SE students learn skills though writing about heritage

Chan Mon/ reporter

SE Campus students were shown Oct. 30 how to use their heritage to get a start toward writing for whatever profession they may enter.

Juan J. Araujo, faculty member at the University of North Texas at Dallas and a member of the National Writing Project, told students at Writing Your Heritage: Part II that writing about oneself can bring confidence.

“Writing what your heritage is, writing about yourself, writing about who you are and the people you most like to talk about — yourself, your family and your friends — these personal narrative writings will improve academic writing, and I think that is the key,” he said.

Araujo said writing is an important tool for learning and inquiry. He also urged students to validate and gain proficiency about particular subjects to address a range of audiences.

“Writing helps to sort things out, persuades others, make you a better reader and prepares you for study, career and life,” he said.

Araujo said that elementary and secondary schools focus primarily on grammar while colleges and universities focus on content. He suggested students practice the writing typical of their majors and the workplaces they will enter. He said students should seek opportunities to revise their work based on meaningful feedback from teachers.

“It is important for a student to know where are you going and where are you from,” said SE librarian Liliana Cano, the event coordinator. “I wanted the students not to be scared of writing and to realize it can be fun and they can learn a lot about themselves.”