Writing Center Team

Kate Behrens  (Lincoln Center Graduate Coordinator) Kate Behrens is a third-year PhD student at Fordham University and received her B.A. at Manhattan College in English and Sociology. In addition to working in two departments with different writing styles, she has tutoring experience, assisting primarily with résumés and cover letters. Her current research interests include language revitalization and writing center theory.

Becca Hall (Rose Hill Graduate Coordinator) is a second-year PhD student in Fordham’s English department. Her research on Black American fiction considers strategies used by authors of contemporary neo-slave narratives. Becca received her B.A. from Vanderbilt University and her M.A. from University of Toronto, both in English literature with a gender studies emphasis. A lifelong reader and writer, Becca is enthusiastic about all elements of the writing process and excited to help students produce work they are proud of. 

Katerina Balassis holds a BA in English from Fordham University and is currently pursuing a Masters in English in the same field. She is interested in19th and 20th century literature and especially enjoys the work of Jane Austen. She attended Fordham as an undergraduate and is aware of core curriculum expectations, as well as what professors expect in undergraduate writing.

Justyn Cooke is a second-year MA student in Medieval Studies here at Fordham. They received their BA in Medieval Studies and French with a minor in English creative writing from Vassar College, where they also served as a creative writing editor on multiple student-run projects including the Vassar Review. They specialize in medieval French and Francophone literature with work covering topics in social history and queer studies. They are passionate about both academic and creative writing and can assist students with either in French or English.

Clara DeVito is a rising Senior at Fordham University studying English Literature and Public & Professional Writing. Her experience as a certified peer tutor allows her to connect with students while assisting their writing skills. Clara is extremely involved on campus. She has written for Relish Magazine and The Ram, served on the e-board for The Fordham Jetés, and even drove the Ram Van for a summer. In her free time, Clara enjoys reading, dancing, and exploring NYC with her friends. 

Brendan Doshi is a first-year MA student in English. His interests lie at the confluence of medieval studies, psychoanalysis, and postcolonial theory. He is particularly immersed in the study of Old English poetics, Flemish and Netherlandish urbanism in the Middle Ages, and Middle Dutch literature. He holds a BA in English with a minor in history from the University of Idaho, where he served as a teaching assistant in the English department and as a writing collaborator for science practitioners. At the Writing Center, he is passionate about helping writers gain confidence in their analytical abilities by developing rhetorical and narrative mastery over their subject. 

Abby Falato recently completed her MA in English at Fordham. She earned her BA from Sarah Lawrence College, where she studied literature, poetry, creative writing, history, and other disciplines in the humanities. She is passionate about poetry/ poetics, war poetry, and English literature, and is happy to help students with their writing in any way she can.

Charlotte Foster is a fourth-year undergraduate psychology student at Fordham College Rose Hill. Her honors thesis in psychology centers on the intersection of autobiographical memory interventions and social behavior, and she is well-versed in APA 7 formatting. With minors in peace and justice studies and English, she is also passionate about social justice and peacebuilding and has experience with various types of academic and professional writing. She looks forward to helping students through any step of the writing process!

Alexandra Franke is a second-year English PhD student at Fordham University, and her primary research interests are contemporary American literature, eco-studies, and queer studies. Alexandra received her M.A. in English from Montclair State University and her B.A. in English Secondary Education from The College of New Jersey. She is formally trained in teaching writing, and she taught high-school English Language Arts for five years. She also has experience teaching English as a Second Language (ESL). Alexandra looks forward to helping students sharpen their skills and become more confident in their writing.

Alex French is a second-year Medieval Studies MA student originally from North Carolina. Currently, he is working on a Master's thesis about experience and perceptions of landscape during the fourteenth-century Lithuanian Crusade. He earned his BA from Davidson College, where he studied history and art-history. Outside of school, he enjoys photography, hiking, board games, and movies. While his academic experience caters towards the humanities, he is excited to help assist with anyone's writing in any discipline!

Maggie Garza is a junior undergraduate at Fordham College at Rose Hill, double majoring in Sociology and American Studies. She is currently a freelance writer for The Fordham Ram where she writes about popular culture, including contemporary art and literature, and previously served as editor-in-chief of her high school newspaper. As a tutor, she strives to help students develop their critical thinking skills through their writing and to help them find their written voice.

Sam Higgins is a second-year English PhD student with a primary research focus on medieval literature. She received her B.A. here at Fordham and her M.A. in English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University. Sam has five years of tutoring experience and has previously worked as a teacher's assistant at the Borough of Manhattan Community College. Beyond academics, she is also passionate about creative writing as well as horror films and books. 

Sean Maldonado is a second year masters student in Medieval Studies at Fordham University. He was born and raised in the Bronx and attended Fordham University as an undergraduate majoring in History and Philosophy. He is interested in medieval political theology and Early Medieval Iberia as well as the thought of St. Augustine of Hippo. Sean is excited to work at the writing center to sharpen his teaching skills and instill in his fellow students a greater appreciation for the craft of writing. Apart from being immersed in the Medieval Period he loves to cook, read, and hike.

