing an economics major with an English minor. On campus, she is an office manager for Residence Life and is a Cornerstone program scholar and mentor. She loves visiting art museums and reading books, especially autobiographies. Her hope as a Writing Center tutor is to help students feel more comfortable with and less intimidated by their writing assignments.
Anita Gulia
Anita Gulia is a senior Italian Studies and English double major. She is the CUA Italian Club president and a member of Redline A Cappella. Anita works as an Italian tutor on campus and hopes to work as a high school English teacher post-grad. Her academic interests include Shakespeare (of whose plays she has read sixteen and counting), Dante Alighieri, Jane Austen, the Italian Renaissance, drama, fairy tales, and creative writing.
Cynthia Vigna
My name is Cynthia Vigna, and I am a sophomore English major with a politics pre-law and sociology double minor. I am from North Jersey and have an adorable pitbull terrier named Muffin. I am part of the Campus Ministry Leadership team and enjoy participating in various service sites on campus and back home. One of my favorite forms of writing is poetry. I am very excited to help students grow and gain more confidence in their writing abilities.
Elly Beavers
Elly Beavers is a sophomore Psychology B.A. major, and she is pursuing a career in clinical psychology. She is a member of the Cornerstone Program, the Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society, and the Psychology Club at Catholic. She is also a mentor for other students in the Cornerstone Program and the Psychology Club. She has a passion for writing, and she hopes to help many students grow as writers as a tutor in the Writing Center at Catholic.
Kayla Thuel
Kayla Thuel is a junior English Secondary Education student with a minor in Music. She has several years of experience tutoring students in Pre-K through college across disciplines in both formal and informal settings. Off hours, she can typically be found studying on-campus, dabbling in one of her many art projects, or playing violin in the CUA Symphony Orchestra. Within the field of English, she particularly enjoys satire, argumentative essays, medieval and Romantic literature, and any writing that presents opportunities to learn about other students’ passions. If you want to get to know Kayla, she always appreciates new music recommendations; if you’re feeling especially bold, ask her about her favorite Roman emperor.
Ani Schubert
I am a Junior English and Secondary Education major with a minor in Psychology. On campus, I am involved in the Orientation Program as well as our Honors Program. Poetry and narratives are my favorite genres of literature, and I am super excited to teach them to my future students! At the Writing Center, I can’t wait to work with students during their writing process!
Bridget Farrell
Bridget Farrell is a junior English Secondary Education major who has spent several years tutoring students from first grade through high school. She is currently serving as the Sidewalk Co-Chair of Cardinals for Life and has acted in multiple CenterStage productions. Bridget is a proud Long Islander with strong opinions on New York pizza and Billy Joel (namely, that nothing can beat them). Ultimately, she hopes to become a high school English teacher and share her love of science fiction and Shakespearean comedies with her students. Expect to hear several bad jokes in your session with her!
David Moretti
David Moretti is a junior English and Politics major with a minor in Irish Studies. Outside of the writing center, David is involved in the Orientation program and loves to read and play guitar. After graduation, he hopes to teach and continue studying English Literature. David can't wait to have positive discussions about writing and to help students in all phases of their writing process.
Jane Cochran
Jane Cochran is a sophomore Philosophy and English major. She especially enjoys Shakespeare, 19th century British literature, and the classical philosophers. She is part of the University Honors Program as well as the SGA Catholic Values Initiative. After graduating, she hopes to pursue a Masters in either Philosophy or English, and a career which enables constant reading.
Isaac Krom
Isaac Krom is a sophomore philosophy and mathematics major. His study of two analytical disciplines influences his approach to writing, helping him to focus on structure and logical cohesion. Isaac is involved in the IHE undergraduate program, Take Note Acapella, and the Cornerstone Student Advisory Board.