Mission Statement
The Writing And Foster Youth Alliance (WAFYA) serves the current and former foster youth community at the University of California, Riverside. WAFYA is composed of University Writing Program faculty who are dedicated to building collaborative academic relationships with the campus’s current and former foster youth through mentorship and supplemental academic support. WAFYA’s primary objective is to facilitate the success of foster youth at UCR, success that will be most visible in robust retention rates, graduation rates, and overall academic achievement.
Who We Are
Established in the fall of 2018 and in consultation with and support from Guardian Scholars’ leadership, the Writing and Foster Youth Alliance complements the range of foster youth support services on campus in a unique and immediate capacity: by providing faculty guidance to students who need to develop, write, and research in any of their courses. This academic support also is extended to broad academic pursuits like personal statements, statements of purpose, resumes, cover letters, and more. WAFYA: the mentoring program that puts you in charge of your support needs.
We maintain close ties with the Office of Foster Youth Support Services, Guardian Scholars, and Office of Undergraduate Education to ensure that the programs and services we offer reflect the needs of UCR’s foster youth community.
WAFYA Programming
Spring 2024
1:1 APPOINTMENTS Now In-Person and Online!
You can schedule a faculty mentor consultation any time--there’s no need to wait for one of our writing labs or other events. Sign-up with the “ticket in” and we will respond ASAP to connect you with a mentor at a time convenient for you. Click on the icons for easy viewing and sign-up. You also can sign up on our website: uwp.ucr.edu/wafya.
WRITING LAB In-Person at FYSS: We Come to You!
Meet one-on-one with a faculty mentor ready to assist you just when you need it the most, whether it be to start a project, ask advice, get assistance with research, seek draft review, and more. Can’t make it? Schedule a 1:1 appointment!
Tues. April 23 1:00-3:00pm
Tues. May 14 1:00-3:00pm
Tues. June 4 1:00-3:00pm
Location: Office of Foster Youth Support Services 3637 Canyon Crest Drive, Bannockburn, K-101
WHO WE ARE
In fall 2018 we established the Writing and Foster Youth Alliance to contribute to the range of foster youth support services on campus in a unique and much-needed capacity: by providing compositional guidance to students who need to develop, write, and research in any of their courses, as well as for when academic and professional pursuits ask for personal statements, statements of purpose, resumes, cover letters, and more. WAFYA: the mentoring program that lets you choose how much support you need-- and how and when you want it.
Read. Research. Write. Whatever. Whenever (almost).
Faculty Mentor Profiles and Availability
| First Name | Last Name | Title (Continuing Lecturer/ Lecturer) | Contact Information to Schedule an Appointment | Compositional Specialties/ Areas of Interest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albert | Anthony | Lecturer | albert.anthony@ucr.edu | Sentence clarity and style. Inter- and intra-paragraph cohesion and coherence. Contemporary American fiction, wealth and poverty studies, mass incarceration, Southern California ecology. |
| Paul | Beehler | Associate Professor of Teaching | paul.beehler@ucr.edu | Compositional Specialties: TESOL, Standardized Tests, Business Communication, English 4, Basic Writing 3, Shakespeare, Early Modern Literature. I enjoy American Football (Go Niners), hiking, and all manner of science fiction/fantasy. I read widely. |
| Matthew | Bond | Lecturer | matthew.bond@ucr.edu | Writing Across the Curriculum and a clear, useful approach to teaching grammar; 20th century American literature & poetry; food studies; Zen Buddhism/mindfulness |
| Stephanie | Fousek | Lecturer | sfous001@ucr.edu | Latin American literature, meditation, psychology, printmaking, nature |
| Jennie | Friedrich | Lecturer | jfrie005@ucr.edu | MA in English/Writing with a creative emphasis, and experience with psychology and genres of writing relating to fundraising (not strictly grants); medieval history and literature; disability studies; dogs and dog training; music and creative writing; records and turntables |
| Dan | Hepler | Continuing Lecturer | dan.hepler@ucr.edu | Business, science, chess. American literature. Politics (I'm unusually open-minded!), history of all kinds. Russian language. Christianity. Aviation. Investing/stock market. Gardening. Grammar! I am especially interested in the interface between religion and science. |
| Richard | Hunt | Lecturer | rhunt006@ucr.edu | Science fiction film and literature (Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel and DC movies, SF TV, and lots of novels and short stories); Music and performance; Spoken word poetry and 20th century American poetry; Rhetoric of social protests (Martin Luther King, Jr., James Baldwin, Malcolm X, Angela Davis); Political rhetoric; Materials for jobs, grants, and scholarships (CV, resume, cover letter, personal statement, etc.); Yoga and meditation |
| Benedict | Jones | Continuing Lecturer | jonesbk@ucr.edu | My favorite era is the long Victorian period. I enjoy autobiography, science writing, poetry, children's literature, and LGBTQ studies (I'm an LGBTQ ally). I'm particularly keen on science fiction--both fiction and film. I love words and etymology, languages (but speak only English well), and CATS. |
