Our Team

Assistant Director

Erik Echols

Academic Learning Commons

Affiliate Faculty, School Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences

President, Pacific Northwest Writing Center Association

It’s a privilege to create a collaborative and energizing space where students hone their writing, creative process, communication skills in a peer-to-peer setting. I enjoy extending our reach outside the walls of the Center and employing creative methods to expand upon the rich and diverse set of services we provide. Read more about Erik.

Lead Peer Consultants

Layla Youssef

BA: Global Studies
Current program: Master of Museology

Writing has always been a way to convey what I often struggle to say aloud.

Growing up shy and grappling with social anxiety, expressing my own thoughts and opinions to others was a constant struggle. I always had a lot to say, yet much of it would remain hidden the moment an opportunity arose to speak out. I would often stay behind, keep quiet, and internally cope with the frustration of wanting to say something without finding the assurance to speak it. Yet, writing was a solace. Whether that be through crafting stories, a film review, an argumentative essay, or a diary entry, putting words to page brought a level of comfort that allowed me to outwardly express my thoughts and opinions. As a peer consultant, I plan to help students feel comfortable and assured in their writing abilities. Writing is a powerful tool, and whether it’s something that you love, hate, or feel somewhere in between, I would be happy to help you find your assurance and present your ideas effectively. From argument to analysis, research to storytelling, my goal is to help you find your voice and present your writing in the best way possible.

Elfie Nelson

Current Program: MFA in Creative Writing & Poetics

“The hardest part about writing is doing it. This is at once obvious and an expansive revelation.”
This is what I told my students on the first day of the college composition and creative writing courses I taught when I was an adjunct instructor in California. Whether I was leading my students through creative exercises or full-on research papers, it was important to me that they know that the first step – just getting something down on paper – is difficult, no matter how long you have been writing.

This is true for me. I wrote creatively all through high school and expected to publish my first novel when before I turned 18. I really thought it would be easy for me to get through the college composition course at my community college. But writing fiction for fun proved to be an entirely different animal than composing an analytical essay. I retook that college composition course twice.

When I finally transferred to a university in 2014, I was more seasoned, but upper division English courses are no joke – if you have ever had to critically examine Chaucer, you know what I’m talking about. My writing process had improved (I understood that writing more than one draft was way better than crying and typing until 4 am on the due date), but staring down that blank page was still pretty terrifying.

Now, in my second master’s program, I get through by reminding myself that my writing experience is made up of teaching and learning. Every day is the first day of the rest of my writing life – and yours too!

I know all students have something important and unique to tell the world through their writing, and I am here to help them become the writer they deserve to be.

Hadiya Amjad

Major: Biology and Health Sciences

My parents often envisioned me pursuing a career in journalism or writing, so when I told them I wanted to study biology, they were taken aback. I had always been passionate about reading and writing. I remember in middle school borrowing the newspapers from PCC and rewriting them in my own tone, pretending I was the author. While conversely, in school I was struggling with grammar and spelling. I didn’t care to write about something that wasn’t “interesting” to me. It wasn’t until I began to shift my focus towards science when I understood the importance of being able to communicate complex ideas through writing. With this new realization I started looking at my relationship with writing as a muscle I had to train. Strengthening this muscle taught me that writing is so much more than words to a paper. It’s a way to express yourself, work through conflicts, and help others.

Here at the Writing and Communication Center I want to help others find their special relationship with writing. My unique background in biology and writing allows me to bring an analytical approach to tutoring sessions while still keeping that creative spark. I’m ready to focus on the small nitty gritty parts of an essay or think big and brainstorm creative character ideas!

All things considered I want to acknowledge that everyone learns differently and sharing your writing with someone can be jarring! I believe that everyone can write and am dedicated to fostering a supportive and constructive environment where we both can learn something new.

(P.S – I am great at helping with resumes or cover letters as well!)

Isaiah Taylor

Major: Biology

As a kid, my three favorite things were dinosaurs, comic books, and professional wrestling: three seemingly random and disconnected things. They do have something in common though: storytelling. Every piece of writing tells a story. Whether it’s fictional, a scripted wrestling match, a biography, or even a scientific paper; writing is about stories. Stories are what life is all about and how we communicate our ideas to each other. Even a collection of data is just a story told in a format with numbers. I am extremely interested in all of life’s stories and helping others understand them too, which led me to pursue a position at the WaCC.

