By Caitlyn Austin, Staff Writer
Walk into the Writing Center at Gamble Hall room 123, and Caroline Braun the lead tutor and senior English major will most likely be there. Braun loves her job as a tutor, though the work can be difficult. Braun stays busy reading grammar books, articles on tutoring, and attends the Southeastern Writing Center Association’s annual conference every year. Braun has been known to approach professors about student’s assignments to fully understand the criteria.
“I admire the students that come into the Center to improve their writing,” Braun said. “I hope that they know that I recognize the courage it takes to let someone else take a look at their writing.” She believes that writing is a deeply personal process, so she takes it seriously when students entrust their work and writing process to her.
Braun believes it’s important for students to know that all of the Writing Center’s tutors are available to anyone and everyone who needs help with their writing.
Braun said she has worked with writers of varying skills, and all of them have benefited from tutoring. Even faculty members call and visit the Center for advice on improving their writing. She loves when students return to the Center to update her on their progress.
This year, Braun is also the editor of The Calliope. Braun said, “The work of an editor is very different than that of a tutor, so I am excited to take on another challenge.”
Braun’s love of all things literary follows her into the community with her volunteer work with Deep. Deep is a local, non-profit, literacy group that offers free creative writing workshops to middle school students in public schools all over Savannah. Most of the schools involved are classified as Title One schools. Because there is negative correlation between poverty levels and literacy, Deep is very beneficial to the community. Deep’s program includes the publishing of the children’s writing and even presentations at Deep Speaks. Braun said, “Seeing the kids become more confident throughout the semester is so rewarding. By the end of Deep, the kids really see themselves as authors with stories that are worth sharing.”
Like most incoming freshman, Braun had no idea where her future was headed when beginning at Armstrong three years ago. But because of her work in the Writing Center and Deep, Braun has decided that she wants to pursue a career in education. When Braun graduates in December, she wants to get her MAT and teach for a while, before getting her Doctorate in Education. She intends to use her PhD to work in educational research, focusing on literacy.
“There’s something magical that happens during a really great session when the student ‘gets it’ and everything just falls into place. I love it when students leave a session with confidence in their writing and realize that they have skills they need to be successful,” Braun tells of her love to teach, “I always want that magic to be a part of my life.”