| Rita | Kahn | Lecturer | rkahn@ucr.edu | TESL/Interest in a variety of topics, especially the environment, animal welfare, medicine/health, and applied linguistics. Favorite genre is horror. |
| Erie | Leduc | Lecturer | eledu001@ucr.edu | Many years of experience as a tutor at the community college level |
| Erla Maria | Marteinsdottir | Continuing Lecturer | erla.marteinsdottir@ucr.edu | Basic Writing 3, ESL |
| Rory | Moore | Lecturer | rory.moore@ucr.edu | Understanding assignment prompts and developing a plan of action; critical (close) reading of texts (including the visual arts); idea/thesis generation; finding, using, and citing research; structuring an argument and other forms of academic writing; podcasting basics; e-portfolios; resumes/CVs and cover letters; personal statements for scholarships, grants, internships, graduate school applications, and jobs. I enjoy pilates, yoga, and getting outdoors. I read widely. I keep current on major issues. |
| Lisa | Sarigiani | Continuing Lecturer | lisas@ucr.edu | Experience in teaching courses that focus on critical thinking-comp./lit. and public speaking/business writing (using both MLA and APA style). Working knowledge of medical terminology and science-oriented subject matters. |
| Carrie Jean | Schroeder | Continuing Lecturer | cjschro@ucr.edu | Pop culture, media studies, children's literature, LGBTQIA+ issues, cats, baking, collage and altered books |
| Shane | Shukis | Lecturer | sshukis@ucr.edu | Contemporary American literature; contemporary art; rhetoric and public speaking; business writing; travel narrative; science fiction, fantasy, and horror |
| Cassandra | Van Zandt | Lecturer | cassandra.vanzandt@ucr.edu | Personal connection to foster syster. Can help with grammar, organization, brainstorming. Love to paddle board, cook, and hang with dogs. Email or text is great 949-874-4935 |
| Kate | Watt | Continuing Lecturer | kate.watt@ucr.edu | Effective at explaining grammar, organization, thesis development, and structural components of essays. Interested in science fiction, zombies, children's literature, prison reform, homelessness, justice. LGBTQ ally. |
| Stephanie | Simpson | Lecturer | stephanie.wilms@ucr.edu | Writing Across the Curriculum, history, race, religion |
| Jerome | Winter | Lecturer | JWint002@ucr.edu | Basic Writing 3, science and technology, literature |
Contact Us
Associate Director of University Writing Program (UWP)
Director of the English Language Writing Requirement (ELWR), UWP
Co-Founder/Co-Director of WAFYA, UWP
University Writing Program
Bio:
Paul Beehler (B.A., M.A., Ph.D.) was born and raised in California where he pursued his education in the California State University system and the University of California system. Associate Director of the University Writing Program (UWP) and Director of the Entry Level Writing Requirement (ELWR) for the University of California at Riverside, Paul Beehler is an Associate Professor of Teaching in the Department of English. He supervises and mentors graduate students and undergraduate students across a host of disciplines, all of whom are learning how to teach writing. His research interests include popular culture, Shakespeare, composition theory, and writing program administration. In these areas, he has published two dozen articles. Currently, Professor Beehler serves on the Committee on Preparatory Education at the University of California, Riverside and chairs the U.C. systemwide committee on English for Multilingual Students. He also co-founded the Writing And Foster Youth Alliance (WAFYA), an organization dedicated to serving former foster youth. For the past twenty years, Paul Beehler has served as a pro bono tutor for L1 and L2 Vietnamese secondary students in Orange County, California.
Co-Founder/Co-Director of WAFYA, UWP
Mentor Director, Grad School Application Essays: How to Write, and Help to Do It!
University Writing Program
Bio:
Rory Moore (B.A., M.A., Ph.D.) has been an adjunct associate professor and opportunity program administrator at Long Island University in Brooklyn, New York, as well as an administrator in Graduate Division’s Grad Success program and a lecturer in the Department of English at the University of California, Riverside. She currently teaches in UCR’s University Writing Program as a member of their faculty. Dr. Moore identifies as a proud, though not uncritical, alumna of California’s public school system. She counts five elementary schools, one middle school, two high schools, and then UCLA, CSUN, and, finally, UCR as alma maters. She recognizes that her academic achievements are due in part to her determination and persistence through failure and the support of others. This understanding is what led to Dr. Moore expanding her research, teaching, and service interests. Trained in the field of nineteenth-century British literature and fascinated with the intersections between the literature, gender, and popular culture of the period, since 2013 she also has focused on composition pedagogy, program administration, accessibility, and student success in higher education. Her particular passion in these areas is in advocating for inclusive teaching and supporting disadvantaged student populations. Dr. Moore’s commitment to equitable practices led her in 2018 to co-found and co-direct WAFYA, the University Writing Program's academic support and mentorship program for UCR’s community of current and former foster youth. Across her interests she has presented at numerous conferences and published several peer-reviewed works.