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Tait Arnold, a senior at San Diego State University and an SDSU Writing Center tutor, is a double major in rhetoric and writing studies and political science. In addition to speaking  at the annual Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC), Arnold was given the opportunity to present at the 2025 Annual Southern California Writing Centers Association (SoCal WCA) alongside fellow RWS peer and tutor Isabella Marine. The SoCal WCA was created to further the theoretical, pedagogical, and political interests of writing center tutors and professionals. 

Arnold conveyed that this conference was a chance to speak with  attendees about the “politics of writing.” When asked about what this term entails, Arnold stated that writing is not only a reflection of oneself but also one’s own views of the world. “To say that anything I create is not political would be wrong. Everything I create from my own existence is political. And I think a lot of writers attempt to remove that in the sense of ambiguity, or of positivism.” Arnold argued that traditional ways of writing often exclude people’s natural way of expressing themselves, suggesting that every writing style is valid in its own sense.

Arnold’s presentation focused on the integration of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI)  into the writing process. The presentation explored  how the power structures of standard English and societal pressures influence a student’s writing. Arnold and Marine compared the differences between human and GenAI interventions, analyzing how both approaches often enforce the idea of standard English.

Someone asked Arnold about students who speak English as a second language (L2 students). The question was premised on the idea that students who don’t speak English as their first language wouldn’t be able to understand the different styles or tones in an academic context. Arnold was quick to counter this assertion, explaining that this question is steeped in the misunderstanding of L2 students. “To be a person who understands the complexities, one must also acknowledge the complexities of L2 students. I’ve worked with them, both in higher education and in middle school and high school, and I can understand that they are still very bright and smart, and they can fully understand it.” Arnold expressed that attending these academic conferences challenges the notion that non-standard students are impossible to teach. By presenting, he actively contests the educational status quo and advocates for a more inclusive future.

When asked about the importance of this presentation, Arnold honed in on the impact it would have on conference attendees, stating, “It helped explore [the politics of writing], through a queer lens of gendered language, and the power hierarchies that are at play when writing.” Arnold expresses that he is part of the new age of rhetoric, using his voice to contribute meaningful change.

As a current graduate student, Schuyler Smith has been looking to prove herself since her undergraduate days. Having attended UCSD, she chose to pursue a philosophy major as a statement to prove that she can write about complicated subjects. “I majored in philosophy, not because I planned on becoming a philosopher, but because that would show I could write about complicated subjects, and that is an ability that can get you a lot of jobs in a lot of different places.” Now in the RWS master’s program, Smith not only continues to prove herself in her study of rhetoric and writing, but she also mentors undergraduates in lower-division writing courses and will teach first-year writing students in the fall. 

With a mother, Suzanne Smith, who graduated from the RWS master’s program, Smith said that reading and writing had always been a large part of life at home. Yet deciding to major in RWS was a spur-of-the-moment decision. “I'm sure it was my parents who threw out the idea of me going to State for rhetoric and writing initially . . . but I was the one who grabbed it and ran with it.” It’s no surprise to Smith that she was a good fit for the RWS department, growing up with a mother so immersed in writing: “It's not a coincidence that I'm very writing-brained when she is responsible for 50% of my nature.” 

In exploring the current and future state of rhetoric, knowing how to use rhetoric for good is an idea that Smith has tussled with, stating that in order to define good rhetoric, we need to know how to define “good.” Discussing this topic as a focus of one of her recent graduate courses, Smith continued: “Dr. Dustin Edwards has sort of framed the class around the question of what is rhetoric doing? What are we doing with rhetoric in this present moment, politically informed moment, culturally informed moment?”

Smith has appreciated the time she has already spent in the program, enjoying the close-knit community of the RWS department. The class that has stood out the most so far is RWS 609: Theory and Practice of Teaching Composition with Jennifer Burke Reifman. “In a world that feels like it is becoming increasingly incomprehensible and irrational it is refreshing and reassuringly logical to see that a teacher as great as Dr. Jennifer Burke Reifman is the one to teach others to be teachers.” In such a world, Smith continues to carry on her family tradition of studying rhetoric and writing, pursuing and questioning what is good, and supporting others in their work with writing. 

