Our Peer Tutors

Chris (they/them) is a PhD candidate in the Department of English Language and Literature at the University of Waterloo, studying worldbuilding and mythmaking structures in video games. They have extensive experience as both a teacher and a tutor and have been supporting student writing in one form or another for nearly two decades. Chris favours an informal, collaborative, and conversational approach to writing support, helping you cultivate and emphasize confidence in your own voice. They’re comfortable working with writers from all disciplines and backgrounds at all experience levels, and especially excited to see unconventional, transgressive, and creative interventions to traditional forms and genres of academic writing. 

Bashirah (she/her) is a Master's Candidate in the Department of Environment under SEED, with a Bachelor’s in Chemical Engineering. Her current research focus is Material Flow Analysis of critical minerals, such as phosphorus, in Canada. She brings 5 years of technical writing experience spanning the environmental compliance, mining, and petrochemical industries. Bashirah is enthusiastic about the role technology plays in ushering in lasting solutions to social issues and about how language serves as a tool for communicating the potential of technological advances. She is particularly interested in supporting students on how to maintain strong personal voice in their writing, how to use AI models that are academia-friendly for drafting or reviewing written work, and how to apply technical writing guidelines across genres such as reports, document analysis, and essays. She welcomes students who may prefer to engage in the Yoruba language during sessions. 

Bianca (she/her) is a PhD student in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, where she also completed her undergraduate degree. Her current research focuses on using computational models and simulations to better understand how muscles contribute to human movement and athletic performance. Throughout her studies, Bianca has gained experience with many forms of technical and academic communication, including research papers, scholarship applications, technical reports, and conference presentations. She has also worked as a teaching assistant for several engineering courses, helping students work through and communicate challenging technical concepts confidently.

As a peer tutor, Bianca believes that there is no single "right" way to approach writing, and enjoys sitting down with students, talking through their ideas, and finding strategies that work for them. She is happy to work with students from any discipline and at any stage of the writing process, but particularly enjoys brainstorming and organizing ideas, technical and scientific writing, and presentations. Bianca is also happy to support students who are figuring out how to use generative AI in their writing, as well as those who would rather explore strategies that don't rely on these tools.

Eugenia (she/her) is a PhD student in the Department of Biology. Her research focuses on creating plastic-degrading bacteria and producing biodegradable plastics. She is passionate about mentorship and supporting students on their professional and academic journeys. In line with this, Eugenia has held roles at the Centre for Career Development and the Student Success Office, where she assisted students with job applications and supported them in developing essential skills for university success. She has also worked as a teaching assistant, providing technical guidance and support in scientific research methods. As a tutor with the Writing and Communication Centre, Eugenia believes in creating a collaborative and supportive environment where students feel empowered to refine their ideas and improve their writing. She enjoys helping students clarify their ideas and develop strong, structured writing, supporting all stages of the writing process, especially brainstorming and refining drafts. 

Irfhana (she/her) is a PhD candidate in the School of Public Health Sciences. She has a B.Tech in Computer Science and Engineering and is a data scientist / ML engineer by training. Driven by a strong commitment to equity-informed, community-centered innovation, Irfhana is passionate about leveraging AI to strengthen public health resilience and improve health outcomes in the face of a changing climate. Her research centers on co‑creating an AI-driven decision support system that predicts and maps climate-related health risks at a neighbourhood level.

As a peer tutor, she is always excited to teach students how to apply creative writing techniques—such as narrative structure, pacing, and framing—in academic writing and presentations to convey complex research and academic material in ways that are both intellectually rigorous and engaging, regardless of the audience’s prior expertise. Her diverse academic background and experience taking courses across the Faculties of Health, Environment, and Engineering makes her particularly well-versed in the academic expectations and context for a wide variety of students. 

Julia (she/her) is an PhD student with the School of Social, Political and Historical Research (SSPHR) and Tri-University History Graduate Program. Her proposed research centres on the history of women’s work and gender-based prejudice in England during the early modern (~1500-1750) period. Julia completed her master’s level studies in Library and Information Science (LIS), enhancing her knowledge of scholarly databases and searching techniques that students may utilize throughout their writing process.

When tutoring, Julia enjoys supporting students’ different learning styles and unique approaches to writing and communication. While she is excited to work with students from all disciplines on all modes of communication, she particularly enjoys workshopping critical reflections and research essays. As part of her studies in LIS, Julia also researched and tested the impacts GenAI can have on critical reading/research in the humanities, especially in terms of text simplification tools, giving her a strong foundation to discuss some of the pitfalls of GenAI to watch out for when working in this field.  

Karla (she/her) is a Master’s Candidate in the Department of Civil Engineering specializing in transportation engineering, while also having done her undergraduate degree at UW. Her research focuses on transportation decision making analyses, specifically ex-post evaluations in connection with the Region of Waterloo’s transportation system. Karla has always been an avid reader and loves discussing books or analyzing any literature. She is passionate about teaching strong, supportive frameworks for writing, while also giving room for individuals’ stylistic choices that give papers an authentic voice.

As someone having experienced the engineering program at UW, Karla is particularly excited to coach students who are continuing their writing journey as graduates from other schools. She is well-experienced with brainstorming, editing, and revising written work, and she excels in both the creation and delivery of presentations. Karla can also support students who are looking for non-GenAI strategies when completing their work, or who are aiming to use GenAI in a way that does not harm the learning process. In addition to her writing support, she can also assist students in Spanish or French, broadening the accessibility and reach of her tutoring. 

