People

Knoxville, TN
International Relations Major, French Minor

To Cade, writing is like “having a conversation — you want it to flow naturally and keep your audience hooked, similar to a speech.”

New York City, NY
English Writing and Art History

To Ella, writing is like "breaking open a sealed jar of forgotten and hidden thoughts, dreams, and prayers."

Orland Park, IL
Elementary Education Major

To Julia, writing is like “a butterfly hatching from its cocoon. It’s unveiling an idea that reveals the beauty of God’s world.”

Colorado Springs, CO
English Literature Major, Accelerated M.A. in Teaching

For Allison, writing is like “sourdough bread. It takes regular feeding and attentive tending to help it grow; it can yield a variety of forms (bread, muffins, rolls!) that still retain the same sourdough flavor; and it nourishes others.”

Apple Valley, MN
Spanish Major

To Aaron, writing is like “swimming, the only way to start is by getting into the water.”

Saugus, MA
English Writing and Economics Majors

To DJ, writing is like “imagination on paper.”

Millbury, MA
English and Secondary Education Major

To Kenny, writing is like “being able to have your thoughts, feelings, emotions, and ideas recorded in a way that can live beyond you. Writing is more than the sum of its parts.”

Decatur, MI
Music Education Major

For Mariah, writing is like “telling someone a secret. You have to be vulnerable and brave to share your thoughts. It's a groundbreaking experience because even if the topic has been discussed many times, no one has ever written your words.”

Norton Shores, MI
Secondary Education and English Major, Studio Art Minor

To Frankie, writing is like “the weather. It is constantly fluctuating and able to provoke dramatic change in an instant. It holds the power to dictate both emotion and action, in the same way rain stirs you to cozy up by the fire with a good book. Words put in particular order can be like the sun breaking through the clouds or the terror of a lightning strike, depending on how you wield them.”

Portland, OR
Biblical and Theological Studies Major, Chemistry Minor

To Amy, writing is like “cutting a pineapple. Getting started is the hardest part: Do you cut it in half? Cut off the top? How do you even begin to peel it? Once you have begun (which, frankly, I could not tell you the best strategy), the process will be messy, sticky, and probably a little painful. But, in the end, all of your efforts are rewarded when you and anyone you choose to share with are rewarded with a sweet treat to enjoy.”

Janesville, WI
English Literature Major, Spanish and Theater Minors

To Kaitlyn, writing is like “weaving together many strands of inspiration and research, combining the analytical and the lyrical in both conscious and unconscious layers.”

Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Student Manager of Operations
English & Secondary Education Major

To Gracie, writing is like “watercolor. Each dab of paint, drop of water, splash of color—it all bleeds into each other and blooms—these ideas and pictures visualizing beauty and expression.”

Santa Barbara, CA
History and English Writing Major, Spanish Minor

To Nate, writing is like “babysitting your infant sibling. It takes more time than you’d like, is constantly crying for attention, and requires a reeking diaper change with frustrating amounts of frequency. But, in the end, it's all worth it because, slowly but surely, you get to watch her grow up into something wonderful.”

Vancouver, Canada
Health Sciences Major, English Minor

To Mia, writing is like “learning to drive. At first, there seems to be a million rules to follow—when to turn right on a red light, how to parallel park, and how to read traffic signs. But once you get the hang of it, you can go anywhere on your new wheels.”

Paris, France and Pottstown, PA
Political Science Major, Community Art Minor

For Annie, writing is like “looking for shiny rocks with a lantern in a dark cavern.”

Trumbull, CT
Anthropology Major, Theater and Chinese Language Minors

To Chris, writing is like "doing the invisible work of an actor in rehearsal, carefully crafting visible work for audiences to enjoy and participate in."

Annandale, VA
Psychology & Neuroscience Majors, French Minor

To Anna, writing is like “a door that opens to a whole new world. Once you enter the door you can see the scenery beyond the door and the topic of writing more easily. You can also investigate certain areas and topics that were previously buried. Writing becomes a way to discover and explore.”

Penang, Malaysia
English Literature and Psychology Major

To Abbi, writing is like “lying in a towering bed like the princess from The Princess and the Pea and experiencing the nudging sensation of a pea beneath you, something difficult to unearth but deeply meaningful to grasp somewhere under the mound of mattresses.”

Carlisle, PA
Graduate Student Consultant
B.A. and M.A. in English Literature and Composition, M.A. in Biblical Exegesis

To Brodie, writing is like "time travel: it's a conversation with the past and future."

University Place, WA
English Writing Major, Spanish Minor

To Ashtin, writing is like “the mariner of new worlds, the new designer for old ideas, and the passionate missionary of history, present and future.”

Warrenville, IL
English Writing, Spanish, and Latin American and Latina/o Studies Major

To Dacia, writing is like “excavating a buried city. Sometimes it can be painstakingly slow as you spend hours sifting through a small piece of earth; at other times, there are bursts of discovery. You're digging, scraping, brushing, and you realize that you're not only discovering more about your subject – you're discovering part of yourself. Others can join you in the excavation, or gaze in wonder at the uncovered exhibit.”

Sao Paulo, Brazil and Wheaton, IL
Graduate Student Consultant
B.A. in English Writing and Theater, M.A. in History of Christianity

To Magnolia writing is like swimming in a river! Sometimes you have to wade in to get going, but once the current hits, you don't have much choice but to follow it to the end.

Madison, WI
Health Science Major

For Karissa, writing is like "creating a mosaic. Separately, the pieces of tile (words) may not carry much meaning, and it may take time to figure out how to piece them together, but the end result is a beautiful work of art that surpasses the sum of its parts."

Chicago, IL
English Writing Major, Accelerated M.A. in Teaching

To Aria, writing is like “fashion! Everyone’s style is a reflection of who they are and is worthy of being appreciated for its singularity.”

Naperville, IL
Economics and Pre-Law Major

To Victoria, writing is like “breaking in a new pair of shoes. You should love the idea of your piece and make creative choices with it, but remember that it takes patience and persistence to mold your writing into something that feels natural to you and functions the way you intended it."

Johnson City, TN
Communications Major

To Madelaine, writing is like “putting together a puzzle; if you can create pieces that fit together just right, and that connect you to your audience, then you can express yourself.”

Alexandria, VA
English Literature and Spanish Majors

To Esther, writing is like “a homemade latte. It’s never perfect, but it’s always something special and to be proud of!”

Shenzhen and Hong Kong, China
Urban Studies Major

For Cissy, writing is like “conversing with your past self, piecing together its fragments, and carrying its echoes forward to find meaning in the present.”

Wheaton, IL
Mathematics Major

For Zuena, writing is like “staples and glue, construction paper and glitter. You can make whatever you want with it, add a little bit of glitter, cut off a triangle here and there. It’s your project, and you can shape it however you’d like!”