Meet the Staff
Jaclyn Wells, Director
Jaclyn received a Ph.D. in English (Rhetoric and Composition) from Purdue University in 2010. Her book, Partners in Literacy: A Writing Center Model for Civic Engagement (co-authored with Allen Brizee), describes a three-year engagement project involving the Purdue OWL and two adult literacy organizations in Lafayette, Indiana. Jaci has directed the UWC since 2012. She is SafeZone certified. You can read more about her on the Department of English website.
Fun Facts: To date, Jaclyn has never lost a game of Seinfeld trivia. Her corgi mix, Travis, is Instagram famous.
Brianna Carnley, Program Administrator
Bri graduated from UAB in April 2022. Her major was English with a concentration in creative writing and her minor was Philosophy. Before becoming the Program Administrator, she worked as a tutor for the UWC during her senior year. She is also a graduate student at UAB pursuing a Master’s of English.
Fun Facts: Her favorite musicians of all time are Florence and the Machine and Hozier; however, she’s been into rock and metal music more recently, specifically Måneskin, Ghost, Bad Omens, and Sleep Token.
Anaya, Graduate Tutor
Anaya is a first-year graduate student studying English Rhetoric and Composition. She received her BA in Communications with a specialization in Public Relations and a minor in Professional Writing from UAB in 2022. After completing the graduate program, Anaya hopes to teach English in higher education.
Fun Facts: Anaya has two dogs, Theodore and Margot, and a cat named Maeve, who take up most of her free time. When she’s not busy taking them on walks and vacuuming their fur from every crevice in her house, she can usually be found thrifting, watching tv, or listening to the same four songs on repeat.
Anna, Graduate Tutor
Anna is a first-year graduate student specializing in literature. She holds a B.A. in English and Political Science from the University of Alabama and has a passion for assisting with all forms of writing. Anna's love for literature knows no bounds, and her favorites range from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire to Jane Eyre.
Fun Facts: Anna is an avid baker, a Swiftie, and an enneagram 7. She has two cats, Marcus and King Julian, who are her entire world.
Anoushka, Undergraduate Tutor
Anoushka is a sophomore student majoring in English with a focus in literature. She plans to minor in either Japanese or art. One day, she hopes to find her footing as a sports journalist.
Fun Facts: She loves watching silly little cartoons (specifically, Avatar: the Last Airbender) and attending UAB basketball games.
Clay, Graduate Tutor
Clay is a first-year English M.A. student concentrating in Literature. He received his B.A. in English with a concentration in Creative Writing and a minor in Psychology from Samford University in 2023. Since then, Clay gathered experience in teaching English and Reading Comprehension across multiple grade levels and continued to work on writing and editing any number of his various poems and short stories.
Fun Facts: A true jack-of-all-trades, Clay is an amateur blacksmith, a proficient drummer, a massive fantasy nerd, and a half-decent fisherman. His favorite movie is A Knight’s Tale, and his favorite book (right now) is Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury.
EG, Undergraduate Tutor
EG is a senior double majoring in English literature and secondary education. Her dream is to teach high school English in her 1920s themed classroom. EG loves to read just about anything and equally loves writing about them!
Fun Facts: EG has stayed in F. Scott Fitzgerald house, and she was president of the UAB Ballroom Dance Society for two years!
Gracie, Undergraduate Tutor
Gracie has worked as a Psychology and English tutor for three years. After taking a Psychology class during her first year of college, she fell in love with the field. Gracie hopes to graduate and pursue a career that will allow her to advocate for teen mental health within school systems.
Fun Facts: Gracie loves plants and has pet snails! She has 20+ snails with the largest being the size of your palm.
Kayla, Undergraduate Tutor
Kayla is an undergraduate student double-majoring in English and Secondary Education. She is currently pursuing her bachelor's in hopes of becoming an English Language Arts teacher after she graduates.
Fun Facts: Kayla is a Pisces (whatever that means) and enjoys fishkeeping. When she's not fretting over her hypersensitive German shepherd mix, she's visiting pet stores and making huge plans for her modest freshwater tank.
Lauren, Adjunct Tutor
Lauren earned her M.A. in English Literature from UAB and now works for UAB's Neonatology division where she assists the faculty with writing and editing. During grad school, she tutored in the UWC and taught English Composition. Lauren loves helping students with all types of papers and projects.
