English Major Among Top Student Employees in the Nation

Mollie Bowman‘s final chapter as a College of Charleston undergraduate has proven to be a real page turner! In the past month, the graduating senior was named the School of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) Scholar for the Department of English, the College of Charleston 2022 Student Employee of the Year and one of the National Student Employment Association’s Top 19 student employees in the nation!

On Tuesday, April 12, 2022, the College’s Career Center held its annual Student Employee of the Year reception as part of National Student Employment Week, which is sponsored by the National Student Employment Association (NSEA). There, Bowman was presented with the 2022 Student Employee of the Year Award for her consultant work in the College’s Writing Lab.

“The Writing Lab is so proud of Mollie’s work,” says Bonnie Devet (above left), English professor and director of the Writing Lab, explaining that Bowman has worked in the lab for three years, assisting students with writing assignments from across the curriculum and training her fellow consultants. “Mollie is responsible for helping writers grow intellectually by providing one-to-one help to students who are writing essays, reports or term papers for any course at the College of Charleston. Her achievement reflects what happens when consultants work in the Writing Lab over multiple semesters.”

And Bowman, for her part, has enjoyed every moment of every semester on the job.

Mollie Bowman

“While there are many aspects that I have loved about working as a Writing Lab consultant, my favorite thing about my job has been when clients repeatedly come to work with me over the course of a semester,” says the English major and film studies minor. “In the drop-in lab setting, it is not as common to work consistently with the same client, so I have always appreciated when students actively come to work with me. It is very gratifying to be able to form a relationship with clients and watch their writing improve over the semester.”

As the College’s Student Employee of the Year, Bowman was also a nominee for the NSEA National Student Employee of the Year, which recognizes the outstanding contributions and achievements of student employees. This year, the NSEA honored 19 student workers for their noteworthy contributions. Bowman was the only student worker from a writing lab – or from a school in the state of South Carolina – to be selected.

Devet is not surprised that Bowman was chosen.

“She demonstrates communication and leadership skills by conducting training sessions for fellow consultants and by co-presenting at the International Writing Center Association Conference,” says Devet, noting that – since Bowman began working in the Writing Lab in 2019 – she has conducted over 100 consultations with all kinds of students, adjusting her methods accordingly. She “demonstrates empathy and intellectual rigor as she assists students writing papers across the curriculum. She can adjust to any student’s level of learning and speak with any student.”

“Being able to consult all types of students has truly opened my eyes, and I feel that I have been able to improve my writing, communication and leadership skills,” says Bowman, who plans to pursue her M.A. in early modern British literature at Penn State in the fall, with the goal of teaching at the college level. “The Writing Lab offers a space for both clients and consultants to learn from each other. I feel I have contributed to this and made many clients feel more confident in their writing abilities.”

And, in turn, she feels more confident in her own.

“I have not only had the privilege to help others with their work but also to grow as a writer myself,” says Bowman, who last month presented her paper, “‘But He Knew Well Enough’: Uncovering the Queerness of Stephen King’s It” at the annual Wake Forest University Student Research Symposium on Gender and Sexuality. “Each client introduces me to a new way to think about and approach writing. Finally, this job has put me in a position where I feel comfortable transitioning into the college classroom as I start working as a graduate assistant this fall.”

And, with that kind of momentum, Bowman’s next chapter could almost write itself!