Students

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)
  • Sasha Osorio (Education)
  • Anna Peñaloza (Education)
  • Kirsten Schuhmacher (English)
  • Nick Stillman (English)
  • Sydney Sullivan (Education)

Wendah Alvarez

wendah alvarez-wpalvarez

 

 

 

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 001
  • English 115: Approaches to University Writing Teaching Associate 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

Teaching Experience:

  • Writing Center Consultant, 7 years
  • Teaching Assistant: UWP 001, 1 year
  • Associate Instructor: UWP 001
  • Associate Instructor: UWP 007, 1 year

Honors and Awards:

  • GGE Research Fellowship Award (February 2025), UC Davis Committee on Awards and the Graduate Group in Education
  • CCCC Professional Equity Project Grant (December 2024), Conference on College Composition and Communication
  • Emerging Scholar Award (June 2024), National Conference on Peer Tutoring in Writing
  • Spring 2024 Conference Travel Award (April 2024), UC Davis Committee on Awards and the Graduate Group in Education
  • GGE Graduate Program Research Fellowship (May 2023), UC Davis Committee on Awards and the Graduate Group in Education
  • Spring 2023 Conference Travel Award (April 2023), UC Davis Committee on Awards and the Graduate Group in Education
  • Graduate Group in Education First-Year Fellowship Award (March 2022), UC Davis Committee on Admissions and Awards

Presentations:

  • Crull, C. (2025, July). Beyond self-selection: Contradictions between writing centers’ theorized and practiced approaches to building institutional relationships [Conference panel]. International Writing Across the Curriculum Conference, Fort Collins, CO.
  • Crull, C. (2025, April). Beyond self-selection: Contradictions between theorized and practiced writing center relationship-building approaches [Roundtable presentation]. Research Network Forum, Conference on College Composition and Communication, Baltimore, MD.
  • Crull, C., Stillman, N., & Johnson, J. (2024, October). Unpacking the affordances and constraints of AI: Collaborative assessment of an AI feedback tool in the writing center [Conference workshop]. National Conference on Peer Tutoring in Writing, Spokane, WA.
  • Johnson, J., Crull, C., & Stillman, N. (2024, April). Bridging the gap: Developing a centralized writing center at an R1 university [Conference presentation]. Online Writing Centers Association Annual Conference 2024, Virtual conference.
  • Crull, C., Stillman, N., & Johnson, J. (2024, April). The second reader: Testing the efficacy of using AI for additional ‘reader response’ in the writing center [Conference workshop]. International Writing Centers Collaborative @CCCC, Spokane, WA.
  • Crull, C. (2023, November). Beyond the other: Understanding the interplay of language and inclusivity in writing support services [Conference presentation]. National Conference on Peer Tutoring in Writing, Pittsburgh, PA.
  • Crull, C., & Ballard, S. (2019, November). Online tutoring: Effectively connecting with students in the digital age [Conference presentation]. Supplemental Instruction and Tutoring Expo, Fresno City College, CA.
  • Crull, C., & Ballard, S. (2018, November). Returning students: Transitioning students from the corporate world to an academic atmosphere [Conference presentation]. Supplemental Instruction and Tutoring Expo, Reedley College, CA.

Why did I choose the WRaCS DE?

I chose the WRaCS DE because it introduced me to writing studies as a distinct, independent field of scholarship. While I had always appreciated the art of writing and the nuances of rhetorical analysis, I initially understood these as part of literature rather than as a standalone discipline. This DE has allowed me to deepen my understanding of writing, rhetoric, and composition studies while also honing a set of skills that speak to my passions for writing and enrich every aspect of my academic and professional life.

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.

Roxanne Elliott

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.

