Current Students
As you'll see from the profiles below, the doctoral students pursuing a designated emphasis in Writing, Rhetoric, and Composition Studies at UC Davis have a wide range of interests and expertise.
- Wendah Alvarez (Native American Studies)
- Ana Castellon (Education)
- Chloe Crull (Education)
- Garrett DeHond (Education)
- Sanjana Dhamankar (Education)
- Roxanne Elliott (Education)
- Andrea Hernandez (Spanish)
- Julia Houk (Education)
- Beshara Kehdi (Cultural Studies)
- Casey Manogue (Education)
- Sophia Minnillo (Linguistics)
- Mikenna Modesto (Education)
- Sasha Osorio (Education)
- Anna Peñaloza (Education)
- Kirsten Schuhmacher (English)
- Nick Stillman (English)
- Sydney Sullivan (Education)
Wendah Alvarez
Email Address: wpalvarez@ucdavis.edu
Home Department: Native American Studies
Research Interests: Native American literature, poetry, social justice, humanizing research, indigenous pedagogies, language studies, poetic rhetorics, and genre writing
Education:
- A.S. Nursing, Natural Science and Biological Science, Sierra College
- A.A. in English and Humanities, Sierra College
- B.A. in English with Minor in Native American Studies, UC Davis
- M.A. in Native American Studies, UC Davis
Teaching Experience:
- Teaching Assistant: UC Davis Winter and Spring Quarter SY 2017-18, NAS 01.
- Associate Instructor: NAS 5 SY 2018-19.
- Guest lecturer:
- Sierra College: Intro to Ethnic Studies
- UC Davis: NAS 188 and NAS 01 SQ 18.
Why did you choose the DE in Writing, Rhetoric, and Composition Studies?
I'm interested in the rhetorical moves in literature and how it has been used to perpetuate the diminutive perception of the oral tradition. With that being said, I am also interested in composition pedagogy that invites emerging English speaking students to write.
Ana Castellon
Email Address: acastellon@ucdavis.edu
Home Department: Education
Research Interests: Students' Voices and Identities in FYC, Rhetoric and Composition, Sense of Belonging in Academia, Writing Across the Curriculum and Multilingual Writing, Anti Racist Writing Pedagogies, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Within the Classroom, and Music Infused Pedagogies.
Education:
B.A. in English World Literature with Minor in Women's Studies, University of California, Los Angeles.
M.A. in English: Rhetoric and Composition, California State University, Northridge.
Teaching Experience:
Teaching Assistant: UC Davis Fall Quarter 2024 UWP 1
Teaching Associate: English 115: Approaches to University Writing. 2022-2024
Supplemental Instruction Leader: University 60: Approaches to University Writing. 2022-2024
English Tutor 2014-2022
Honors and Awards:
Sally Casanova Scholar 2023-2024
AGEP Student Success Conference Best Presenter Award 2024
UC Davis Envision Recipient 2023-2024
Associated Students Scholarship 2023-2024
Alumni Association First Generation Scholarship 2023-2024
Associated Students Dr. James W. Cleary and Mary Cleary Scholarship 2023-2024
Presentations
“Students’ Voice/Identity through Writing.” 2024 Southern Regional Composition Conference (SRCC). Oklahoma City Community College, 2024.
“Students’ Voice/Identity through Writing.” Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP) Student Success Conference. Michigan State University, 2023.
Why did you choose the DE in Writing, Rhetoric, and Composition Studies?
I chose the DE in Writing, Rhetoric and Composition because I'm interested in researching and guiding the students in bringing their voices and identities within the first-year composition classrooms. Research shows that allowing students' voices and identities to come through their writing gives students a sense of belonging within academia. I also want to improve pedagogical practices in the discipline of Writing Studies.
Chloe Crull
Email Address: cvcrull@ucdavis.edu
Home Department: Education
Research Interests: Writing centers, peer tutors, writing pedagogy
Education: B.A., English, UC Berkeley, 2022
Garrett DeHond
Email Address: gdehond@ucdavis.edu
Home Department: School of Education
Research interests: Second language writing, feedback and revision, first-year composition, technology and writing
Education:
B.A., English; Temple University, 2003
M.Ed., Education, TESOL; Turabo University @ Penn State - Abington, 2012
Teaching Experience:
- K-12 ESL, Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, South Korea (2007 - 2009)
- 7-12 English Language Arts, School District of Philadelphia (2009 - 2012)
- University Writing Program, UC Davis (2013 - 2014)
- Institute for Language Education and Research, SeoulTech (2014 - Present)
Why did you choose the DE in Writing, Rhetoric, and Composition?
