‘Everyone Has Something to Say’: Tutors from Trinity Writing Center Mentor High School Students

Ellie Ryan ’25 is double-majoring in English, with a concentration in literature, and public policy and law. A writing associate in Trinity’s Writing Center, she is a peer tutor on campus, at Hartford Correctional Center, and at Hartford Magnet Trinity College Academy.

As a peer tutor at Trinity’s Writing Center, I have been part of the overarching goal of making the Center a more inclusive space for all students. When I joined as a sophomore, this was focused on encouraging students of all academic disciplines to utilize the Center. We trained ourselves to be proficient in assisting with writing everything from lab reports to research papers, and even job applications.

Since then, the students working at the Writing Center have expanded our resources and broadened our reach as tutors. Associates have tutored at Hartford Correctional Center (HCC), the Boys & Girls Clubs of Hartford, and more. This year, as a senior, I have been involved in more tutoring off campus than on!

The most recent expansion of the Writing Center is a collaboration with Trinity’s Center for Hartford Engagement and Research (CHER) and its strong partnership with Hartford Magnet Trinity College Academy (HMTCA), which is just across Broad Street from Trinity’s campus. Tutoring services are offered twice a week to the high school students for any kind of writing assignment.

On my first day tutoring at HMTCA, the teachers were incredibly welcoming and couldn’t wait for their students to make use of our services. Right away, I began working with a student on an argumentative essay regarding the potential causes of food deserts; together we built a thesis statement on the correlation between economic inflation and inaccessibility of healthy food options. The next week, a student and I worked on an English paper analyzing the role of humor in Roald Dahl’s short story, “Lamb to the Slaughter.” Most recently, I aided a student in revisions for his essay on whether Alice Walker’s novel The Color Purple should be taught in schools.

My most fulfilling experiences while tutoring have been when I have interesting and meaningful conversations with students about a piece of media they have read or viewed, whether that be a book, news article, or movie. Sometimes, they will begin the session by saying they do not know what to write about or didn’t find the material interesting. Within a few minutes, I find this is typically not the case; they have plenty of thoughts and ideas—they just need a little help organizing them and getting them on paper.

I’ve heard peers of all ages say that they don’t enjoy reading, they’re not good at writing essays, or that English classes are just not “for them.” As a tutor, my personal mission is to help students realize that writing and reading are for them. I believe that everyone has something to say, and improving critical thinking skills and reading comprehension is a mission that results in more thoughtful and empathetic people.

Tutoring at HMTCA also has more direct, beneficial effects on both the Trinity and HMTCA communities. While there are a number of programs in the HMTCA-Trinity partnership that bring HMTCA students to Trinity’s campus—such as the Early College Program and the Summer Writing Institute—Trinity students enter their space less often. I think it has been a worthy pursuit to integrate the student populations with one another, as we are each other’s closest academic neighbors. I have chatted with students about their future college applications and restaurants in Hartford, and I’ve also talked to the teachers about my interest in a career in education.

After I graduate from Trinity this spring, I will miss tutoring at the Writing Center dearly, along with all of the opportunities that have come with it. As the Center’s latest endeavor, tutoring at HMTCA has allowed me to connect with the broader Hartford community. Seeing students discover their voices and grow as writers has been an incredibly rewarding experience, and I am grateful to have been part of this journey. As the Writing Center continues to evolve, I am excited to see how future tutors will carry forward this mission of collaboration, mentorship, and empowerment.