AWA Student Spotlight: Leah Marie Silverman

The Writing Center’s Administrative Writing Assistants (AWAs) are at the front line of the writingsupport@waldenu.edu inbox, performing necessary tasks to make the Writing Center run smoothly. Writing Center AWAs are an integral part of the Writing Center as they communicate regularly with students. But, the AWAs are also Walden students, and thus integral to Walden University itself. That’s why we’d like to share some of their stories of academic success, professional accomplishment, social change work, and advice for other Walden students. In this spotlight series, we show our appreciation for all their hard work so that others can be inspired by their stories as well.   

Today's spotlight is on Leah Silverman,

a  student in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences  

Leah Silverman is currently seeking her PhD in Public Policy and Administration. Having completed her coursework, and awaiting approval of her prospectus, she will be working on her dissertation soon. Leah’s moved around the United States since she was a child. While she lives in the Mid-Atlantic region now, she’s lived in the South, Midwest, New England, and the Intermountain West. One thing Leah learned from living in various places across the U.S. is that a person “can find great landscapes, great people, and great food wherever you go.”

We asked Leah to share about her AWA work, tips for students reaching out the Writing Center writingsupport@waldenu.edu inbox, Writing Center resources she uses and values, and how she, as a student, balances life, work, family, and or other responsibilities. Here are her responses:

Walden University Writing Center (WUWC): What do you enjoy about your Administrative Writing Assistance (AWA) work? 

Leah Silverman (LS): I’m so excited about helping other students succeed at Walden. I have had the best experience as a Walden student, and I love giving back to this community.  Getting answers to writing and APA questions may be a small part of students’ experience at Walden, but I hope to provide the information they need to be successful in their academic progress.

WUWC:  What are the most common questions you find in the writingsupport@waldenu.edu in box and what advice / feedback do you provide regarding this question?

LS: Many of the questions I see are related to correctly citing unusual sources. Sometimes a source doesn’t quite fit the template the APA manual provides. Sometimes a reference must be pieced together with different components from multiple templates. The advice I give to students in these circumstances is to remember the purpose the references list serves: guiding your reader back to the source in the most direct, accessible way. Often, putting that into perspective makes it clear how best to cite an otherwise confusing source.

WUWC: What Walden resources have you used and how have they benefited you?

LS: I am very fond of all Walden’s webinars.  Of course, the Writing Center has a huge collection of webinars that focus on everything from brainstorming tips to APA guidelines to paraphrasing and more. As well, the Library, the Career Center, the Academic Skills Center, all have amazing webinars.  Walden has an amazing student support system, and I’ve found the webinars key to accessing all of that information.

WUWC: How do you, as a student, balance life, work, family, and or other responsibilities?

Leah's family

LS: I’m a big fan of my day planner.  I do best when I schedule time in blocks so that I can categorize my responsibilities.  If I allow one hour for housework, then I do as much laundry as I can in that hour, but when time is up, time is up.  If I have scheduled two hours to dissertation research, then I do as much as I can in those two hours, and then I call it quits and move on to the next thing. Admittedly, some days just don’t go according to plan (especially with children who are not concerned with my schedule), and I’ve learned to let it go and try again tomorrow.

Thanks, Leah! We at the Writing Center are lucky to have such a dedicated colleague—you are a true asset to us as part of our Writing Center support team, and we know that students appreciate your work as well.  

The Walden Writing Center provides information and assistance to students with services like live chat, webinars, course visits, paper reviews, podcasts, modules, and the writing center webpages. Through these services they provide students assistance with APA, scholarly writing, and help students gain skills and confidence to enhance their scholarly work. Students can email WritingSupport@waldenu.edu and expect a reply from one of our expert AWAs. 

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