She’s a listener, a matchmaker, and a former magazine writer. There are a few things that will likely surprise you as you get to know Roy Jo Sartin, who most recently added fellowships coordinator to her previous role as Writing Center specialist.
What do your positions entail?
Half-time, I am the Writing Center specialist, and I work with students on high-stakes writing projects like theses and applications; I also teach writing-related workshops and adjuncts, such as a grant writing adjunct this fall. This past year, I became the half-time fellowships coordinator. My goal in that position is to help connect students with advisors and resources related to the different fellowships, scholarships, and grants that are available to them. I also offer feedback to the students on their applications for fellowships and grants. To get started, I took inspiration from President Tiefenthaler and did a year of listening: I tried to understand what the current process looked like, what advisors are doing, what they want to be able to do, what students’ experiences look like, and how it could work better for them. This summer I’m developing some robust outreach and support programs for next year.
How do you think your new position as fellowships coordinator will impact CC?
I think my position is going to provide a 35,000-foot view of the process. There are amazing advisors for all of these opportunities, and there are terrific students that fit these opportunities. But if they don’t connect with each other, students might graduate not knowing they could’ve pursued certain opportunities. So I’m hoping that I, in this position, can help connect and support those advisors and students. I’ve done a little bit of that in the first year, so I’m hoping to step it up next year and develop some specific processes to make those connections easier.
What do you bring to this job?
I think that my background as a consultant in writing centers and as a magazine writer is very useful in two ways: writing and listening. A major component of any fellowship application is the essay, so I can provide support and feedback to the writer. The other thing is that journalists and writing center consultants are trained as listeners and interviewers. Because of that, I can listen to the goals and needs of students and advisors, and then think about how to get there.
Where and what was your work before CC?
I worked in magazines as a writer and editor for several years. Then I taught history in K-12 and at the university level. I have also worked in writing centers at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs and at Colorado State University-Pueblo.
What are some personal or professional experiences you’ve had, either at CC or outside of CC, that play into your current role?
Let me tell you a story. At the first magazine I worked for, the editor wanted to create a new section of the magazine with short stories told in a whimsical way. This was not a humorous magazine at all. It was a western lifestyle magazine with event coverage, personality profiles, and how-to articles. It was very helpful, but not funny. My editor wanted to add this whimsical section to reach a younger demographic of readers. What was interesting was that it was a huge hit, but not just with younger readers. Other readers, especially retirees, started sending in story ideas for the section. It showed us that, in communication, it is very important to think both about your goals and about the desires of all members of your audience. This applies to fellowships and grant writing, to make a connection between desires and expectations from the sending and receiving ends.
Who/what has had the biggest influence on you?
First, my mother has the ability to talk to anyone whether she knows them or not. I try to emulate that. She has a way of putting people at ease and to meeting people where they are and having a conversation. Second, my first editor taught me that there’s more than one way to tell the same story. She read the first article I wrote for her, called me into her office, and circled two paragraphs of the article. She said, “This is awesome. Get rid of everything else and retell the story from the perspective of these two paragraphs.” It blew my mind that changing the perspective could change the takeaway message of a story. The last one would be my supervisor at the Writing Center at UCCS, who taught to me ask questions to help others work their way to their own realizations. This is really key to supporting fellowship applicants, because the process can be so transformative for students in discovering connections between their education, motivations, and desires for the future.
What have you noticed about CC?
It feels like people have genuine connections with each other in this community, connections that go beyond the classroom or just one meeting. Every connection that is made here is real and gets strengthened over time. That’s something really interesting about CC because I’ve witnessed that at other schools but only in much smaller contexts within the school. Here at CC, the whole community feels like a cohesive unit, where you keep making connections with different people and the connections strengthen the whole community.
Tell us a little it about your background?
I grew up in Texas and am named after my grandfather. I received a bachelor of arts in history from Texas Tech University, then worked for several years as a magazine journalist and as a wedding photographer. I started in writing center work during graduate studies for my master’s degree in history at UCCS.
What do you like to do when you’re not working?
I like to read, watch movies, ride bikes, and travel.
Wild Card: What is something people don’t know about you?
I got married at a 14th century castle in Scotland. Scotland is one of the few places in Europe where you can get married without a residence permit. Its most famous wedding location is Gretna Green, which has attracted couples from England, like Lydia Bennet and the despicable Wickham in Jane Austen’s “Pride & Prejudice,” for centuries.
