West Sacramento Center Writing Center Staff

Staff

My name is Dana Armstrong, and I am the faculty coordinator of the West Sacramento Writing Center. My education began at Modesto Junior College where I took advantage of several work- and study-abroad programs. I eventually transferred to U.C. Berkeley where I studied Comparative Literature. After graduating, I lived in Mexico for five months, studying Spanish and traveling around the country. I earned my graduate degree from U.C. Davis and have also taken Composition courses at San Francisco State University. I began my teaching career at Chabot College in Hayward and now have been teaching at Sacramento City College for nearly twenty years.

Dana Armstrong's Zoom Office

Jill Van Zanten is an adjunct professor of English at Sacramento City College. She has also taught as a lecturer in the UC Davis Writing Program and as an instructor in the UC Davis Extension Center for International Education. One of her specialties is composition instruction for multilingual speakers of English. Ms. Van Zanten holds degrees in History (B.A., with a minor in Political Science, UC Berkeley, 1979), English (M.A., UC Davis, 1989), Applied Linguistics (M.A., UC Davis, 1996), as well as a California secondary teaching credential (UC Davis, 1980). She has over twenty-five years of experience teaching university, community college, high school, middle-school and community-based learners from immigrant, international, and native English speaker backgrounds. Her overseas experience includes one year of teaching English composition at Huazhong Normal University in Wuhan, China and two years of teaching middle-schoolers at Japan International School in Tokyo. Ms. Van Zanten has also volunteered as a language and literacy tutor for immigrant adults in Yolo County. Her passion is helping students from all backgrounds find empowerment and self-expression through writing. She lives in Davis with her husband and has two young-adult sons.

My name is Joseph Fry and I have been a tutor at the West Sacramento Writing Center since Spring 2023. I graduated from Sacramento City College in 2019 with an associate degree in graphic communication and an associate degree in English. At California State University, Sacramento, I received my bachelor's degree in English in 2022 and am currently finishing up my master's degree in English with a focus on creative writing. I am passionate about writing and helping students achieve their goals and find their voice in their education and leaving them with tools to continue replicating that success in their classrooms and beyond.

Maurisa Major graduated with a Bachelor’s in Creative Writing and a minor in Psychology from the University of Redlands in 2016. After two years of working as a medical scribe in a private practice, she pursued an MFA in English Literature and Creative Writing from Mills College which she completed in spring 2020. She is not only an IA with the West Sac Writing Center but is also the Assistant Coach for the SCC Swim Team. Maurisa loves helping students understand the writing process and delve deeper into their ideas.

Hello everyone! My name is David Velez, and this is only my second semester as a writing tutor for the WSWC but my second year as an SCC student. I am majoring in Kinesiology. I have had some amazing experiences at the West Sac Writing Center. I am excited to be back at it again. Feel free to contact me if you need any help. If I don't know the answer, I know people who will––so your question will not go unanswered. I enjoy working with others and look forward to working and learning alongside you. Let's have a great semester!

David Velez's Zoom Office

My name is William Torres. I am one of the new student tutors here at Sacramento City College at the West Sacramento Center. I have been a student at SCC for about 2+ years working towards a degree in Biology in hopes to transfer to UC Davis or Sacramento State to further my education. While here at SCC I have found a love for writing, this love has placed me in a position of wanting to help others who want to further their writing experience as I did for myself. I used to think writing was scary, but it ended up being very therapeutic for me. And I hope after your experience here with us at the writing center, it can be the same for you. Feel free to make an appointment with me or anyone else at the West Sacramento Writing Center and I hope to see you soon!