Abigail: Libertyville tutor

Certified Tutor

I graduated from Auburn University with a degree in English - Creative Writing and a minor in public health in 2021. In the summer of 2018, I researched abroad in both South Africa and Madagascar, where I analyzed the impact of forest health on human and wildlife communities. There, I met with locals, listened to their concerns for their homes -- both socially and scientifically -- and I began to ask questions, not just about research, but about how we, as humans, evaluate our lives. Every day I wrote, journaling my thoughts as if to share with another.

I found that the components of research coupled with the art of writing is where my skills truly shine. I co-authored a publication on the rise of the parasitic eye fluke Philophthalmus gralli (Chalkowski et al. 2021). Afterward, I shifted toward primarily writing and education, achieving a position with the Auburn University Miller Writing Center as a writing consultant and tutor for diverse groups of students -- from undergraduate to graduate, and from non-native to native speakers. With these consultations, I was able to engage in my art alongside professional discourse and interpersonal communication. I found my passion in browsing writing, literature, and all English language arts aspects together as a process -- a universal application across the disciplines. I am fortunate to see the growth of students as writers, analysts, learners, thinkers, and individuals. While I was working with the writing center, I received my certification in Teaching English as a Foreign Language with the International TEFL Academy.

I have always dreamed of sharing my knowledge and experiences to others who have their own stories and information -- to apply our inquisitiveness, and use this to participate in a universal conversation as neighborly citizens of different cultures, races, ethnicities, sexualities, religions, etc. My current writing work balances on fact and on narrative liberty, spinning the tales of the public alongside its equal counterpart - daily, intimate private life.