About Us
Developing the ability to communicate in a clear, organized, and effective way is a central goal of the liberal arts education at Hamilton. To help all students strengthen their writing abilities, the College established the Nesbitt-Johnston Writing Center in 1987. The central focus of the Center’s services for students is peer review provided through writing conferences.
The Writing Center is named in honor of George L. Nesbitt (1903-1985), Professor of English from 1930 to 1973, and Thomas McNaughton Johnston (1904-1986), Professor of English from 1934 to 1972. Demanding and inspiring teachers, they helped two generations of Hamilton students to write thoughtful, coherent, clear, and sometimes elegant prose. Professor Nesbitt, who chaired the Department of English from 1952 to 1968, was instrumental in establishing the English composition sequence; Professor Johnston, the principal author of Hamilton’s Essentials of English Usage style guide, was known for his own graceful style, which his best students aspired to emulate. Together they constructed the foundation for Hamilton’s present reputation as an institution that teaches and values effective writing.
Meet our tutors
Student Assistants
Kaja Bielecka ’21
Kaja is a senior sociology major born and raised in Poland (Poland, Europe, not Poland, N.Y. — a distinction they never thought they’d have to stress). They enjoy random photoshoots with friends, the metric system, and pineapple on pizza. They hope to publish a poetry collection one day, so look out for that!
Sam Foley ’21
Sam is a World Politics major from Needham, MA. He recently spent his entire junior year off campus as a member of the Hamilton NYC Program in the fall and then abroad in Prague for the (shortened) spring semester. He enjoys traveling with his friends and family and rooting for all the Boston sports teams. On campus, Sam is a former football player and one of the heads of the Finance Club.
Jahmali Matthews ’22
Jahmali is a junior from Boston, Massachusetts aspiring to major in sociology and creative writing. On campus, she is an editor of Culture Magazine and is involved in the Caribbean Students Association. She hopes to publish a poetry collection.
Ian Nduhiu ’22
Ian is a junior from Kenya. He is currently a computer science major and prospective statistics minor. When not buried under computer science projects, he likes to write poetry and play FIFA.
Caitlin Stern ’21
Caitlin is a sociology major from Connecticut. She has a passion for squash (the sport not the vegetable), played on the Women’s squash team for two years, and encourages everyone to give it a try. At Hamilton, her favorite season is fall because the weather is not too hot or cold, the foliage is beautiful, and there are plenty of fun fall activities upstate New York has to offer.
Megan Taruc ’21
Megan is a biology major who is interested in epigenetics and microbes! She likes collecting stickers, and her favorite play is Richard II.