I understand that writing isn’t everyone’s favorite activity or subject. There are plenty of things I struggle with and don’t enjoy, but the ability to convey your ideas in writing is a critical skill you can use every day. Seeking help with writing and sharing it with others can also be a very intimidating process, but it can end up being very rewarding and relieve a lot of stress. I have personally had bad experiences with various tutors and peers so I know exactly how daunting the experience can be. Because of this, I do everything possible to make peers feel as relaxed as possible when working together and am more interested in understanding what you’re trying to achieve rather than telling you all the specifics of what I would do if I was writing a paper. This is a collaborative, unique storytelling process, not an interrogation.

I enjoy the research process of writing and find myself researching things in my own time not related to school. I find learning new topics fun and am more than happy to help others with the process, trying to make it as stress-free as possible. I look forward to helping you tell your story if you’re willing to let me.

Newton Austria-Ball

Major: Biology

Growing up, reading has never been something I looked forward to unless someone was reading to me. I already had a very rampant and vivid imagination, so I thought that I didn’t need to read the books I was told to read. Throughout the years I realized that I was wrong. I picked up more mythology-based stories and was instantly hooked! From Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus series to Madeline Miller’s Song of Achilles I couldn’t get enough. There was something so intriguing about stories that didn’t have a happy ending. It made the characters in the story feel so real to me. The bad guys winning or the hero losing the one they love kept me hooked as a reader because that made me ask, what happens next? Questions like these have inspired me to become a storyteller of sorts in the writing that I do. As a tutor I hope to help you in finding the answers to your questions.

For me, writing is a creative outlet even if it’s an academic paper. I find joy in the challenge of academic writing, which ultimately has kept my spirits up in my dream of getting into the biology major here at UW Bothell. There are some things that I dread about writing, and I understand how difficult the process can be for putting your thoughts onto paper. That is what I am here to do! I hope to use the skills I have accrued over time to help and guide you with your writing!

Peer Consultants

Cecilia Negash

Major: Educational Studies

What do you love about UWB / writing / tutoring, or why are you excited to work here?

I’m very excited to meet new people through the WaCC. I love working with others and helping them, and although I’m technically the one tutoring, there are many learning opportunities for me as well! I hope to grow academically and personally during my time here.

What are your other interests (outside of school and work)?

I love taking photos on my digital camera. Every time I go out, I keep it on me to capture any moments I think I’ll want to remember down the road. I have pictures of my loved ones, places that I visited, food that I tried, etc., and every couple of months I’ll select my most cherished photos and print them out so I can add them to the photo wall I have in my bedroom.

What would you like to do in the future?

I want to become a teacher, and I’m currently studying education here at Bothell. It’s part of the reason why I applied to work at the WaCC, as I think it’ll give me valuable teaching experience that I can use in my career. I also hope to earn my master’s so that if I want to, I can have the opportunity to work in education admin as well.

What do you struggle with academically?

I struggle with asking for help. During my freshman year at Bothell, I didn’t go to the WaCC at all despite there being a few occasions where it would have benefitted me. Being able to admit that I’m struggling with something academically is something that I’m still working on, but I believe spending time at the WaCC will help!

Charlotte O’Donoghue

Major: Law, Economics & Public Policy and Environmental Studies

What do you love about UWB / writing / tutoring, or why are you excited to work here?

I love writing as a general subject and I feel that it’s an extremely flexible and beautiful form of art that anyone can access. I want to assist other writers in learning how to turn assignments, papers, and other projects into art pieces that they can be proud of.

What are your other interests (outside of school and work)?

I am an avid video gamer, guitar player, and volunteer worker.

What would you like to do in the future?

I plan to become a bill editor/legislator in the Senate, Congress, or House of Representatives!

What do you struggle with academically?

I’ve always struggled with time management – starting assignments too early or too soon before their deadline.

Ellie Hudson

Major: Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences

What do you love about UWB / writing / tutoring, or why are you excited to work here?

I’m excited to work here because I love writing, and I want to be able to help others write things that they can be proud of.

What are your other interests (outside of school and work)?

Tabletop roleplaying games, Video games, Digital art

What would you like to do in the future?

Work as part of a small game dev team, preferably on things like art assets or music.

Erika Cho

Major: Business Administration with a concentration in Finance

In school, I never considered myself to be much of a writer. But once I got to high school, I connected with it a lot more because of my English teacher, Mrs. Browning. From the very beginning, she ingrained in me the idea that I was a capable writer, I just had to allow myself to show that. She was a big believer in tough love, pushed me to fulfill my potential, and ultimately made me into the writer I am today. I learned from her just how much impact a good mentor can have, and I was inspired from then on to experiment with writing further.