Fun Facts: In her free time, Lauren enjoys a variety of crafts like knitting, crocheting, sewing, and embroidery.
Ligaya, Undergraduate Tutor
Ligaya is a junior Psychology Major and Sociology Minor. He hopes to one day become a Child Psychologist. Ligaya loves all types of literature, but his favorite writing assignments to assist with are presentations, speeches, poems, scholarship & award short answer questions, and analysis/argumentative essays.
Fun Facts: Ligaya loves making art, going thrifting, collecting trinkets, and going to the gym. His current favorite author is Amy Tan.
Macy, Undergraduate Tutor
Macy is a sophomore double majoring in English Literature and Secondary Education. She enjoys rock climbing, reading, and watching movies.
Fun Facts: Macy has published two collections of poetry.
Maria, Graduate Tutor
Maria is an MA student in English focusing on Rhetoric/Composition. She is from south Louisiana and has four years of Writing Center experience under her belt. She is a first-generation student and the first to pursue a Master's in her family. Maria loves helping students piece together their ideas and make them feel confident in their writing!
Fun Facts: Maria is getting married in November! She also loves musical theatre.
Okoli, Graduate Tutor
Okoli Stephen Nonso is a first-year graduate student with a pathway in Creative Writing, specializing in poetry. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. His work explores the poetics of place, history, memory, and cultural identity. His poems have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies. In December 2024, he won the Muse Journal Award for Best Literary Artist of the Year.
Fun Facts: Okoli likes to argue with Chinua Achebe’s characters in his head while pretending Lagos noise is part of the plot.
Reagan, Graduate Tutor
Reagan is a first-year graduate student majoring in English. She received a B.A. In English while minoring in Psychology from Troy University. While studying at Troy, she was able to gain experience in tutoring and is excited to apply those skills in the Writing Center.
Fun Facts: Reagan's favorite book series is the Hunger Games and she is a Tippi Toe's Dance Instructor here in Birmingham teaching ages from 24 months to 5-year-olds.
Reed, Graduate Tutor
Reed is currently a first-year graduate teaching assistant. He graduated from Mississippi State University with a major in English in May 2025. He is originally from Booneville, MS. After graduation he hopes to pursue a PhD In English. He is excited to start working with the other UAB graduate students. He loves all types of literature, but some of his favorite authors are Geoff Johns, Michael Crichton, and Jeph Loeb. He is an avid reader of comic books.
Fun Facts: Reed loves movies. Reed even has a Letterboxd account, and he celebrated five years on the platform with a party! His four favorite films are Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Superman, Back to the Future, and Tarzan. He won Michelle Obama's Kid's State Dinner cooking contest, and he and his parents got to go to the White House and meet President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. He was also a Time for Kid's reporter. He kept reporting during his college career, because he wrote for The Reflector (Mississippi State's student paper). He is a BYX alum.
Roman, Undergraduate Tutor
Roman is a second-year undergrad majoring in Applied Physics with a minor in Creative Writing. His passion for writing arose from the intersection of science and humanities. When not writing or doing physics, he can be found planespotting at Birmingham International Airport or reading by the koi pond at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens.
Fun Facts: He speaks Russian and can play Minecraft songs on the piano.
Tamaa, Graduate Tutor
Tamaa is a first year graduate student in English and the author of two novels. She received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communications Studies (Journalism Major) from the Ghana Institute of Journalism in 2020, and her Bachelor of Laws Degree from the University of Ghana in 2024. She also served as the Director of Communications for the Federation of African Law Students. To Tamaa, sharing the little knowledge she has with others, is a way to get a deeper understanding of things, ideas and perspectives.
Fun Facts: Tamaa is a literary blogger and loves to read fiction. In her spare time, she likes to draw and watch movies. She is a lover of long tennis, and a fitness enthusiast.
Trice, Graduate Tutor
Trice is a first-year English M.A. student concentrating on creative writing. He received his B.S. in English Education at Auburn University in 2022. He spent the next three years teaching ninth-grade English at Auburn Junior High School. In a previous (perhaps future?) life, he worked as a journalist. He can often be found reading, writing, or taking photos of birds.
Fun Facts: His favorite author is Ursula K. Le Guin, and his favorite musician is Adrianne Lenker from the band Big Thief.