Greetings and Welcome!

My name is Jen Finstrom, and I am so very pleased to welcome you to my 2015-16 UCWbL Digication ePortfolio!

This year, the theme of my e-Portfolio is community. I began working as a peer writing tutor in the 2009–10 academic year, and at that time, I was a returning undergraduate finishing my BA in English. I had plans to go into graduate work after finishing this degree, but at that time, I could not have foreseen how life changing working for the UCWbL would really be: and that has everything to do with community. Not only did tutoring lead me to the realization that I wanted to teach—which greatly changed the trajectory of my graduate work—but it also led me to a much greater understanding of myself and how I interact with others. What I have gained from my experiences working on different teams over the years, seeing Writers Guild expand and grow, and integrating the UCWbL's Core Beliefs, Values, and Practices into other aspects of my world, has been nothing short of life changing.  

This idea of community is further explored in my tutoring philosophy, but it's also present in my banner, my goals, my professional development, and even my CV: it simply isn't possible to UCWbL alone.