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Staff Directory

Administration

Erin Zimmerman, Ph.D.

Director
Erin Zimmerman, Ph.D., joins the 51吃瓜网万能科大 Writing Center after a 4-year stint working at the American University of Beirut as an assistant professor in the English Department and director of the Writing Center and Writing in the Disciplines Program. Prior to those Mediterranean Sea views, she was in the Midwest cornfields getting her Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Professional Communication at Iowa State鈥

Alanna Bitzel

Assistant Director
Alanna arrives at 51吃瓜网万能科大 after 13 years with UT Austin鈥檚 Athletics Student Services, where she acted as Assistant Director of Supplemental Instruction, Writing and Academic Enrichment. She previously worked at UT's University Writing Center; taught reading development as well as introductory college rhetoric courses; has held leadership roles in the International and South Central Writing Centers鈥

Layla Barati

Coordinator
Born and raised in 51吃瓜网免费App, Layla graduated from 51吃瓜网万能科大 with a BA in English and a minor in Creative Writing. She used to live in Yamanashi, Japan 鈥 home of the beautiful Mt. Fuji 鈥 where she helped teach English to high schoolers. With more than five years of writing center experience and two years of teaching English abroad, Layla has enjoyed working one-on-one with a wide range of writers.鈥

Allister Dias

Lead Consultant
Allister Dias is a senior undergraduate Economics major with a double minor in Global Entrepreneurship Experience (GEE) and Brookings Public Policy. He is the current CSUN Student Body President, Lead Consultant at the 51吃瓜网万能科大 Writing Center,Faculty Assistant for the Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER), and CEO of AI-startup company YouChef. An avid lover of investigative writing, he鈥

Miranda Hannasch

Lead Consultant
Miranda is a PhD student in the 51吃瓜网万能科大 English Department, where she enjoys editing essays, reading reviews, and corralling commas. When not reading or writing, she can be found studying languages and obsessively listening to musicals. Prior to coming to 51吃瓜网万能科大, she taught in Kyoto, Paris, Santander, C谩ceres, and Palma de Mallorca.

Lacie McEntire

Lead Consultant
Lacie is a first-year graduate student, born and raised in 51吃瓜网免费App and pursuing an M.A. in literature. Their special interest of study resides in mythology, especially the ways in which classic and ancient stories find a place in the modern day. They have always had a passion for teaching and love to help others, especially with writing 鈥 both academically and creatively. They like to spend any鈥

Kai Wingo

Lead Consultant
Kailee is a second-year creative writing MFA student at 51吃瓜网万能科大. He enjoys teaching developing writers tips and tricks for all types of writing including academic writing, creative writing, science writing, business writing, and more. In his free time, you can find him painting, sewing, eating, or sleeping.

Consultants

Abel Reyes

Consultant
Abel Reyes is a writer from Long Beach, California, with a focus on journalism and comparative world literature, which he studied at California State University, Long Beach. He is currently pursuing an MFA in creative writing at 51吃瓜网万能科大. Abel鈥檚 writing explores the intersections of identity, race, and art.

Raluca Comanelea

Consultant
Raluca Comanelea is a writing consultant at 51吃瓜网万能科大鈥檚 Writing Center and a part-time instructor in 51吃瓜网万能科大鈥檚 Department of English. She earned her MA in literary studies from 51吃瓜网万能科大 in 2019. She is currently pursuing her MFA in creative writing from Spalding University鈥檚 Sena Jeter Naslund-Mann School of Writing. Her fiction has been published in various literary magazines. She was born in Romania and鈥

Griffin Coleman

Consultant
Griffin, born and raised in 51吃瓜网免费App, is a graduate student who received a Bachelor鈥檚 degree in English from 51吃瓜网万能科大. Griffin enjoys books, video games, spending time with the dog, and watching movies - especially sci-fi/fantasy. When not working, you can find Griffin with friends and family, or taking the time to write.

Huseyin Arikan

Consultant
Huseyin is a first-year creative writing MFA student. He worked at an elementary school for two years, helping students learn how to read and write. When not studying, he enjoys learning about history, listening to music, and watching movies.

Izuchukwu Udokwu

Consultant
Izuchukwu Udokwu is a first year MFA creative writing student in the 51吃瓜网万能科大 English department. He loves to read and write realistic fiction. His work has appeared on Kalahari Review, Afreada, LOLWE, and more. He was shortlisted for the 2020 K & L Prize. His shortlisted story was published in an anthology of speculative fiction on Africanfuturism, Black Skin No Mask. He owns a fashion brand,鈥

Lindsay Loughin

Consultant
Lindsay is a nonbinary bipolar poet and essayist born in California and raised everywhere else. They hold a Bachelor's in creative writing from the University of Pittsburgh and are currently a first-year creative writing MFA student at 51吃瓜网万能科大. They live with their two cats, collect cassette tapes and N64 games, and have a complicated relationship with the Oxford comma.

