The Writing Center: Who We Are

Tabitha Ozaki, Writing Assistant

My name is Tabitha Ozaki. I am a senior majoring in general literature. I have worked as a technical, blog, and copywriter for about three years before starting university. At UCSC, I have taken W159 ( Grammar for Tutors and Teachers) and W169 (Theory and Practice of Tutoring Writing) courses as training to work as a writing assistant for the Writing Program. I have been working as a writing assistant for about two years with Professors Garrecht-Williams, Breakspeare, Carney-Waddy, Amis, and Daniels in all levels of Writing 1 & 2, including W1E. I have worked with Professors Garrecht-Williams and Breakspeare multiple times. Lastly, I enjoy sharing things I’ve learned working as a writer with students and have been told by Professor Garrecht-Williams that his students were “universally praising the help” I provided.

River Weill, Writing Assistant

Hi, there! My name is River Weill (he/they), I’m a 4th year, and I’m double majoring in Art and Literature with a concentration in Creative Writing. I have undergone training in two tutoring courses: Grammar for Tutors and Teachers, as well as Theory and Practice or Tutoring Writing. Over the past two years I have had hundreds of students, each with unique writing styles and needs. Having tutored for both Writing 1 and 2 classes taught by Joy Hagen, Alexandra McCourt, and Ellen Newberry, I am confident in my abilities to personalize sessions to each students’ specific needs. I look forward to meeting you!

Dev K. Bose, Writing Center Co-Director 

Dev K. Bose, Ph.D. (he/him) is an Associate Teaching Professor in the Writing Program and is interested in rhetorical privilege and access pertaining to technology, invisible disabilities, and neurodiversity. His work has appeared in Disability Studies Quarterly, Deaf Studies Encyclopedia, Intermezzo, Enculturation, Technoculture, Currents in Teaching and Learning, Business and Technical Communication, Chronicle of Higher Education, and National Council of Teachers of English. He brings his experience to the UCSC Online Writing Center as a former writing program administrator of online writing at the University of Arizona, and serves on the Executive Board for the Council of Writing Program Administrators.

Jamila M. Kareem, Ph.D., Writing Center Co-Director

Jamila M. Kareem, Ph.D. (she/they) is an Associate Professor of Teaching in the Writing Program at UCSC. Honored to be one of the National Council of Teachers of English Scholar for the Dream recipient, Dr. Kareem’s award-winning scholarship has appeared in Literacy in Composition Studies and Teaching English in the Two-Year College. She brings her experience as the Assistant Director of the Virtual Writing Center at the University of Louisville and experience as a critical race theorist writing program administrator to the UCSC Online Writing Center. She was lead content contributor to the latest edition of Macmillan Learning’s EasyWriter college composition handbook and serves as a lead editor on the forthcoming update to What is “College-Level” Writing? titled College Writing Reconsidered and Reimagined from NCTE. In her limited free time, she is a proud Trekkie, museum nerd, and BTS ARMY.

Jaime Cortez, Writing Center Associate Director

Jaime Cortez has worked in the arts for thirty years. He has been a nonprofit administrator and a program officer at the Hewlett Foundation and the San Francisco Foundation. He has taught art at CSU Monterey Bay, California College of the Arts, UCSC, and UC Berkeley. Jaime is the author of “Gordo,” a short story collection that garnered national acclaim. He brings his experience to the UCSC Online Writing Center as a coordinator tutoring services for the Voces Graduate Student Center Writing Program.