The Center for Writing and Learning also supports students as they learn the many unspoken "rules" of college: how to better advocate for themselves with faculty, how to be proactive in their use of time, how to develop more strategic approaches to reading, how to study effectively for exams, how to set up a planner, and other skills that, while important, don't fit neatly within a single discipline. We can even help you with your email etiquette and just how to word that tricky request to your professor!

Peer Academic Consultants are specially trained to help students improve their time management skills, organization, study skills, and test-taking strategies. Our Peer Academic Consultants are available to meet with students individually to help problem-solve academic challenges involving more than one issue or class, and to help them connect with the network of free Puget Sound academic support services. Academic consultants are not private coaches: they are not assigned to specific students and cannot meet on an on-going basis as part of an academic improvement plan or maintenance for executive functioning impairments. They can, however, help make some of the expectations of college academics more explicit and teach specific skills that students can later use on their own.

Spring 2024

The Center for Writing & Learning will be open for 50-minute appointments starting Tuesday, September 5. To make an appointment yourself, please follow the instructions on our Request an Appointment page. Students are also more than welcome to 1) call us at 253.879.3404, 2) email us at cwlappointments@pugetsound.edu or 3) stop by Howarth 105 to make appointments.

Academic consultant bios and hours are below.

Photo of Evelyn Standout sitting on a beach

Evelyn Standaert

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Hello! My name is Evelyn Standaert, but I mainly just go by Evie. I'm from Olympia, WA and am a junior here at UPS, majoring in Molecular and Cellular Biology with a minor in Politics and Government and an emphasis in Bioethics. Outside of school, I enjoy reading, hiking, and hanging out with my dog. I'm also on the pre-health track so feel free to reach out to me with any questions about that as well. I look forward to meeting you!

Hours: Tuesday 11-12pm, 12-1pm (Drop-in) & 2-3pm, Wednesday 10-11am, 11-12pm (Academic Consultant Hr) & 1-2pm, Thursday 1-4pm

Maia Nilsson

Maia Nilsson

Pronouns: they/them/theirs

Hi everyone, my name is Maia and I am a junior from San Diego CA. I’m an English major with a creative writing emphasis, and I’m also a part of the honors program. I’m involved with COMBS, Crosscurrents, and I play trombone! On campus, you can find me at the climbing wall, practicing in the music building, or working in the Center. Looking forward to meeting you!

Hours: Monday 6-9pm, Wednesday 10-11am, 11-12pm (Academic Consultant Hr) & 1-2pm, Friday 12-3pm

Major: English (Creative Writing)
Minor: Spanish

Portrait of Viola Michlitsch-Rambo

Viola Drazga

Pronouns: she/her/hers                                    

Hey! I’m Viola and I’m a Biology and Statistics tutor here at the CWL. I’m a junior from Tacoma studying Molecular and Cell Biology, French, SOAN and Bioethics. Stats is a common course for so many different majors, so I would love to hear all about what you’re studying when you stop by! As someone who used the CWL extensively for all of the math classes I’ve ever taken here at UPS, I understand that it can be super overwhelming to internalize a lot of these concepts, so I am here to help. When I’m not in class, you can find me working as an RA here on campus, trying out new baking projects, playing cello, or hanging out with my cat, Darcy. I hope to see you soon!

Hours: Monday 2-4pm & 4-5pm (Stats Drop-in), Tuesday 10-11am & 3-5pm, Wednesday 11-12pm (AC HR), Thursday 10-11am, Friday 11-12pm (Bio Drop-in)