Oddly enough, I learned just as much as a Consultant at Longwood’s Writing Center as the clients whom I assisted. We were a small, dedicated team working on any number of tasks during our hours in the center, including workshopping clients’ writing, developing presentation materials, and brainstorming accessibility and safety solutions. My time at the Writing Center has made me a thoughtful editor, skilled at balancing technical and stylistic necessities with preserving a writer’s voice and meaning. And locating precise answers to clients’ questions with just twenty-five minutes and a bookshelf full of style manuals was no easy task—the limited timespan of our appointments and sheer variety of assignments has given me efficient, focused research and problem-solving skills. I also had the pleasure of working with students who brought unique perspectives from different backgrounds, identities, and abilities. Because of this, I learned how to communicate with anyone through patience and the willingness to change my approach.

During the two years I managed Longwood’s literary journal, nearly everything that could go wrong did—and why not? We were building a brand-new magazine from the ground up; adversity was to be expected. But these challenges paved the way for me to become a confident leader, capable of approaching new goals and overcoming obstacles. - Each step of the publication process was a new challenge—developing unique advertising materials, creating a submission management system with a limited budget and resources, learning Adobe InDesign and configuring printing specifications. - I got a taste of every facet of project management, from event planning to recruiting and managing a staff team. With guidance from the faculty advisor, I made the final call on major decisions and production strategies. - Both years, I planned and executed a year-long production schedule, keeping multiple staff teams on track for deadlines, managing the submissions and editorial processes, and adjusting plans as needed to account for unexpected problems.- With my eyes on the future of the journal, I developed branding guidelines, editorial processes, and a 20-page instructional document for future Editors-in-Chief.Every year, the journal was met with resounding love and appreciation from Longwood’s literary community. In fact, our success in the journal’s second year (my first year as EIC) inspired a generous alumni to create a trust fund that will support 𝘈 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘰𝘯 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 for years to come. I couldn’t be more proud of what we accomplished.