Writing, Reflecting, Connecting: Writing Center Tutors Present at TutorCon
Award received from Eller College of Business and Management
Three THINK TANK Writing Center tutors — Courtney Wood, Sawyer Sullivan and Harper Rhodes — had the opportunity to present at a virtual conference, TutorCon, on March 21, 2025. TutorCon is a biyearly conference put on by the Rocky Mountain Writing Centers Association, and it seeks to highlight tutors’ voices and allow for engagement within the writing center community.
Courtney Wood presented on the positive benefits of embedded tutoring, focusing specifically on increased student confidence. In her role as an embedded tutor, she partnered with specific courses and provided Writing Center support for students inside and outside the classroom. She explained that her tutoring experience has been “more than just work,” seeing it as an avenue to change the way students view writing and their education. She emphasized how the tutoring process is low-stakes and an easy way to receive peer feedback.
For Courtney, working at the Writing Center has been a rewarding process where “everyone sees each other as a human as well as a student.” She also described her fellow tutors and students as “connections that will last a lifetime.”
Sawyer Sullivan and Harper Rhodes presented a roundtable about the article “The Importance of Intention: A Review of Mentoring for Writing Center Professionals” written by Maureen McBride and Molly Retschner. Their roundtable discussion focused on mentorship and professional development as well as leadership opportunities across multiple different levels within the Writing Center.
Harper explained that facilitating the roundtable allowed her to discuss her findings and ideas and further expanded her thinking about tutoring at the Writing Center. She reflected on other presentations, sharing that they emphasized the importance of “showing vulnerability within tutoring, which creates space for others to ask questions or for advice, which can be powerful and shows how mentorship can go both ways.” She also noted that working at the Writing Center has taught her “tutors have to put themselves out there as they are naturally in a vulnerable position in which they can practice talking to new people.”
Sawyer highlighted how the Writing Center has been “a great place to foster collaboration and creativity in [herself] as well.” She also has found that her experience working here has impacted her life in many different ways, such as “learning things everyday from co-workers and students as well as various self evaluation skills.”
By participating in conferences such as TutorCon, the Writing Center is able to share ideas with other learning centers and continuously improve its practices to make the tutoring process better for all. Some of these benefits can be seen through increased student confidence, professional development, and the creation of a collaborative and safe environment for both students and tutors.
Writing Center services are free and available to all University of Arizona undergraduate and graduate students. Learn more at writing center.arizona.edu.