Kyle (he/him) is a PhD student in the School of Social, Political and Historical Research (SSPHR), specializing in social and political philosophy of language, and particularly the study of deceptive, manipulative, and oppressive uses of language. He has taught and tutored mathematics, computer science, and philosophy at various levels for the better part of a decade. Kyle considers the writing process entwined with the thinking process. He welcomes the opportunity to assist with any piece of writing at any stage in the writing process and is particularly happy to work on argumentative essays and theses. Kyle is also happy to support students in developing non-GenAI strategies and workarounds if they prefer not to use these tools. 

Madison (they/she) is a Masters’s Candidate in the Department of Applied Mathematics under the Environmental Fluids umbrella. Her research is in oceanography with a focus on internal tides. Her background is in both applied mathematics and clinical psychology. Her focus as a tutor is to provide students with the tools to develop ownership of their academic writing. She is happy to help with any stage of the writing process (brainstorming, drafting, editing) and is particularly excited to work on graduate application essays or any writing related to mathematics or clinical psychology. She has extensive experience with APA formatting (particularly tables and statistical reporting), as well as experience using LATEX/Overleaf. As an applied mathematician, she has a unique perspective on generative AI’s scope and capabilities and can help students navigate productive AI usage. 

Mary  (she/her) is a PhD student in the Faculty of Health. Her research focuses on antimicrobial resistance educational interventions within Nigeria and Canada. She is passionate about the healthcare system, and its importance in bridging the gap between expected access and resulting access to healthcare. In her free time Mary enjoys reading fiction (particularly thrillers), swimming, and Pilates. She is also picking German back up after a couple years and is interested in learning Efik. As a peer tutor, Mary can support many aspects of the writing process, such as drafting and brainstorming, along with revisions to prior written work. She has specific experience providing in-depth feedback and support in health sciences related papers. Mary is apt and ready to support students in clarifying ideas, developing good tone and word choice, along with other writing support they might need. 

Melanie  (she/her) is a PhD student in the Department of Chemical Engineering, aiming at solving our pressing environmental issues. Her drive to reduce plastic pollution comes from her passion for scuba diving and marine ecosystems worldwide that she thrives to keep intact. Melanie has a natural enthusiasm for being around people as she experienced life with local communities across the globe. Her blend of scientific curiosity and artistic creativity allows her to support students from all programs from undergraduate assignments to graduate thesis.

Melanie particularly loves to support students practicing oral presentations, giving her best tips on engaging public speaking. In her sessions, she helps students break down writing tasks, gives strategies to tackle big projects such as literature reviews/ poster designs and master scientific communication; all through friendly talks. Melanie also has an attachment for French Literature and History and loves to delve into literary works with her students especially for French courses at UW. She also enjoys motivating students in their personal statement letters/ research proposals as she believes that good communication is the key to unlocking opportunities. Her multicultural background gives her the ability to uncover the unseen potential of each student, allowing them to attain their goals no matter how unreachable they might seem. 

Tamara (she/her) is a Masters' Candidate in the Faculty of Environment (SERS).  She enjoys working with peers in all disciplines and brings a breadth of interests and professional teaching and writing experience to her tutoring sessions.  She is particularly passionate about coaching undergrad and grad students in the skills needed to meet the challenges of the early academic learning curve. Whether peers need help with pre-writing and brainstorming, or with the final details of polishing a piece of writing or a presentation, Tamara supports each peer's unique needs and situation.    Tamara can also support students both in working with GenAI as an assistive tool while retaining their independent learning and cognitive autonomy, or in strategizing non-GenAI strategies and workarounds.  In her own research, Tamara's thesis looks at environmental issues from a social sciences perspective that explores the human relationship with the environment.  

Jeffrey (he/him) is an undergraduate student in the Faculty of Mathematics, currently in his 3rd year studying Financial Analysis and Risk Management (FARM). He enjoys supporting students across a wide range of disciplines and brings a background in the sciences and tutoring mathematics, computer science, accounting, and academic writing. Jeffrey emphasizes collaboration and flexibility in his tutoring; he likes to work through problems with students, learning alongside them, and adapting to what students find helpful. Whether a peer is brainstorming, organizing ideas, translating those ideas into their work, or polishing their final product, Jeffrey is happy to support their individual goals and needs. He can also support assignments involving GenAI while helping students develop strategies to complete similar tasks independently without relying on GenAI. Outside of academics, Jeffrey enjoys badminton, reading, and watching new movies and shows. 

Zaara (she/her) is an undergraduate student in the Faculty of Health studying Honours Health Sciences. She is currently in her 4th and final year of her degree. She enjoys working with students from a variety of disciplines and meeting them wherever they are on their writing journey. She is always happy to work through questions together, learn alongside students, and adapt her approach to what each student finds most helpful. She also acknowledges that generative AI is becoming an increasingly common part of academic work and is happy to help students navigate when and how these tools can be used appropriately, as well as explore alternative strategies for students who prefer not to use AI. Overall, she hopes to make tutoring sessions a comfortable and supportive space where students can ask questions, explore their ideas, and leave feeling more confident in their work.