I'm Jenn to most people, mom to my three kids, and J to my bestie.
At 23 years old, I was one honest conversation away from giving up my dreams.
I'll never forget the day I sat in Dr.L's office - a prof I had admired since meeting him in my first year - asking for a letter of recommendation to grad school. His response? "I'm not sure a future in academia is a good fit for you."
In that moment, my dreams crumbled before me like a freshly baked pastry puff.
But, I knew what he was talking about. My essays were average. Usually, somewhere in the low-mid 70s. I didn't have too many interesting things to say and, the things I did say, I struggled to articulate clearly.
Fast-forward two years. I returned to university, crushed 7 courses, finished my year with a scholarship-worthy GPA, and had Dr. L write me a glowing letter of recommendation for my grad school application.
And, just because I love a happy ending and this story has one - I'll tell you that after completing my MA in English, Dr. L offered to be my PhD supervisor.
In Illuminations, I share everything I learned from my journey as a struggling undergrad to a high-achieving graduate student - as well as everything I've learned as a personal academic writing tutor over the past 25 years.
AND THAT'S WHY THEY'RE THE GO-TO RESOURCES FOR THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS
I am absolutely in LOVE with this resource!! Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom and being a lifesaver.
SOOOO CLEVER! And, the layout is PERFECT!
I open this every time I have an essay! I use it all the time. It's really helpful.
IT'S TIME TO FLIP THE SCRIPT AND GET YOUR WRITING, YOUR TIME, YOUR GRADES - AND YOUR SANITY - BACK ON TRACK.
WELCOME TO WHERE YOUR
Stick around if you're in the arts, humanities or social sciences. I've got you covered.
As someone who had to take a victory lap in university before being offered a pretty nice scholarship to grad school - I know what it's like to struggle with essays and academic writing.
You spend hours researching, reading, stressing - wishing someone (anyone!) could just explain what you need to do to put an end to last minute writing, frustrating grades, feeling stuck and essay burnout.
Hey! Hello! That's me, Jenn. That's what I do - and have been doing for nearly 25 years.
Whether you're university journey is just about to begin, or you're working towards an advanced degree in grad school, my creatively inspired, personalized and results-focused resources will help you reach your goals - unless you're writing scientific research papers - then my resources probably aren't the best fit.
FORGET TRYING TO FIX THE WORDS ON YOUR PAPER.
REAL CHANGE COMES FROM CHANGING THE THOUGHTS IN YOUR HEAD.
Tony Morrison once said, “If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.” This is why I created Illuminations - because the personal, relatable approach to writing that I needed to help me find my voice and write grad school-worthy essays didn't exist.
Illuminations are about more than just essays. They're about building confidence, clarity and learning to think for yourself. With Illuminations, you'll stop stressing and start owning your essays. We're talking clarity, confidence, and a writing process that actually makes sense.