Paul Miller, Director

Beginning his sixth year at Pitzer, Paul is currently the Interim Director at the Writing Center. He also teaches academic writing courses as an adjunct professor in the Modern Languages, Literature, and Cultures field group. His work experience includes eight years in college administration and four years as a technical writer for an educational software company. As a PhD Candidate in the School of Religion at Claremont Graduate University, Paul's research interests focus on the category of moral perception in the field of virtue ethics. His dissertation explores the attitudes of various religious groups toward torture. Before coming to Claremont, Paul received a Master's degree in Theology from Harvard. He spends most of his weekends refereeing soccer games and watching his kids participate in soccer, gymnastics, basketball, cross country, and track.

Stefani Stallard, Coordinator

Stefani is a PhD candidate in English specializing in British Romanticism and 18th and 19th century British Literature. She is currently (or should be currently) writing a dissertation entitled “Romanticism and the Culture of Childhood,” which explores the relationship between childhood, aestheticism and the production of poetry/art. Stefani is a fifth year graduate student tutor at the Pitzer Writing Center who specializes in graduate student fellowships. She also teaches a first-year seminar and other academic writing courses at Pitzer. Stefani has an affinity for unhealthy food (i.e Sharone William’s baked goods) and therefore a committed relationship with her local gym.

Jessica Dewberry

Jessica has a background in art and is majoring in Africana Studies and English and World Literature with an emphasis in Creative Writing. When the college semester is in session, she works as a tutor for Pitzer and, under this title, also provides writing tutoring services in the Office of Black Student Affairs (OBSA). Her research interests have been specific to African American literature and studying literary artists such as Toni Morrison and Toni Cade Bambara, but recently she has expanded that scope, plummeting into a vast array of other artists and genres. In addition, her ultimate goal is to produce work herself, short stories and novels in which she can, as a writer, offer her audience texts that collide the dynamics of politics, race, social issues, and geographical locations, among other disciplines pertaining to human existence.

Elise Edwards

Elise is a doctoral candidate in the Ph.D. program in Religion at Claremont Graduate University.  She is also a registered architect in the State of Florida.  In her academic and professional career, Elise works in the fields of theology, ethics, and aesthetics, focusing on how they inform and shape each other.  This is her first year at the Writing Center.  When she isn't working or writing her dissertation, you are likely to find Elise out eating with friends, engrossed in a TV show, or daydreaming about travel plans.

Laura Gutierrez

A fourth-year International and Intercultural Studies major at Pitzer, Laura continues to study the complexities of class, economic and race issues through an interdisciplinary lens to better interact with and negotiate between cultures. Since returning from her time abroad in Ecuador, Laura is eager to expand her understanding of social change and the many intercultural and international considerations that surround it. After moving to Southern California from the Midwest, Laura has developed a particular interest in local labor issues and their relation to the increasingly globalized world of today. Laura is an avid sailor, a cheese aficionado, and spends most free moments planning her next worldly jaunt.

Kaily Heitz

Kaily is currently a sophomore at Pitzer pursuing a degree in Environmental Analysis with a possible minor in Studio Art. She comes from a family of academics and, as a result, has inherited her parents’ passion for writing and teaching. Additionally, she is interested exploring topics of race and identity and has recently begun a club for mutli-ethnic students, MERGE. Kaily loves to go camping, climbing, and has a peculiar affinity for British television shows (especially Dr. Who).

Shelva Hurley

Shelva Paulse Hurley is a Ph.D. student in higher education. She has worked for the McNair Scholars Program assisting minority undergraduate students interested in pursuing a doctorate degree after graduation. She also worked at Riverside Community College teaching a course on the history and contemporary political issues in South Africa.

Emily Kawahara

Emily is a senior at Pitzer where she is a double major in Creative Writing and Philosophy. She just returned from studying abroad in Nepal, which solidified how much she wants to volunteer overseas in the future, whether it's by teaching English or by participating in some sort of research. This is her second semester as a tutor at the Writing Center. Emily loves milk, but not just any kind of milk: "I will only drink whole milk because I strongly believe that the other types just taste like water!"

Rhonda Kruschen

Rhonda is currently a Pitzer senior who is majoring in a self-created discipline entitled "Religious Communication and Leadership." In her studies, she focuses on Psychology and Non-Fiction Writing with hopes that she will be a Social Worker in the future so she can use these honed skills. Since her time at Pitzer, she's been involved with KSPC radio as a newscaster, as a mentor in Project Caring & Sharing, and is currently one of the co-Editors of Pitzer's Orange Peel newspaper. Rhonda loves music, food, friends and family. She also loves helping people edit their papers so come on down!

Karen Beth Strovas

Karen Beth, a fourth-year member of the Writing Center staff, is a PhD candidate in English Literature at Claremont Graduate University. In addition to tutoring at Pitzer, Karen Beth teaches writing and literature courses at Azusa Pacific University and is an assistant editor for Women’s Studies:  An Inter-disciplinary Journal. She is writing a dissertation on the psychology of the sleep and sleeplessness of women in British Victorian fiction from Jane Eyre to Dracula. She also studies film and adaptation, film music, and gothic/sensation/mystery/detective fiction.

Scott Strovas

Scott is a Ph.D. candidate in Musicology at Claremont Graduate University. His doctoral research examines the relationship between literature and music in contemporary orchestral works by American composer John Adams. His research interests also include twentieth-century and contemporary American music, jazz, and film and television music. Scott teaches Applied Trumpet at the University of La Verne, English Composition at Azusa Pacific University, and he holds a graduate degree in Music Theory from Texas Tech University. When he is not teaching, writing, or researching, Scott enjoys spending time with his wife, Karen, and watching college football.

Sharone Williams

Sharone is a fifth year PhD student in English with emphases in 20th century American literature, history, and film. While literature is her main field, she also has a background in the social sciences and technical writing. In her research, she focuses on jazz studies and issues of masculinity in 1950s American culture. She loves to bake desserts, so it's probably a good idea to be nice to her.

David Zachary

David is a third year Pitzer student with a self-designed major entitled Transforming Educational Paradigms. He is a New Resources Student who prior to entering Pitzer taught in Waldorf schools as a class teacher, Education Support teacher and middle school PE teacher primarily working with students in kindergarten through 8th grade. David has also worked in the film industry in commercial, feature film, and video production.  He is a Marine Corps Veteran and has been active in sports throughout his life. Once while participating in amateur boxing, he fought Evander Holyfield in an All South Boxing Tournament (losing by decision). David is a native of Chattanooga, Tennessee and a longtime resident of Southern California. He is sociable and loves to converse about a wide-range of subjects.

Melanie Zarrow

Melanie is a junior at Pitzer where she is majoring in Art History with a minor in Literature. In addition to being a writing tutor, she is working in the Office of Admissions. Her interest in writing began early on in high school and was only solidified once she started college. She considers working in the Writing Center part of her journey to become either an editor or an Art History professor.