For Michelle Starrett, an SDSU rhetoric and writing studies alumna (‘18), rhetoric plays an intricate role in almost all aspects of her life, most notably, communication. Starrett began her career as a content writing intern for a market research firm, where she began applying her rhetorical skills to marketing. Starrett praises the creative freedom she was granted during her time as an intern. After her internship ended, Starrett focused on pursuing a career in marketing at a comic book publisher. This inspired her to hone in on her creative touch, which directly translates to her current role as a senior social media manager at Raindrop Agency.

Starrett attributes her career success to the courses she participated in at SDSU. She highlighted her time as a student in Linn Bekins’ professional communication class, where she learned not only the importance of concise communication but also how it would play a role in her future. “I think communication classes are always super helpful, no matter what profession you decide to go into,” Starrett commented. She added that Jennifer Sheppard’s visual rhetoric class played an equally vital part in her career, explaining that it paved the way for her interest in marketing. 

When asked what one skill students should focus on developing before they graduate, Starrett elaborated on how communication serves as a foundational skill. “I think it’s even more important to have that human communication,” she said. “I think it’s something that really cannot be replicated, no matter what.” According to Starrett, to effectively collaborate with team members to meet a common goal, a combination of communication skills and diverse perspectives is crucial. 

When asked how her RWS degree has shaped her career path since graduating, Starrett highlighted the connection between rhetoric and our everyday lives. “I mean, rhetoric is literally in our personal life, in our professional life, but I think from a professional perspective, it just helps to see the intentions of communication.” 

Drawing on her own experiences as an RWS major, Starrett was eager to offer up advice for prospective students. When asked what kinds of careers RWS students should prepare for, Starrett indicated that the skills learned in RWS can be applied to any career. “I think it’s about developing those foundational skills, maybe reaching out to different clubs or even your professors. It’s important to develop these skills before you go off into the work space so you don’t feel like a little fish in a big pond.” 

Overall, Starrett wants more people to be exposed to all aspects of studying rhetoric and writing, especially in an academic sense. “I want to see more people actually understand that there are RWS degrees. I think that would be a monumental thing here at SDSU, and also just showcasing that we have an amazing community." 

Austin Moser graduated from SDSU in 2020 with a minor in RWS and a major in biochemistry. Although he was coming into SDSU with a less-than-ideal view of writing as a science major, he cites Linn Bekins’ scientific writing course as the class that changed his perspective, giving him the push to write efficiently and with purpose. Though not his first choice in subject when arriving here at SDSU, within time, Moser quickly grew to love writing, viewing it as a worthwhile challenge that changed the pace of his career as a student. 

While earning a Ph.D. in chemistry at Rice University, Moser’s RWS minor gave him the edge in writing more quickly and efficiently than his peers. “A lot of my peers were very inefficient in their writing … Getting that training helped me have that extra footing in a place where a lot of people tend to struggle in the field,” he said. One of the practices that has stuck with Moser in helping him complete his work more efficiently is to flip his current sentence to restructure it. In this way, Moser is able to cut through the excess and see what is most important to keep in a sentence. He describes this strategy as, “say what’s important, fill in the blanks later.”

Not only did this help Moser as a doctoral student, but it has carried on now in his career as a professor, passing on his own knowledge to his students at Hartnell College. “Being able to convey pretty complicated topics in a way that's accessible for a broad range of people in their reading background and English level really comes down to good writing training.” He recalls a time in which he received the first set of assignments he had given to his students, recalling that he had received very wordy responses. From then on, Moser drew on his RWS minor by placing more effort in his lectures towards teaching students to write effectively.

Moser emphasized how much writing dominates work life. “Writing is the most important tool you'll get professionally,” he said. “You write job applications, you write memos, you write communications, you write emails, you write progress reports, you write for conferences, you write for applications, you write for networking. Every single aspect of your work you write. And if you don't like writing, you're going to have a bad time.” 

Moser further expands on this, by stating that if he were to change anything about how he approached his undergraduate studies, he would have started writing and studying in RWS sooner, for how important it turned out to be in every aspect of his career going forward. As he explained, “I learned through the RWS department how important writing is in the learning process, and used this to my advantage in grad school for success. Now, I am incorporating training in scientific writing for my students.”

