University Writing Program

Amélie is a master of history student at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. She graduated summa cum laude with a BA in History from UMASS. Her goal is to be a professor, and in addition to history has a background in early childhood education and teaching. She is a native English speaker and is conversational in French.

Basmattie is a dual master's student at Heller studying conflict resolution and coexistence and global health policy and management. She completed her undergraduate degree at Bowdoin College with a major in government and a minor in chemistry. She has had experience volunteering for nonprofits addressing immigration, health, and food insecurity. Basmattie also has experience tutoring new English learners and worked in teaching assistant roles at Bowdoin College.

Ben is a master’s student at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences pursuing his MA in ancient Greek and Roman studies. His areas of interest include classical mythology, military history, classical literature, and linguistics. While he is originally from upstate New York, Ben received his BA in history with a minor in writing and rhetoric from College of the Ozarks, a work-study liberal arts college in southwestern Missouri. As an undergrad, Ben spent three and a half years working in his college’s Writing Center, operating as a student supervisor during his final year. He loves working with fellow students in a writing center setting and has done work as a freelance copyeditor. He has helped revise writing in many genres — from expository essay and memoir to medical research papers. Ben loves working with fiction and poetry and considers himself both a creative writer and amateur astronomer.

Caitlin is a graduate student and teaching fellow in the History Department. Her research interests include women's history, European history, and migration studies. Caitlin received her BA from Colgate University, where she majored in history and served as a peer advisor in the Career Services Department. She also worked as an English tutor and teacher for five years before coming to Brandeis.

Cole is a master's student in the Philosophy Department at Brandeis. Before coming to Brandeis, he worked on a small farm located near Pittsburgh, and before that he studied philosophy and psychology at the University of Pittsburgh.

Danielle is an incoming sociology PhD student interested in environmental justice and global food systems. She has a BA in economics from Smith College and a MA in gastronomy from Boston University. She's also ESOL-certified and has experience teaching English in classrooms of refugees in rural Maine and Roma secondary school students in Bulgaria. She is passionate about demystifying academic research and writing.

Danny is a first-year PhD student in musicology, having previously earned a master's degree in music theory at Indiana University and a BA in music with a concentration in multilingual and translation studies from the University of Indianapolis. He was also an instructor of music theory during his graduate studies at Indiana University and served as a copy editor for the university's student-run music theory journal, "Indiana Theory Review."

Emiliano is a sixth-year PhD candidate in English at Brandeis University and Writing Center Co-director. He received his BA and MA in English from the National Autonomous University of Mexico where he was also instructor. His interests include genre, character and class in early modern theater, religion and poetry, and English-Spanish translation. Emiliano is currently writing his dissertation with the title “Performing a Servant’s Faithful Parts: Master-Servant Relations in Early Modern Drama."

Eric is a PhD candidate in musicology. He has worked for many years as a reading and writing tutor, an editor, and has published his writing in several journals and poetry magazines. Eric has a BM in viola performance from The Boston Conservatory and an MA in writing and publishing from DePaul University. At Brandeis, Eric hopes to further his research in the cultural significance of the Singing Cowboy and the Cowboy Song. As a poet and performer, Eric is an active member of the Chicago-based touring ensembles, Focus Group LLC., Haiga Duo, and 100 Ducks and is most frequently inspired by collaborative poetic forms, such as the Haikai no Renga.

Hannah was born in London, United Kingdom, but spent most of her life just outside of Atlanta, Georgia. She completed her undergraduate degree at Georgia College in mass communication with minors in French and international studies. Hannah knew that she found intercultural communication fascinating and was interested in nonprofit/economic development, which is how she ended up being a Peace Corps volunteer in Indonesia. Sadly, due to COVID-19, that experience was cut short and she ended back in Georgia. After that, Hannah worked doing outreach for COVID vaccines before she came to Heller to pursue a master's in sustainable international development. Outside of school, you can find her reading, being way too competitive about board games and trying to cook a new recipe!

Hannah is a second-year student in the Master's of Public Policy program, concentrating in women, gender and sexuality. She graduated magna cum laude from University of Maryland Baltimore County, where she earned a BA in Gender & Women's Studies with a minor in sociology. Between completing her undergraduate education and coming to Heller, she worked as a field organizer on multiple political campaigns.

Jared is a graduate student with the History Department. His research interests include American legal history and the history of capitalism. As an undergraduate at Rutgers College, Jared served as a writing tutor with the English Department while majoring in History and Political Science. He also holds a JD and MA in history from Rutgers University-Camden. Prior to Brandeis, Jared practiced insurance defense litigation with a commercial law firm in Princeton, New Jersey.

Jeremy is a Master of Public Policy student at the Heller School, studying child, youth and family policy. Jeremy received his BA in geosciences from Skidmore College and MS in geology from Western Washington University. He then worked in youth STEM education, childcare, and elementary education for several years before coming to Brandeis.

Joe is a second-year doctoral student in the History Department. His research interests include African American-Jewish relations, Southern Jewish history, and broader questions about race and ethnicity in America. As a writer, he has experience working on projects intended for academic and popular audiences. Before he came to Brandeis, Joe received a BA in history and Spanish from Haverford College.

