Westmont's writing center Writers' Corner

While Paula Almudena Winkler draws a blank anytime someone asks her for a fun fact, it is true that her middle name harks back to the patron saint of Madrid, Spain. When she isn't tutoring in the Writers' Corner, she is probably pursuing a random goal that she has convinced herself is absolutely necessary in the real world, such as embroidering Converse or learning to drive a stick shift. As for writing, Paula is fascinated by the precision of language, namely the specificity of her native tongue, German (for example, Treppenwitz, literally “stair joke” = what you think to say to someone as soon as the conversation is over) and the simultaneous vagueness of Spanish (ahorita, anyone?). Stop by to chat about the guinea pig life of an oldest child, why you should study abroad (in Mexico!), or how you can overcome writer’s block and figure out the grammar rules you lost sometime since fifth grade.

Areas of Study: Spanish, Religious Studies

Elise Goulart is an English major, so she can be found reading a plethora of genres when she is not knee-deep in her newest crochet project. Her hobbies include walking from her car to Godmothers Bookstore, attempting to run a mile on the track, and swimming in the ocean to fulfill her dream of being a Mako mermaid. Elise also enjoys trying her best to be more sustainable. You might notice her “sustainable” collection of ceramic mugs that she lugs all over campus or her stories about tiny homes. Yes, it is true: Elise wants nothing more than to build a tiny home and live in Santa Cruz forever. Her Economics and Business minor might even help her finally open the coffee shop of her dreams (one filled with way too many books). On the side, she will go hunting for Bigfoot . . . and for your thesis statement. Elise will be here to help you draft that essay, revise it, and make it through the forest of writing. Whatever you need, Elise probably has a ten-page plan written out to help you achieve it! She is passionate about creating work that is meaningful to you. Elise looks forward to helping you find the trail and enjoy the view along the way.

Major/minor areas: English, Economics and Business

Kate Spraul is studying English and Psychology. She grew up on the East Coast near Annapolis, Maryland. In her opinion, California beaches are superior, but nothing beats autumn on the East Coast. Kate swims on the Westmont swim team where she continues to grow as a person and athlete while working hard and laughing with her teammates. When she is not in the pool, Kate loves to take walks on the beach, go out for tacos, and engage in meaningful conversations. Many of the skills she has learned as an athlete apply to the writing process. It is critical to have a growth mindset as an athlete and a writer. She hopes to encourage students to trust the process, grow in confidence, and enjoy the journey. You never know when you might surprise yourself!

Major/minor areas: English, Psychology

Kristen Kvamme is a senior English major with a Writing minor. Kristen spent much of her childhood living in the world of books and still loves exploring stories. Her love of reading stories has also become a love of writing her own, whether in the form of fiction, poetry, or personal essays. In addition to reading and writing, she loves spending time with family and friends, walking along the coast, learning to crochet, and listening to movie soundtracks to make studying more fun. She is excited to work with her fellow students as they express their ideas through writing. Feel free to ask her about movie soundtrack recommendations if you ever need a studying pick-me-up!

Mallory Hopper is an English major who has aspirations of becoming an attorney. Her connection to Westmont is a bit unique but also so much fun. She double majored in Political Science and English while playing on the Westmont golf team during her freshman and sophomore years before transferring to Point Loma Nazarene University where she recently graduated with her B.A. in Political Science. Now, she is “back where it all began” and will be working to complete her second bachelor’s degree (this time with an English major) while playing her final year of collegiate golf this year! When she isn't studying or chasing around a little white ball on the golf course, Mallory enjoys getting coffee and going on adventures with friends and family. She loves a good side quest and jumps at the opportunity to check out new places and try new activities. A few of her favorites over the past year have been visiting the famous Julian Pie Company for a classic fall day and walking the entire perimeter of Coronado Island over the summer.

Major/minor areas: English, Political Science

Vanessa Garcia is a second-year Biology major. She loves exploring God’s creation through art, learning about the human mind (hence her Psychology and Music minors), and physical exploration (hence her ultimate goal of living in a secluded cabin in the Italian countryside).

