“The peer-to-peer aspect makes the process especially valuable,” Gersch says.
Gersch applied to work in the Writing Center during his sophomore year. After cultivating his love for writing through his high school newspaper, he wanted to explore the writing process further in college. Working as a tutor seemed like the perfect way to do it, because the job combines his passion for helping others with his interest in learning new things.
“At Hamilton, you can only take so many classes, but tutoring exposes me to classes and ideas I never would have seen otherwise,” Gersch says.
Gersch knows that he will leave Hamilton with lifelong, fundamental writing skills, as will the students who learn from tutors like him. Today, these tutors are supported by an endowment established by Paul and Ursula Lowerre whose daughter, Cornelia ’09, struggled with writing until she visited the Writing Center. Thanks to her tutors, who were volunteers at the time, Cornelia’s writing improved dramatically. The Lowerres expressed their gratitude by ensuring that Hamilton students would continue to receive exceptional writing help through a paid tutoring program.
“We saw the results and the importance of the Writing Center firsthand, and it was wonderful to create an opportunity to reward tutors materially and make the time they commit of even more value to them and, in turn, the students they help,” Paul says. “We think these writing skills will make a big difference in students’ lives no matter what they go on to do.”
Because Hamilton
The Because Hamilton campaign provides opportunities for students to collaborate with and learn from each other, whether that's in the classroom, on the stage, on the field of play, or through campus resources such as the Writing Center.
(Note: This story first appeared in the College’s 2022 Impact report.)
