I am currently working as a sales associate at a Seattle Goodwill store, but my wife and I are originally from the Chicagoland area and will be moving back this summer to take care of her aging grandmother. I am enrolled in the Literature and Culture MA at Northeastern Illinois University for the fall. I would love to work as an editor to help pay for school <em>and</em>&nbsp;to provide me with daily writing practice.<br /><br />I have always had the desire to write, but I was never challenged to write academically until I began studying theology at Judson University. My theology professor had no interest in reading opinions or poorly researched arguments. His goal was to cultivate critical thinking, deep research, coherent thought, and good flow and grammar in each student's academic paper. I was shocked to find that my first couple papers had almost received a failing grade, for I was under the impression that I was a talented writer! Nevertheless, I stayed with the major and my writing has substantially improved as a result.&nbsp;<br /><br />While I was at Judson, my peers constantly requested my help to edit and proofread their papers. Even after college I still received inquiries from students who needed help with their papers. I enjoy the challenge of working line by line through a paper to ensure that the overall message is clear and coherent, and never straying from the paramaters set up by the thesis. Through my editing and proofreading experience and my own work, I have developed a sense for identifying a well developed thesis, quality research and use of references, and awkward sentence structure and word choice.