Education: 

  • BA in Arabic Language & Linguistics (Universidad de Alicante, Spain)
  • MA in Applied Linguistics for teaching Spanish as a FL (Nebrija University, Spain)
  • Ph.D. Student in Spanish Linguistics (UC Davis)

Teaching experience:

  • Lecturer in Spanish Composition & Spanish Applied Linguistics (2015-2019), Cairo University, Egypt
  • Associate Instructor (UC Davis):
    • SPA2 (Fall 24)
    • SPA23 (Spanish Composition I) (Winter 25)
    • SPA21Y (Intermediate Spanish) (Spring 25)
    • UWP1 (Summer 25)
  • Teaching Assistant (UWP, UC Davis):
    • UWP12 (Fall 24 & Winter 25)
    • UWP 106 (Spring 25)


Honors & Awards: 
Provost Fellowship 2023-2024


Publications: 
Sánchez-Gutiérrez, C. H., Minnillo, S., Fernández Mira, P., & Hernández, A. (2024). Prompt response variation in learner corpus research: Implications for data interpretation. Research Methods in Applied Linguistics, 3(3), 100134. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rmal.2024.100134


Why did you choose the DE in Writing, Rhetoric, and Composition Studies?

I chose the D.E. in Writing, Rhetoric, and Composition Studies because it closely aligns with my academic and professional interests in multilingual, L2, and heritage writing. As someone passionate about teaching language and writing, I wanted structured opportunities to explore how multilingual students develop as writers and how best to support them. The D.E. has allowed me to engage more deeply with theories of L2 writing and has significantly enriched both my research and my teaching practices.

Julia Houk

Email Address: jghouk@ucdavis.edu

Home Department: Education

Research Interests: Arts education, drama, writing pedagogies, visual rhetorics

Beshara Kehdi

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: Developmental writing, response and assessment, instructor-student conferencing, student-faculty relationships, critical pedagogy, and 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

Why did you choose the DE in Writing, Rhetoric, and Composition Studies?

The DE in WRACS is a great complement to the Education PhD, as I can pursue my research interests as a budding writing studies scholar while also receiving substantive training in qualitative and quantitative research methods.

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: Social Justice WPA/GWPAing, Anti-racist rhetoric & writing curriculum development, linguistic justice,  digital rhetoric & writing,  trauma-informed approaches to first-year writing & research, and sociocultural theory.

My research primarily focuses on developing anti-racist writing classrooms through curricular and pedagogical strategies that address the inherent racist, classist, and oppressive elements of orthodox American thinking. Additionally, I aim to fill a gap in the literature by examining how the intersection of antiracist teaching practices, contemporary events, and digital literacy influences and shapes students' writing.

Education:

  • A.S. Emphasis Biology, Truckee Meadows Community College
  • B.A. in English with a Minor in Creative Writing and Biology, University of Nevada, Reno
  • M.A. in English with an emphasis in Public Engagement and Rhetoric and Composition Studies, University of Nevada, Reno

Teaching Experience:

  • Writing Center Consultant: UC Davis Writing Center, January 2025 to Current
  • Instructor: UC Davis UWP1, September 2024 to Current
  • Instructor of Record: University of Nevada, Reno, January 2022 to January 2024
    • English 101
    • English 102
  • Supplemental Instructor: Truckee Meadows Community College
    • Math 095
    • Math 096
    • Biology 190A
    • Biology 191A

Why did you choose the DE in Writing, Rhetoric, and Composition Studies?

I chose UC Davis WRaCS because the department and university provide a diverse educational environment and student body, allowing me to engage in rhetoric and composition research from a refreshing perspective.

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

Education:

  • PhD Candidate in Education, UC Davis
    • Language, Literacy, and Culture Emphasis and Writing, Rhetoric, and Composition Designated Emphasis
  • M.A. in Language Teaching, Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia
  • B.S. in Environmental Science with an emphasis in Biology, University of Arizona

Teaching Experience:

  • University Writing Program Lower Division Courses (UWP 001) Instructor, UC Davis (Fall 2024, Winter 2025, Spring 2025)
  • EDU 253: Bilingual Methods Teaching Assistant, UC Davis (March 2023 - June 2023)
  • Graduate Student Researcher, Hispanic Serving Institution, Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, UC Davis (December 2022 - July 2023)
  • Adjunct Professor, Research Seminar, Master's in Language Teaching, Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia, Tunja, Colombia (February 2021 - May 2022)
  • Academic Writing Instructor, Instituto Internacional de Idiomas, Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia, Tunja, Colombia (October 2017 – May 2022)

Honors and Awards:

  • UC Davis Graduate Group in Education Academic Distinction 2024
  • UC Davis Graduate Research Mentorship Fellowship Award Recipient 2023-2024
  • UC Davis Graduate Group in Education First-Year Fellowship Award 2022-2023
  • UPTC Summa Cum Laude Master's Dissertation Distinction Award

Presentations:

  • Peñaloza, A. (2025, April 10). Hermanas Escritoras: Autohistoria Mixtapes of Undergraduate Chicana/Latinas in STEM. [Presenter], Conference on College Composition and Communication, Baltimore, Maryland.
  • Anderson-Thompson, A. S., Peñaloza, A., Camacho-Gutierrez, C., & Martinez, T. (2024, April 11). The Liberation, Decolonization, and Abolition (LDA) Collective: Testimonios that Collectively Theorize LDA From the Flesh. [Roundtable Presenter], American Education Research Association, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
  • Peñaloza, A. (2024, April 13). Hermanas Escritoras: Writing Our Autohistorias in First Year Composition University Writing Courses. [Presenter], Conference on College Composition and Communication, Spokane, Washington.
  • Peñaloza, A. (2023, December 8). Studies of the self: Re-Claiming our Spirit Through Autoethnography and Autohistoria [Presenter], EdGSA Speaker Series, University of California, Davis.
  • Peñaloza, A., Carrola, M., & Caporale, N. (2023, November 3). Promoting Equity in STEM Classrooms: Practicing Culturally Responsive Feminist Pedagogy [Presenter]. American Association of Colleges and Universities, Arlington, Virginia.
  • Peñaloza, A. (2023, September 22). Studies of the Self: Claiming our Spirit Through Autoethnography, Autohistoria, and Self-Study [Panelist]. 23rd Teacher’s Moot, Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia, Tunja, Colombia.
  • Peñaloza, A. (2023, September 23). Femtorship and Community-Based Participatory Research: A Feminist Praxis to Research [Panelist]. 23rd Teacher’s Moot, Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia, Tunja, Colombia.
  • Peñaloza, A. & Rallón, A. (2023, September 22). STEAM Up: An Introduction to STEAM Education in Higher Education Language Learning [Presenter]. 23rd Teacher’s Moot, Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia, Tunja, Colombia.
  • Peñaloza, A. & Gonzalez, C. M. (2023, September 23). Student-Parent Experiences in a Graduate Language Teaching Program in Colombia [Presenter]. 23rd Teacher’s Moot, Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia, Tunja, Colombia.
  • Camacho-Gutiérrez, C., Martinez, I., & Peñaloza, A. (2023). Portraits of the Self: Pláticas on art as an act of self-preservation, radical healing, and love [Presenter]. Politics of Care, El Centro, University of California, Santa Cruz.

Why did you choose the DE in Writing, Rhetoric, and Composition Studies?

I started writing in order to survive, but I became a writer to tell my story. I am a first-generation U.S.-born Colombiana. Growing up, I always heard my mother say she was a bad writer, and one of the reasons she thought this was because of the negative comments she received in her first-year composition course. When I entered college, I started to internalize that I was a bad writer, too. I experienced the conflict between the writer I wanted to be and the writer I was supposed to be in academia. Later on, as a language and research educator in Colombia, I experienced my students saying the same thing about themselves. What is it about college writing that can feel so isolating and uninviting, especially for multilingual writers in academia?


As I share with my students, writing was never a path I deliberately chose. It chose me, and it keeps choosing me over and over again to fight for our right to express ourselves. In the WRaCS DE, I have found a community of scholars and peers who have listened to and uplifted my story and those I carry with me. I have been invited to spaces where decisions are made and curriculum is transformed in the community. I have also found other amazing people who are advocating for and pushing back against the systems that oppress multilingual writers. My experience in the WRaCS DE has helped me grow as a person and educator to write/right the wrongs that students experience in college writing courses.

Nick Stillman 

Email Address: nstillman@ucdavis.edu

Home Department: English

Research Interests: Speculative fiction, writing centers, digital writing technologies

Sydney Sullivan 

Sydney Sullivan

Email Address: scsullivan@ucdavis.edu

Home Department: Education

Research Interests: Writing & wellbeing, digital literacies, critical media literacy, social media