To start, my name is Catie Pfeiffer. I use she/her/hers pronouns, and I’m a sophomore at Hofstra University. I am a double major in English and Psychology with a minor in LGBTQ+ Studies. I’m starting this blog for a class I’m taking this semester: Practicum in Writing Center Pedagogy. I’m hoping to start working at the Writing Center next fall. Wish me luck!
The Writing Center at Hofstra University is a place on campus that I haven’t really experienced much of. It’s nothing against the people or their selfless goals of helping young college students to be successful in their college writing careers. It has everything to do with two very simple things about me that actually go hand-in-hand: one, I consider myself to be a good writer, and two, I have severe social anxiety. Therefore, going to a place where I have to interact with a person I don’t know one-on-one to talk about my writing made me extremely anxious. I didn’t even go to the Writing Center until it was a mandatory class assignment. To all of my fellow socially anxious folks, it is actually a wonderful experience. While I still feel like I need the urgency of a class assignment to actually get me there, it definitely will never fill me with dread again.
When I reentered the Writing Center for the first time in almost a year on the second day of classes this Spring, I felt a much different emotion: excitement. Not only was I in a different mindset, the renovations to the Writing Center made the space feel even warmer. The atmosphere of a room can make all the difference to someone with social anxiety. For example, I already am familiar with the professor of WSC 101, Andrea Efthymiou, as I’ve had her for previous classes, and that helps me out a lot. (If you’re ever just needing an extra class, I cannot recommend her enough)
You may ask: why? Why would a severely anxious person like myself wish to take upon a role that requires so much crucial human interaction? I say, I do not wish to be a writing tutor despite my anxiety; I wish to be a writing tutor because of my anxiety. Likely due to the experiences that I’ve had to go through, I find it a personal duty to help people who have anxiety like I do, and find even the littlest ways to make their live easier. The tutors that I’ve seen in the writing center have always been exceptionally friendly and helpful, and it’s made it easier for me to go there for help. As a way of giving back, I want nothing more than to offer my own services in return.
I’ve always been a writer. It’s always what I’ve been the most passionate about. I think this is compensation for my lack of verbal-speaking abilities. Where my verbal words failed, I could always count on my writing. However, recently (since I’ve been in college), I’ve had to take a long and hard look at where I hope my life is going. Of course, ideally, every writer could afford to just publish their novels and not have to focus on anything else; unfortunately, that won’t pay the bills, so many writers have secondary jobs as well as their writing career. In my case, I’ve been trying to figure that out. That’s what lead me to discover how passionate I am about helping others. In any way possible, I want to help others. It’s what made me add Psychology as a second major: so I could follow some kind of counseling career track in my future.
The Writing Center is perfect for me, because it combines my love of writing with my passion to help others. I am really looking forward to this class, and I hope it will be a fulfilling experience.
Cpfeiffer1@pride.hofstra.edu
The Blog of Catie Pfeiffer 