As the first ever graduate of the RWS program at SDSU, Suzanne Smith has had nothing but positive experiences and only words of gratitude to give to the department. First entering SDSU as an English graduate student with an emphasis in rhetoric and writing in spring 1994, Smith had been working full time during her tenure as a master’s student, slowly chipping away at her degree until graduating in fall 2001. 

She credited Professor Cezar Ornatowski with supporting her during this time. “I simply would not have completed my degree without Dr. Ornatowski,” she said. “His positive attitude, brilliant mind, good humor, and encouragement enabled me to cross the finish line.” By then, the RWS program had become its own department, and having already completed most of the work necessary to graduate, Smith became its first graduate. “I am so honored and proud to be the first recipient of the M.A. in RWS.” 

In addition to being the first graduate, Smith has brought the program another first in the form of her daughter, Schuyler Smith, who is currently enrolled in the same program. When her daughter was looking to enter the RWS program to complete a master’s degree, it came as a surprise to Smith. At the same time, Smith has benefitted from her time studying technical writing, which is what her daughter is now also studying. Smith said that because of her focus on technical writing, she found no difficulty in finding a job. A degree with a direct specialization in the field that she wanted to enter helped her stand out against other candidates, culminating in a 29-year career as a technical writer. “My degree helped me obtain jobs during extremely difficult times, including the crash of 2009,” Smith said. “The degree gave me credibility in a field that many people ‘fall into.’ It showed that I was focused and concentrated on the field of technical and professional writing.”

Currently, Smith works at ServiceNow as a technical writer. With the recent advent of generative AIs making their way into the public domain, Smith has been hard at work re-envisioning her role as a writer. Taking the opportunity to learn as much as she could about GenAI to stay ahead of the curve, Smith eventually joined an AI council at ServiceNow to determine how it would be best utilized within the company. Smith looks back on her time at SDSU very fondly, with the RWS program setting in motion her career for many years afterwards. “My courses and writing my thesis gave me such a strong foundation for a long career in a field that has changed enormously. At SDSU RWS, I learned how to learn, how to be flexible, how to embrace the latest, and how to master developing technologies.”

Julia Hess, assistant director of the SDSU Writing Center and RWS lecturer, is a crucial part of making sure that the center's operations run smoothly. The SDSU Writing Center welcomes all students to work with tutors on their upcoming writing assignments, and Hess supports both students and tutors in the center. 

When she was an undergraduate student, Hess not only discovered a newfound passion for tutoring at a writing center but also showed interest in the mentoring and training processes for tutors. Her goal was to help them branch out and aid them in pursuing a career in teaching. After graduating from CSU Fullerton with her M.A. in English, Hess knew she wanted to pursue a career in academia. Together, Hess’ teaching experience and writing center background led her to apply for the position of assistant director at the SDSU Writing Center. 

When asked why she thinks the SDSU Writing Center is an important place that supports all students, Hess explained that writing is a social process and critical to how we communicate with other people. “I think it’s really important for students to understand that writing doesn’t happen in a vacuum.” Hess went on to explain that in today’s digital age, with laptops and more advanced technology, social aspects of writing feel removed; students often submit a paper purely for a grade, without much consideration of what they are learning. 

Hess stated that the writing process has become diluted, with more focus being placed on the finished product rather than the process. According to Hess, the writing center functions as a way to slow down the writing process by talking to a person, engaging with them, and receiving feedback on their writing. “It’s so valuable for the student to be able to see that their writing doesn’t just exist,” Hess noted. “When you write, you need to think about who you are writing for? What are you writing and why does it matter?” 

Hess asserted that there needs to be more resistance to what she calls “speeding.” With the advancement of GenAI, Hess strongly feels that platforms such as GenAI tools make everything move faster while taking out the friction of the writing process. While this may be more convenient, especially for busy college students, Hess argues that this is not necessarily more beneficial to their learning. 

Regarding the future of rhetoric and writing studies, Hess wants to see more of a movement toward emphasizing writing as a process, for social action, and for part of building a community in order to tap into a real, tangible perspective. Hess places emphasis on the recognition of both visual and digital rhetoric, arguing that the field of writing studies can be made more compositional through the incorporation of visual studies. Hess emphasizes that strong writing balances both the delivery of the message with the content itself.