Internships: Writing Center
Intern: Tucker Wilson, BA in English with emphasis in creative writing & in Spanish
Workplace Supervisor: Deborah Murray, Instructor, Department of English & Director of the Writing Center
Faculty Supervisor: Kara Northway, Assistant Professor, Department of English & Development Director of the Writing Center
Course: ENGL 495 English Internship (Internal Internship)
Semester: Spring 2012
A senior double majoring in English and Spanish, Tucker Wilson interned at K-State’s Writing Center in Spring 2012. He spent his time tutoring; creating events, promotional materials, and programs; developing community outreach at the Douglass Community Center; and researching community literacy. In addition, Tucker had the opportunity to present his research on community literacy programs at the 2012 National Conference on Peer Tutoring in Writing.
Tucker sought out an internship at the Writing Center because of his strong interest in writing, literacy, and peer feedback, which was ignited by a previous internship he completed in Chicago (read interview). He believes the experience fulfilled his desire to work with writers to further their own creativity and empowerment: “I value the importance of self-expression; I think that is one of the most important things you can gain from a college education, to be able to express yourself through your own writing. It’s empowering.” Furthermore, Tucker was inspired to construct his honors thesis based on the community literacy research he conducted and to apply for Teach for America and University of Chicago’s Urban Teacher Education Program for his post-graduation plans. Tucker has the ambition to one day open his own bilingual charter school in Chicago. Tucker and his advisor, Kara Northway, built a strong mentorship through the internship. As Kara expresses, “I have enjoyed seeing how his internship played a role in his plans after college.”