Student interview for Place-Based WAC/WID writing instruction in Upper Divison English, clip 5 of 10

Abstract

Brief excerpt from interview: Probably [my strongest skill in writing] would be I'm a very passionate writer about things I know about. My moʻolelo and my personal connection to the place were my two most successful writing pieces, I feel, because I knew so much about it. I'm someone who likes to pull their writing from personal experience. Candace likes to do a lot of peer editing and I feel that also makes you more successful, because being so close to a subject you tend to overlook things, so people ask you 'What is channelization? Define this. Define that,' so when I wrote my final product... I think it helped better my writing. [Writing is successful] if it moves someone to do something. If it moves someone to learn about, not even Makiki Stream, but maybe a controversy in their own area, that's what motivates me to write. So that somebody will take action. When you take Candace's class, I never considered myself an activist, but you always leave every class thinking 'I am gonna do something about this! I never knew it happened, but now I am gonna go fight. I'm gonna call my legislation.' Her students are motivated to take action. They're inspired through her teaching to find out more about place and even if you don't go and wave and hold signs and fight for a place, just by having that knowledge and passing it on to others like she's passed it on to you is success for her.