Kim is a dual master's student at Heller (conflict resolution and coexistence/global health policy and management). She is interested in the role of civil society in disrupting conflict, truth and reconciliation commissions in rebuilding efforts and nonviolent revolution. When she isn't working, Kim can be found camping, exploring  and hanging out with her two cats. Before joining Brandeis, Kim worked in a range of communications roles for nonprofits in Washington, D.C. She holds a BA in international studies from American University and a Graduate Certificate in genocide and Holocaust studies from Seton Hill University.

Leon is a first-year PhD student in the English Department. He has a BA from Vassar College and a MA from Fordham University, both in English literature. His research interests are closely associated with British romanticism and love poetry, so he is especially familiar with close readings and literary critiques. He is a native Mandarin speaker and has spent a considerable amount of time studying multiple languages, including Latin, Italian and Old English, during his time as an undergrad. Before coming to Brandeis, he was an online writing tutor for three years, helping college freshmen and high school students from non-English speaking countries with all kinds of issues in academic writing. He is currently also a tutor at Brandeis's English Language Program.

Manning is a doctoral student in the joint PhD program in the Department of Sociology and Heller School. Her research interests include cultural sociology, medical sociology, food studies, doctor-patient communication, primary care and network analysis. She is a native Mandarin speaker and can read French. While her mentoring strength is helping students build up research skills (such as brainstorming ideas, critical writing, searching for information, etc.) in social sciences, Manning is welcoming everyone who are struggling with writing and seeking for improvements.

Miriam is a dual social impact Master of Business Administration and Master of Public Policy student at the Heller School, concentrating in racial and gender equity. In undergrad, she studied sociology with focuses in gender, social justice, and peace studies. Miriam wrote an undergraduate thesis regarding the abortion rights movements in the United States and Argentina and has worked on various longer works of writing in grad school as well. She looks forward to working with you.

Olive Gallmeyer is a master's student studying women's and gender studies. Their research interests lie in the intersections between queer theory, feminist theory and performance studies. Olive graduated from the University of Richmond in spring 2022, where they studied women's and gender studies and American studies with a theatre minor, and also served as a writing consultant at the Writing Center and for the Bridge to Success college transition program.

Olivia is a PhD student in the History Department, and specializes in post-Soviet Russian and Ukrainian studies. She has extensive experience as an independent contractor tutoring ELL and ESL students, and is co-founder of her own online educational consultancy. Olivia holds a BA in history from Princeton University and an MA in history from Brandeis.

Reza is a PhD candidate in the English department at Brandeis. He studies early modern poetry and drama; his dissertation is on the Renaissance poet John Milton. He is also interested in philosophy and film studies. He received his BA in English from the University of California, Davis.

Robert is a PhD candidate in the History Department and he is a senior writing consultant and former UWS instructor. He studies imperial and colonial history, focusing on the modern British Empire and the Caribbean. His research focuses on 19th-century systems of Asian indentured labor throughout the British Empire and on the roles of scandal, humanitarianism, and governmental commissions of inquiry in stabilizing these racialized imperial labor regimes. He holds a BA in international relations from Harvard University's Extension School and an MA in history from Brandeis.

Sebastian is a master's student in the Philosophy Department. His interests include Marxist and Black political thought, existentialism, and the nature of social identity. He looks forward to working with you.

Sivan is currently pursuing a dual MA in Jewish professional leadership and Master’s in Public Policy (MPP). She obtained a BA in psychology from Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Sivan has previously studied creative writing in Wales and adores fiction stories, particularly in the genres of mystery and fantasy. She loves writing argumentative essays and research papers as well! Sivan also speaks fluent Hebrew.

Sophie is a first-year graduate student in the Anthropology Department. She came to Brandeis after earning undergraduate degrees in biology at Hendrix College and nursing at Emory University. She is originally from Oklahoma, but has lived and worked in Atlanta, Brooklyn and northwest Arkansas.  Her research is in medical anthropology with a focus on death and dying in the United States. She also works as a teaching assistant in anthropology courses.

Taha is a PhD student in anthropology, studying gender and sexuality in the Middle East. He graduated with honors from Georgetown University.

Van is a doctoral candidate in the Anthropology Department with a focus in anthropological archaeology. His research investigates the political and social frontiers between ancient kingdoms where rural communities influenced and resisted regional powers. He holds a BA in classical history from Ithaca College and an MA in anthropological archaeology from Northern Arizona University. His research has spanned the American Southwest, Belize, Mexico, and Guatemala, where he conducts archaeological surveys and excavations aided by GIS and Lidar. Van is an active member of the research community with several co-authored publications, conference presentations and awarded research grants. He enjoys the outdoors where he occupies himself with hiking, fishing, camping, cycling and skiing.

Will is an MA candidate in the Philosophy Department, studying political philosophy, ethics and meta-ethics. He completed his undergraduate degree at William and Mary in 2019, writing a thesis on the nature and role of rights for addressing injustice. Between college and coming to Brandeis, Will worked at a think tank in Washington, D.C.