I’m very task-oriented and detail-focused, so when writing a paper, I benefit greatly from having a good outline before I even start. Writing can be super overwhelming, and having a list of ideas and concepts to expand on helps a daunting task become much more manageable. Even outside of writing, it never hurts to have a plan.

Outside of the classroom, I love expressing myself creatively with makeup, nail art, and fashion! I also enjoy traditional art, like watercolor and sketching, as well as music – both playing it and listening to it. I find myself having extremely separated academic interests and personal interests, but I’ve grown to appreciate having a balance of scholarly and creative things in my life.

Liam Hunter

Major: Law, Economics, & Public Policy

In a world where speeches are only as impactful as the person giving it, I feel that writing holds the power of being truly anonymous. Especially in our era of technology where online communication surpasses the physical requirements of conversations. I see writing as the most unprejudiced format of communication. Whether it be online or on a piece of paper, you start every sentence from a blank slate.

You know nothing about me, but you automatically connect the words, written in my biography, with the image at the side of your screen. But what if there wasn’t an image? Does the image contribute to how you determine the credibility in my writing?

As you can see, I’m quite fond of philosophical questions and constantly tackling the world with an analytical perspective. My writing style follows the same ideologies. I ask questions to further understand how the reader or audience will react to my paper. In college it becomes increasingly important to accommodate the reader’s perspective. I challenge those of you reading this to spare a minute to think introspectively upon your own writing style. How exactly does your paper communicate with its audience? As a writing tutor I hope to interact with countless unique writing styles, all while developing my own analytical perspective on writing.

Liyana Alam

Mina Haines

Current program: Master of Science in Business Analytics

BA: Business Administration

Writing and music have always been my main creative outlets, each offering unique and endless ways to express myself. Just as music allows me to add my own spin, writing provides a canvas for creativity—there is no “right answer” because it is inherently subjective. My undergraduate studies in marketing taught me that writing and marketing go hand in hand; whether it’s marketing a topic, an idea, or even your own skills, writing is the tool that brings it all to life. As a current graduate student studying business analytics, I am constantly surrounded by hard data. While I love this environment, I am seeking to be immersed in another environment that prides itself on rough ideas, philosophy, psychology, etc.

Growing up in a biracial household, I was very fortunate to learn about two drastically different cultures (Korean and Swedish). My family’s love for travel has enhanced my understanding of the world, allowing me to connect with people from all ethnicities. At the WaCC, my aim is to bring my passion for writing and my ability to form meaningful relationships to support students. My goal is to show that writing doesn’t have to be a daunting or arduous task; everyone has the potential to become a strong writer, and I’m here to help students recognize and build on their strengths.

Morgan Fu-Mueller

Major: Community Psychology

What do you love about UWB / writing / tutoring, or why are you excited to work here?

Writing has always come fairly naturally to me, but I will never feel like I’m “done” learning it. Especially recently, I always feel like I’m acquiring new skills and ways of expression and expanding into different formats I’d never have thought I could do. I’m passionate about expressing ideas in my own voice, and helping others write in their own voice as well. I hope working at the WaCC will be a good opportunity for learning both for myself and others.

What are your other interests (outside of school and work)?

I’ve been playing D&D for around 6 years, and illustrating for almost that long. Lately, I’ve been getting really into K-pop and poetry.

What would you like to do in the future?

I’m planning on majoring in Psychology and going to law school after that. I had a great experience in mock trial a few years ago and hope to expand my love for rhetoric and expression into the legal world, though I’m still waiting to find a specialty that really grabs my attention.

Nandini Mistry

Major: Computer Science & Software Engineering

What do you love about UWB / writing / tutoring, or why are you excited to work here?
My favorite part about tutoring is working with a student to create a piece of writing they are proud of and helping them become more confident in their abilities.

What are your other interests (outside of school and work)?
In my free time, I enjoy spending time with friends, reading, and watching movies.

What would you like to do in the future?
In the future, my goal is to work as a software engineer or developer.

Nya Maddox

Major: Media & Communication Studies

What do you love about UWB / writing / tutoring, or why are you excited to work here?

Writing allows me to create new worlds, and I love being able to step into an alternate reality for a few hours. Working at the WaCC allows me to meet more of my peers, and I’m beyond excited to connect with my community on a new level.

What are your other interests (outside of school and work)?

I spend a lot of time collaging, listening to music, and going on long walks outdoors!

What would you like to do in the future?

In the future, I hope to stay in Washington and transition into a job that feels satisfying to me.

What do you struggle with academically?

My main academic struggle is motivation, and I find it hard to get started on the work that I need to do.