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.

Academic consultant bios are below.

Spring 2025 Academic Consultant Bios
Alyssa Shane, CWL Writing & Speaking Advisor 2024

Hello! My name is Alyssa, and I’m a senior majoring in history and minoring in music. I’m from Des Moines, Iowa, and I love living in Tacoma. Outside of the CWL, you can find me playing piano or trumpet in the music building, crocheting, or being a silly goose in the Ubiquitous They sketch comedy troupe. I’m super passionate about writing, and I am excited to make the process as enjoyable as possible for you!

Josh, CWL Academic Consultant 2024

Pronouns: he/him

Howdy! I’m Josh, a senior Biochemistry and Studio Art major from Meridian, Idaho. On campus, you can catch me in line for the allergy station crispy pork bowl, doing laps with the logger swim team, or cheering a little too loud at various sporting events. I love weird analogies, working on whiteboards, and getting up and moving a bit as part of the tutoring process. I can also help you set up a planner or share some general study tips. Chemistry and Biology have so many wonderfully interesting things to learn about, and countless sneaky ways they affect our daily lives. Please come on in and see me if you have any questions or just want to chat. Let’s choose to have a great year!

Classes Taken: CHEM 110, 120, 250 (Scharrer), 251 (Scharrer), 231, 340, 363, 371, 420, 460, 461, BIOL 212 (Johnson), BIOL 213 (Thynes)

Mattias, CWL Writing & Speaking Advisor 2024

Pronouns: he/him/his

Howdy! My name is Mattias, and I’m a senior from Seattle, Washington. I’m pursuing a major in History and a minor in Education. I love listening to music (especially jazz), reading the newspaper, and playing Mario Kart with friends. Drop in whenever you’d like to chat about music, movies, the last good book you read, or anything you’d like. I’m honored and excited to be a Writing & Speaking Advisor, and I can’t wait to work with you!

Major: History
Minor: Education

Sarah, 2024 CWL Subject Tutor

Pronouns: she/her

Hi! My name is Sarah and I’m a sophomore here at UPS. I’m from Bellevue, Washington, and I am planning on minoring in Spanish. I am also a member of the women’s basketball team here on campus. I enjoy watching movies, trying new places to eat, and you can probably catch me stopping to pet a cute dog on campus. I’m excited to be one of the Spanish tutors at the CWL. I’m looking forward to working with you!