Implementing the same keywords leads to homogeneity—the exact opposite of what you want in a college application essay.

I’ve seen how these four skills can build student confidence and transform their writing.

I’ve never forgotten Mr. R’s patient guidance as he walked me through the essay basics.

Four years in, I was at a crossroads. I wanted to carve my own path as I worked with young people, earned a comfortable living, and followed my dream of writing—but I wasn’t sure how to do it all.

Voice is connected to personal experience and our ability to make meaning of that experience. In other words, it’s what makes us human.

I tell students that in writing, voice includes details and perspective of our lived experiences, and the meaning we make from them.