Second language writing in first-year composition is my chief research interest here at UCD. The WRACS DE allows for multidisciplinary exposure to both theory and practice within my interest areas. I also feel fortunate to be surrounded by brilliant minds in the faculty and graduate student body associated with WRACS, both of which will be valuable assets for developing my academic career.
Sanjana Dhamankar
Email Address: ssdhamankar@ucdavis.edu
Home Department: Education
Research Interests: Argumentation in science writing, STEM education, Biology.
Education:
Roxanne Elliott
Email Address: rmelliott@ucdavis.edu
Home Department: Education
Research Interests: Second language writing
Education:
- MA in Translation & MA in TESOL
Middlebury Institute of International Studies, Monterey, CA - BA in Foreign Languages & Art History
Scripps College, Claremont, CA
Andrea Hernandez
Email Address: ndhernandez@ucdavis.edu
Home Department: Spanish
Research Interests: Spanish linguistics, second language writing, heritage speakers, language pedagogy.
Julia Houk
Email Address: jghouk@ucdavis.edu
Home Department: Education
Research Interests: Arts education, drama, writing pedagogies, visual rhetorics
Beshara Kehdi
Email Address: bwkehdi@ucdavis.edu
Home Department: Cultural Studies
Research Interests: Arab American history, third world student and social movements, ethnic studies education, curricula and teaching training, digital media production and literacies
Education:
- Critical Languages Scholarship-Tangier, Morocco, Arabic, 2019
- City College of San Francisco- Audio and Video for the Web Certificate, 2016
- Middlebury Language Schools- Summer Intensive Arabic Program, 2015
- B.A. University of Oregon, Eugene OR- History and Comparative Literature, Minors: Political Science and Religious Studies, 2012
- Oxford Seminars, Eugene, OR- TESOL/TESL/TEFL Certification, 2012
Teaching Experience: Global History, Asian American Cultural Studies, Asian American History, History of Childhood in America, Film Studies and Filmmaking, Arab and Asian American Media Justice, and more.
Why did you choose the DE in Writing, Rhetoric, and Composition? When I came to UC Davis, I wanted to find a program that paired both practical training with useful conceptual frameworks to help me use and think about writing as a tool for liberation. WRaCS allowed me to take classes I was passionate about, meet and work with amazing faculty, and get credit for a sub-speciality all in one.
Casey Manogue
Email Address: cgmanogue@ucdavis.edu
Home Department: Education
Research Interests:
writing program administration, response and assessment, developmental writing, writing instruction at the two-year college, technological approaches to writing instruction, writing about writing, academic source use, contract grading, universal design for learning, writing center studies
Education:
M.A. in English, California State University, Long Beach, 2021
B.A. in English, University of California, Riverside, 2013
Teaching Experience:
UC Davis: Teaching Assistant, UWP 1
Sophia Minnillo
Email Address: smminnillo@ucdavis.edu
Home Department: Linguistics
Research Interests: Second Language Acquisition, Applied Linguistics, Learner Corpus Research, Spanish Linguistics, French Linguistics
Education:
- M.A. in Linguistics, University of California, Davis, 2022
- B.A. in Linguistics, Emory University, 2020
- B.A. in French Studies, Emory University, 2020
Sasha Osorio
Email Address: slosorio@ucdavis.edu
Home Department: Education
Research Interests:
Anna Penaloza
Email Address: acpenaloza@ucdavis.edu
Home Department: Education
Research Interests: writing in the sciences, Chicanx studies, the impact of academic writing on undergraduate women in STEM
Mikenna Modesto
Email Address: mlsims@ucdavis.edu
Home Department: Education
Research Interests: Contract grading, writing pedagogies, writing program administration
Nick Stillman
Email Address: nstillman@ucdavis.edu
Home Department: English
Research Interests: Speculative fiction, writing centers, digital writing technologies
Sydney Sullivan
Email Address: scsullivan@ucdavis.edu
Home Department: Education
Research Interests: Writing & wellbeing, digital literacies, critical media literacy, social media