The Citrus College Writing Center celebrated its 10th anniversary party with cookies, Starbucks and proud memories of growth and helping students. The event was held Thursday Dec. 8.
The Writing Center held a raffle where any student who came in for help the week before the anniversary was automatically entered into a raffle where they could win a grand prize of a $100 Starbucks gift card.
In addition to the raffle, the Writing Center also had a wheel of prizes. One student tutor, Xochitl Juares, who works at the Writing Center, spun the wheel and won a Citrus College shirt.
“I am hyped!” Juares said. “I love being able to represent my school.”
Jaures became a student tutor at the Writing Center so she could triumph over a subject she struggled with before.
“Going into college I was never a writer, it was actually my worst subject but then after taking college classes and seeing that they were a lot different…it was easier for me in a way,” Jaures said.
Through going to and working for the Writing Center and helping other students, Juares came to like a subject she used to be overwhelmed by, but Juares isn’t the only one in the Writing Center helping out.
Another student tutor, Brian Hanley, who dressed up in a full Santa Claus costume for the occasion, said he loves the work he does.
“I just love helping people,” Hanley said. “We do all kinds of tutoring for a number of different subjects, anything that you need.”
Learning Center Program Supervisor Gerald Helm affirmed that the writing center’s main goal is helping students in any way they can.
“We’ve helped a lot of students and we’ve grown a lot,” Helm said.
Helm said he is proud of the Writing Center for expanding its hours thanks to online tutoring and drop-in help systems.
“When we started the Writing Center, it was actually appointment-based,” Helm said.
Now the Writing Center offers help to anyone who comes in any time they are open, attracting more people who can come in even if they just need a place to focus with help at their disposal.
“We get students who need come in and (say), “Oh I, need help,’ but we also get a lot of students who are passing between classes and say, ‘Oh, I got a half hour before my next class starts,’ and then they come here initially just to kill some time or work on a little bit of homework,” Helm said.
The Writing Center celebrated its expansion of personnel, as it now employs student tutors, professional experts and lab supervisors so it can better assist those intimidated by asking for help and people in need of more professional assistance.
“There’s a wide range of individuals who come here,” Helm said. “We have some older students who may feel comfortable talking with someone who’s been around the block once or twice.”
The Writing Center also celebrates expanding its hours as it is now open six days a week after adding a Saturday session from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Writing Center also added longer hours on Mondays and Wednesdays where it is now open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Helm said he’s proud of all the changes the Writing Center has made and looks forward to more positive changes in the future.
“I’m proud of the fact that we’re constantly evolving and changing and that (the Writing Center) services students as much as possible,” Helm said.
