Our Staff

Writing Center Consultants

• Alix Thomson (peer coach, she/her/hers) is a junior at USF and Bay Area local. She is studying Creative Writing and hopes to pursue a career in editing, while publishing her own work on the side. Alix enjoys working with students of all disciplines at any stage in the writing process, and her goal is to create an encouraging environment where students feel confident and comfortable sharing their writing and expressing their needs. She recognizes everyone has a unique journey with writing and is committed to providing individualized guidance and support to each student.

• Charlotte Evans (peer coach, they/them) is an Environmental Studies major. As a consultant at the Writing Center, their goal is to give students the best chance at success based on their specific needs. Every student is unique and possesses distinct qualities, and we must utilize these qualities to create student-specific learning experiences with accessibility in mind. Thanks to their unique major, Charlotte is comfortable reading and decoding both scientific and humanities writing, which allows them to assist writers of many disciplines.

• Ellen Thompson (faculty coach) received a Master’s of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (Fiction), a Master’s in English, and Certificates to Teach Post-Secondary Reading and Composition from San Francisco State University. While teaching at USF, Ellen graduated summa cum laude with a degree in Performing Arts and Social Justice (Music), experiencing the academic world of USF from a student’s perspective. Ellen realizes that this degree came about  because she was not allowed to apply her teaching credits to a music course unless she declared a major, which at the time seemed like a good idea.  Ellen enjoys working with all ages and levels of students from brainstorming to finished product. She is especially interested in cultivating critical thinking and is oddly fascinated by the logic of syntax. 

• Jack McSherry  (peer coach, they/them) is a third-year computer science major with a minor in mathematics. While they pursue a STEM-based degree, they also enjoy writing and helping others with their writing. Whether that be getting started or polishing it up, they are happy to help with any step of the writing process.

• Jadyn Johnson-Bowles (peer coach, she/her) is a third-year Environmental Studies student with a concentration in Urban Studies and a minor in Environmental Science. Along with her studies, Jadyn is a passionate creative, argumentative essay, and research paper writer. Jadyn used to feel that asking for help, especially in writing, meant she was a failure. However, after addressing this issue and helping others realize this is not the case, she has developed a love for peer reviews. Acknowledging personal writing hardships, she is eager to bring a new perspective to the USF Writing Center; helping her fellow students achieve their writing goals and feel more comfortable pushing the narrative of what is considered “academic” writing.

• Lilliana Gutierrez (peer coach, she/her) is a third-year Psychology major with a love for writing. As a student who frequently visits the Writing Center, she is dedicated to empowering others, hoping to help students discover their own voices and confidence through writing. She is happy to guide you through your writing process!

• Lisa Biesemeyer (faculty coach, she/her) has a Master’s Degree in Literature from San Francisco State University, a Master’s Degree in Education from Capella University, and a Certificate in TESOL. Her goal is to facilitate a learning environment by encouraging effective written communication, thoughtful discussion, and an engaging, compassionate learning community, while providing access to a knowledgeable, trustworthy, and empathetic teacher. She has taught all levels of writing since 2001, and has taught Writing in Psychology, which focuses on writing APA-style literature reviews, since Fall 2005. 

• Maia Patton (peer coach, she/her) is a senior at USF. She is studying English with a concentration in literature and creative writing. She aims to help writers and students of all majors and focuses, as writing often finds its way into every discipline. Everyone has different writing styles, goals, anxieties, and challenges when it comes to academic or creative writing.With the goal of creating a space that works for each individual student, she wants to find ways to create confidence in the work students are pursuing. She loves exploring her own writing and challenging herself to grow and expand her skills. She loves chatting with fellow students about their stories and how it influences their writing. Her future goal is to become a creative writing professor.

• Matthew McKinnie (faculty coach) has an MA in TESOL and Composition and a BA in Linguistics. Matthew has lived in universities for a long time and has learned how to survive in that environment. His students have ranged from grad students developing their dissertation materials to freshman writers coming with their first paper (because it was a required portion of their score). All are equally welcomed, anything you bring is enough.

• Melisa Garcia (faculty coach) Dr. Melisa Garcia is a poet and interdisciplinary scholar. Her research interests include: linguistic justice, the use of alternative discourses, and decolonial spaces that create the inclusion of BIPOC community discourses. She also researches the damaging rhetoric that shapes the Central American diaspora in the U.S. through the use of autoethnography, constellation identities, and decolonial imaginaries. Through her research, teaching, and community work, Dr. Garcia aims to bring stories about Central American identities as well as creative and innovative multimodal pedagogies to USF.

• Mona Shaath (faculty coach) enjoys working with students at every stage of the creative process. She has been coaching in writing centers since 2018. Mona teaches writing and rhetoric at area universities; at USF, she has taught RHET 106, 110 & 120. Mona draws on an M.A. in Sociology from NYU (‘02) and an M.A. in Composition from San Francisco State University (‘23). Recently, Mona co-authored a chapter about "good writing" in Perspectives on Good Writing in Applied Linguistics and TESOL (University of Michigan Press).  

• Nick Hadikwa Mwaluko (faculty coach, pronoun agnostic/gender atheist) received their Master's in Fine Arts (MFA) in Dramatic Writing from Columbia University in the City of New York, while also a Point Scholar. Nick also received their B.A. (Magna Cum Laude) in Literature-Writing from Columbia University. Nick has written three books: Str8 Up Queer African (Scientists & Poets, 2023); Waafrika 123 (UnCut/Voices Press, 2016), and Waafrika (UnCut /Voices Press, 2013). Nick’s forthcoming novel is slated for 2026. Nick serves with enthusiasm,  positivity and a solid, practical plan so students are not paralyzed by doubt or anxiety but move forward with their writing feeling totally confident in their innate ability, strength and power to solve problems by meeting seemingly insurmountable challenges with literary chutzpah.

Writing Center Director

• Jonathan Hunt is the Director of the USF Writing Center and Professor in the Department of Rhetoric and Language.