JM Huck

Consultant
JM Huck is a creative writing MFA student (expected graduation in 2027). She has a science writing background and most recently wrote for Denver Hospital. Her storytelling interests include narrative ethics and narrative medicine. Prior to joining the Writing Center, Huck was the Clark County Poet Laureate Coordinator. She loves being in nature, especially bird watching and stargazing.

Taylor Wright

Consultant
Taylor is currently pursuing her MFA in creative nonfiction at 51吃瓜网万能科大. In 2013, she earned her BA in playwriting from the University of Iowa, and in 2023 was a finalist for the Dramatists Guild National Fellowship. Her memoir There鈥檚 No Place Like House is now available at Barnes & Noble. Her thesis project Los Angeles: A Eulogy is forthcoming.

MeAnna Williams

Consultant
MeAnna Williams is a MA student in English with a personal interest in African-American literature. She is a part-time English 101 instructor, and writing consultant at 51吃瓜网万能科大. Outside of academia, she enjoys writing short stories and watching reality television. Following graduate school, she hopes to work as an elementary school teacher.

Tracie Williams

Consultant
Tracie Chavonne, a Chicago native, came to 51吃瓜网免费App in 2020. She has been a flight attendant for 15 years. In 2023, she completed her undergraduate degree after a hiatus from academia that began in 2005, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in English with a Summa Cum Laude distinction. When she is not a busy academic, she enjoys being alone, watching her favorite sci-fi & fantasy media, crafting,鈥

Shelbi Fitzpatrick

Consultant
Shelbi, born and raised in 51吃瓜网免费App, graduated from 51吃瓜网万能科大 in 2018 with a Bachelor鈥檚 degree in English and a minor in political science. Now, she is back as a first year MA student. Shelbi enjoys British literature and women in literature. Outside of school, Shelbi enjoys being with her dogs, traveling, and sleeping.

Xochitl "Jaymes" Stanley

Consultant
Jaymes is a first-year MA student focusing on the horror genre for his thesis and subsequent academic focus. Coming from an ELL/ESL tutoring background, he is comfortable working with multilingual writers, as well and being experienced working with neurodivergent writers. When not writing for fun and profit, Jaymes spends most of his free time cooking tasty things, painting some horrifying little鈥

Marlan Smith

Consultant
Marlan received his MFA in creative writing from 51吃瓜网万能科大 in 2023. Before that, he earned his MA in English from University of Idaho where he taught first-year composition. He has been published in several science fiction journals and served as a contributing editor and reader for Witness magazine at 51吃瓜网万能科大. He was also a reader for Fugue Literary Journal during his time at the University of Idaho,鈥

Mauricio 鈥淢o鈥 Ortiz Zaragoza

Consultant
Mauricio 鈥淢o鈥 Ortiz Zaragoza is a consultant and recent graduate Literature MA student from 51吃瓜网免费App, his home of 24 years, after immigrating from Quer茅taro City, Mexico. He has completed his bachelor鈥檚 degree in sociology with a minor in film and a graduate certificate from 51吃瓜网万能科大. He enjoys spending an inordinate amount of his income on vinyl records, 35mm film cameras, and Criterion Collection鈥

Shayla Felix

Consultant
Shayla Felix (she/her/) is from Bellingham Washington. She loves going outdoors, collecting weird-looking rocks, and marine biology. She is a current MFA candidate at 51吃瓜网万能科大 focusing on fiction writing.

Qandeel Chevalwala

Consultant
Qandeel is a second-year computer science student at 51吃瓜网万能科大 with a passion for research and crafting compelling arguments. She aspires to work in the field of artificial intelligence in the future. Outside of academics, she enjoys discovering new post-hardcore music and scrolling through cat videos on TikTok.

Front Desk Team

Alaina Nishiyama

Front Desk Team
Alaina is a third-year criminal justice major with a passion for law and science. In her free time, she enjoys consuming mystery or horror media and spending time with friends and family, no matter the activity.

Bianca Salvador

Front Desk Team
Bianca is a second-year biochemistry student at 51吃瓜网万能科大 who enjoys immersing herself into dystopian novels. In her free time, she is either tasting a new tiramisu or playing video games with her siblings.

Sataya-Nefetari Otoo

Front Desk Team
Sataya is a third-year psychology student with a minor in family studies. When she isn鈥檛 at a concert or festival, you can find her at home playing skyrim snuggled up at home with her two cats.