What Students Say:
English 15, 30, 50, CAS/English 137-138
“Very informative and personable. I would love to have more similar presentations in the future.”
“Very helpful [to learn] about everyday communication in the workplace.”
“The speaker was really honest and willing to talk to us. His advice and experiences helped me think about how I write (especially when he talked about writing with your own voice) and why I write. His passion for writing was obvious and infectious. Best of all, he was hilarious!”
“The speaker talked a lot about reflection on her own personal writing, which got me thinking a lot about going back to review my writing from the past to see how I can make it stronger/what needs [to be] fixed.”
English 202A, 202B, 202C, 202D
“The presentation helped me understand how important professional writing is, and it was helpful with advice for jobs and interviews.”
“It really helpful to hear how the lessons we learned [in class] directly applied to a business environment and especially from someone with so much experience.”
“I realized how important communication is even in a technical job.”
“The content of the presentation will help me in my future writing because they taught valuable lessons about being professional and formal in writing.”
“This experience gave me a good idea of how I will use skills like writing proposals in my career as an engineer.”
“I really enjoyed this presentation. Outside the classroom, I will benefit from what she was saying about interviews because I thought that portion was extremely helpful.”
(These quotations come from the hundreds of student surveys that the PWI has received throughout the program’s duration.)
What instructors say:
“I enjoyed my PWI guest speaker. She provided personal experience that focused on highlighting the students’ ‘best self’ for career opportunities, transferable skills and professional branding. She brought in sample resumes and cover letters for students to evaluate. I think the students benefited from her knowledge and experience.” –English 202D Instructor, Spring 2018
“This was a GREAT experience. I felt that the speaker’s expertise meshed well with my assignment. My students were pretty wowed when they heard that he was a campaign manager for a county commissioner, especially when they heard that the counter commissioners manage a budget of 97 million dollars. My students were receptive, inquisitive, and polite. I would like to use this speaker again in the future, as well as browse the selection of other speakers.” –CAS 137/ENGL 138 Instructor, Spring 2018
“Thank you for bringing this speaker to us as she was down-to-earth, sincere speaker who brought the ‘real world’ value of proposals to my classrooms. In fact, I believe students have a better appreciation about how the proposal will fit into their careers, from both grant writing and bidding for jobs as well as entrepreneurial business decisions.” –English 15 Instructor, Fall 2017
“My guest speaker was a great addition to the beginning of our class session. She spoke about her experience working in the President’s office and collaborating with a team of other writers and professionals to craft a message that was clear and stayed true to the tone that particular communication should achieve. She also spoke of her experience in discovering her strengths through professional and career development, and her approach to work-school-life balance; I think my students found the discussion of these elements the most helpful and engaging of her visit.” –202B Instructor, Fall 2016
“I had a great visit from my guest speaker. I love the fact that he makes the students write. I would encourage other PWI visitors to demand this of students, rather than just get up and talk about their own experiences.” –202B Instructor, Fall 2014
“I and I think my students as well benefited from the highly interactive manner of the guest speaker’s presentation. He engaged the students in re-writing some examples of ineffectual prose in the workplace, reinforcing in this way principles of reader-centered rhetoric essential to my whole approach in English 202B.” –202B Instructor, Spring 2012