Hello (again!)

Happy fall semester all! My name is Susie Mendez, and I’m the new(-ish) Writing Coordinator in the Tutoring Center. I’ve been in this role since February 2024. I want to take the time at the start of the new semester and school year to introduce myself to you all.

I am a CLC native; I went straight to CLC out of high school because I knew I wanted to get a degree in something, but I didn’t know what that was straight out of high school. I knew CLC was a good place for me to feel things out. I initially signed up to pursue a career in mortuary sciences, but I quickly changed career paths after taking my first creative writing course. At the end of the semester, my instructor recommended the whole class to apply to be writing tutors, and that one decision changed the course of my education and career for the better.

I appreciate CLC’s commitment to providing life-changing paths for its diverse students. I can vouch for the effectiveness of the college’s mission because CLC and the Tutoring Center changed the trajectory of my life, education, and career. Becoming a peer tutor at CLC’s Tutoring Center in 2011 changed the trajectory of my life in ways I did not think possible when I started college in 2010. Because of my educational foundation at CLC and the Tutoring Center, I obtained a bachelors, Masters, and certificate degrees at DePaul University. I was also able to teach abroad in China for 10 months after completing my master’s degree, where my tutoring background was key in helping me develop courses and materials to teach English to college students. I truly understand the transformative work CLC, the Tutoring Center, the faculty and staff, and countless other student support services has done for me and will continue to do for others. I am eternally thankful to be able to give back to the college and community that did so much for me as a student.

We have a fun, event packed fall semester that we hope you all enjoy. I look forward to the opportunity to work with CLC’s students, faculty, and staff. I hope the work the center continues to do is as transformative to you all as it was (and will continue to be) for me.