Her passions include good coffee, traveling, surfing, backpacking, playing and listening to music, reading books by the fire in autumn, and playing sports (when she isn’t lamenting the knee surgeries that have stunted her professional pickleball career). She loves reading, writing, and the process of crafting words to serve a purpose, and is excited to LARP as an English major by helping you argue your point in an infamous Abnormal Psych essay, decide where to put your equations in a lab report, or craft an argument to decisively prove that the mountains are better than the beach. Hope to see you there!

Major/minor areas: Biology, Psychology, Music

Daniel Agbossey-Dimado is a sophomore English major who is ethnically from Accra, Ghana and geographically from Chiang Mai, Thailand. Still not a fluent Thai speaker despite living there for twelve years, nor a Twi speaker despite being a Ghanaian citizen, Daniel knows a thing or two about self-doubt and inability to communicate in clearly understandable ways, which he has a feeling you experience at various points in the writing process. He is willing to help you address these existential crises for a small fee (your companionship) in the library, which he hopes you will discover to be a surprisingly fitting place to develop mental fortitude—through writing, of course.

Major area: English

Nathan is a Senior English major and Philosophy minor. He is from Hemet, California, and the proud brother of six siblings. When he's not spending time with family or friends, you might catch him annoying his roommates with his mediocre guitar playing, or barely surviving an "easy" run at the beach. He also tutors for Intro to Old Testament and genuinely loves helping students. Like playing the guitar and running, writing doesn't come easily to Nathan, but he loves the satisfaction of finally getting an idea across clearly. He's here to help you fight through that same struggle.

Genna Eberhard is a graduate of Music Education with a Writing minor. She is a fifth-year student working toward becoming an educator. When she is not picking up random instruments or plunging the depths of her Spotify album horde, she is plotting her escape to Iceland to pursue her calling as a nomadic shepherdess. Music and words have proved lifelong friends for Genna and she believes they are unique media to steward the gifts of space and time. Words give shape to the shapeless, forming our souls in the process (She is also a rather melodramatic poet, if you could not tell). She looks forward to shaping meaning with you and perhaps assailing you with song recommendations from time to time.

Areas of Study: Music, Writing

Avala Elwood is studying Political Science.  And yes, it is as cool as the spy movies make it seem . . . even though she has not had the chance to run after a bad guy in her heels yet.  Her bucket list includes multiple adventures that have to do with eating food in their namesake places: Boston Clam Chowder in Boston, Belgian Waffles in Belgium, and French Toast in France.  She will take anything with character and story over picture-perfect because Folgers campfire coffee always tastes better than a fancy latte, and that includes your writing. She is passionate about helping you map out and sift through seemingly foggy ideas until they are eloquently and concisely stated on paper. In other words, she enjoys the writing process!  She promises that she will make your grammar better than Yoda’s: writing, she does love. 

Areas of Study: Political Science

Alexandra Lo (Xandra) is a Psychology major on a mission to become functionally fluent in at least ten languages. Her life consists of telling tales and consuming them. She suspects that yours does too. Whether it’s filming the Westmont women’s soccer team as they score the winning goal, or painting a portrait of a polka-dancing pair; whether it’s telling the story of the God who makes us whole, or typing up a novel until her fingertips are bare–she knows stories help us understand one another. While she loves poetic language, she also finds great value in concision and clarity. She wants to help you use your words wisely so that others can understand the precious things you have to say. If you would like to hear about her favorite use for words, ask her about the novel she is writing.

Area of Study: Psychology

Evelyn Rose is studying English, Education, and Religious Studies. She grew up in a small mountain town in Colorado, where she learned two things: how to find her way out of the woods (eventually) and how to appreciate the beauty of the messy in-between. Whether she’s photosynthesizing in the sunshine, watercolor painting at the beach, or adding yet another craft to her Pinterest board, Evelyn finds joy in creating, and she loves to walk alongside students as they shape their own ideas into vibrant expression. To her, writing isn’t about creating the perfect first draft (spoiler alert: they don’t exist) but instead an empowering journey to find your voice, share your story, and maybe even have some fun.

Areas of Study: English, Education, Religious Studies