Remi Morris is currently a B.A. Candidate for Philosophy and Classical Civilizations, with a minor in Public and Professional Writing, and on the Pre-Law track at Fordham College at Lincoln Center. She has written her own research paper in philosophy, "Experience is Everything: Farkas’s Internalism & Clark’s Predictive Processing,” and presented her work at multiple collegiate and graduate conferences. She has also written two notes and been an editor for Fordham's Undergraduate Law Review, has been an editor for the Fordham Political Review, and has been published in Fordham's Comparative Literature Journal, Bricolage. Outside of being published, she has earned her New York Real Estate License and interned at the Colosseum in Rome, Italy. Remi is a passionate and detail-oriented tutor, who is excited to assist students in a wide array of genres, styles, and forms!

Samantha Poillucci is a rising senior at Fordham University majoring in English Literature with minors in Political Science and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. She serves as a Content Editor for the Fordham Political Review, a Book Review Staff Member for the Fordham Undergraduate Research Journal, and has worked as a certified peer tutor, helping students strengthen their writing across a variety of disciplines. Through her academic research, editorial work, and tutoring experience, Samantha has developed a passion for helping writers communicate their ideas with clarity and confidence.

Marianela Rivas is a junior at Fordham University pursuing a B.A. in Political Science on the pre-law track, with minors in English and Public and Professional Writing. She has over 300 hours of experience as a community service tutor and has taught English as a Second Language (ESL). Her experiences as a legal and judicial intern in Washington, D.C., have strengthened her skills in legal research, writing, editing, and synthesizing complex information. An active member of the Fordham community, Marianela is passionate about teaching and helping students develop confidence in their writing.

Gisselle Rodriguez is a junior undergraduate student at Fordham College at Rose Hill, double-majoring in Art History and English. As a creative and academic writer, Gisselle enjoys exploring how writing bridges analytical and artistic expression. Her interests and strengths include literary analysis, visual analysis for art historical papers, and poetry. When she is not reading or writing, Gisselle enjoys drawing, listening to music, and collecting cute trinkets. She looks forward to helping writers develop strength and confidence in their writing.

Matthew Siebert is a 6th year PhD candidate in Theology. His research interests lie mainly in Second Temple Jewish and Early Christian literature. He also has familiarity with writing and teaching in Theology, Religious Studies, and Biblical Studies. He received a BA in Religious Studies from Beloit College and a MA in Religion with a concentration in the Bible from Yale Divinity School. When not teaching and studying religion, he enjoys playing guitar, watching too much TV, and spending time with his cats.

Miles Smith is a 6th year PhD candidate in English. Their research focuses on rhetoric and embodiment in late medieval literature, and they are particularly interested in the intersections between monstrosity, gender, disability, and communication in medieval texts. They have several years' expertise in both tutoring and teaching writing in a variety of contexts, both here at Fordham and during their MA at Western Michigan University.

Maggie Turner holds a B.A. in English from St. John's University and is currently pursuing her Master's in English at Fordham. She is interested in 19th century novels, particularly in the Gothic genre. As a tutor, she is committed to helping students develop their voice and build confidence in their writing skills.

Alex Veilleux is a third-year J.D. candidate. Alex has a MA in General English Literature from Binghamton University, where he also tutored at the school's writing center. Alex previously taught middle school in NYC before deciding to attend Fordham Law, and plans to continue an express focus on education policy. Outside of school, Alex enjoys reading, birdwatching, and cataloging music.

Emanuelle (Emma) Weiss recently completed her MA in English at Fordham University, where she is also pursued an Advanced Certificate in Writing and Rhetoric. Emma received her Bachelor’s Degree in both English and Psychology while double minoring in marketing and public and professional writing at Fordham University (Go Rams!). She is well-versed in Fordham’s core curriculum requirements, writing for business, creative writing, and more. In her free time, Emma enjoys reading, yoga and pilates, and trying new foods. She is also trilingual in English, French, and Spanish.

Andrea Wilk loves meeting students and hearing about what they’re working on and feels she’s been given a mini-education in lots of subjects she’s never formally studied. After graduating from Vassar College with a major in anthropology, she worked in book publishing, specializing in children’s books.  After several years, she went back to school (Columbia) for a master’s degree in Teaching English as a Second Language and taught ESL and college writing at Fordham, Columbia, Adelphi, and St. John's. She eventually realized, however, that she preferred working one-on-one with students to classroom teaching.

Her areas of expertise are English, history, anthropology, sociology, art history, film, theater, and psychology but enjoys helping students with any and all writing assignments. She’s a New York native (she grew up about 25 blocks north of the Lincoln Center campus) and loves hearing what students from other places think of NYC. When not working, she can be found sitting on her couch reading (literary fiction, mysteries, and Holocaust memoirs are among her favorite genres), at the gym, or rambling around the streets of Manhattan.