YWP College Writing Mentors -- Bios
The Young Writers Project is fortunate to have dozens of top students from Castleton State College, University of Vermont, Saint Michael's College and Middlebury College who will be providing feedback on student submissions to YWP's newspaper series.
Many of these college students are in honors programs and/or serve as writing tutors at their schools. They are giving feedback on entries to the YWP Newspaper Series. They will tell you what they liked about your piece and what one thing you could do to improve it. Here are a few of the mentors:
EMILY HALLETT, Castleton State College
I am a senior here. My major is Education with a concentration in History. I am from Massachusetts, right outside of Boston. I play tennis at Castleton. I love to snowboard and do fun things outside! Thank you for this opportunity to work with young writers; I am excited to get started!
ERIC KAPITAN, Castleton State College
I am majoring in communications at Castleton with a concentration in mass media. I have a strong interest in writing, as well as video and film production. I enjoy viewing other peoples work in order to give them constructive feedback.
KIMBERLY LYONS, Castleton State College
I grew up on a farm in a small town in northern New Hampshire. Currently, however, I am an undergraduate student at Castleton. My majors are American Literature and Education, and I am also pursuing a Music minor. Ever since I was young I have been devouring books. While I am not an avid creative writer myself, I do enjoy writing pieces analyzing works of literature. It is my hope to some day teach high school English and inspire students the way I was inspired. When I have some free time, I also enjoy singing, playing the piano, and photography. I am looking forward to this opportunity at providing feedback for aspiring writers.
KRISTEN MONGER, Castleton State College
I am from Brandon, VT. I am a junior majoring in Elementary Education with a concentration in english. I can not wait to teach young kids. I have wanted to become a teacher as far back as I can remember. I love to go golfing and spend time with family and friends.
ASHLEIGH McDONOUGH, Castleton State College
I am from Brandon, Vermont, born in New Hampshire. I'm currently attending Castleton as a junior and going for an elementary education degree with a concentration in English. I enjoy playing sports and being outside. I am the oldest of four kids so I am a role model for my brothers and sister. I take my education very seriously, and I hope that when I graduate I'll be able to teach children the way my teachers have taught me.
TAYLOR PORTER, Castleton State College
I'm a huge fan of the Boston Red Sox, Boston Celtics, and New England Patriots. But if you pulled my leg I'd have to say the Red Sox are my favorite team of all time. I also enjoy reading and playing video games. If you think you can beat me at Guitar Hero you've got another thing coming. I've been all over the United States. All of New England, Texas, Colorado, Oregon, Florida, Arizona... I look forward to reading your writing, and I hope my criticism is helpful.
ELIZABETH RAINO, Castleton State College
My name is Liz and I am a literature major with a psychology minor at Castleton. I will be graduating in December and plan on attending SUNY Plattsburgh so I can obtain my Master's degree and start teaching at an elementary school. I love to read and sometimes I write, but only for myself and mostly song lyrics. I do hope however, to one day be able to publish at least one children's book. I greatly look forward to helping others in their writing process.
DREW SHEA, Castleton State College
I'm 18 and am a freshman at Castleton. I love to play lacrosse and wrestle.
DANIELLE WALSH, University of Vermont
Hey all! I'm Danielle, Dani for short. I'm a Biology and English double major at UVM and I'm a senior. I'm a tutor at the UVM Writing Center and I also do a little tutoring in biology and I grade math papers. When not working or studying I enjoy horseback riding and ballroom dancing. Of course, I'm always up for a good book as well. In working with the Young Writer's Project I hope to instill my love of writing in others and to provide the feedback that I wish I had had as a young writer.
MAEGAN WALSH, Castleton State College
I'm 17 and am from Cresskill, NJ, a small town in North Jersey. I currently attend Castleton as a freshman. I enjoy to snowboard, play soccer, and softball.
WENDY WENTZ, Castleton State College
I am an education major, getting an endorsement in special ed. My favorite subject is science! I am a non-tradtional student (an old lady compared to most of my classmates). I have a three-year-old girl and a 13-year-old boy. I live in Cavendish, so I am in the Green Mountain/Ludlow school area, but I went to high school in Bellows Falls. I lived in North Carolina for 10 years (and yes I do occasionally say ya'll). I then moved back north where my family is and here I am in college! I love to read so this should be a fun experience for me!
SUZANNE WILLIAMS, Castleton State College
I am a mother of four children ages 15, 13, 9, and 4. I have three boys and one girl. I am currently a full-time student at Castleton. I am planning to get my teaching degree. I was born in Bogota, Columbia (South America) and was adopted when I was two years old. I grew up on Long Island, New York. I love both reading and writing. I am excited to participate in the Young Writers Project.
Christina F. Whitcher is a full-time, non-traditional student at Castleton State College. After raising two daughters and working in public schools as a paraprofessional, she decided to finish the degree she'd began years ago. She is currently working toward a BA in Children's Literature with a minor in Writing, and Licensure in Elementary Education. She graduated from The Institute of Children's Literature and holds a A.A.S. degree in Human Services. Christina writes for both adults and children, and her work is found in Print and on the Internet. Her labor-of-love includes fiction, non-fiction, interviews (Chelsea Quinn Yarbro for one), book reviews (over 200 to date), and cover copy. When time permits, Christina works to complete a fantasy novella. Migraine headache awareness, better education, and running for health is important to her hes well.