In this blog post, we include narratives written by the recipients of the 2026 SSWCA Conference’s Travel Grants.
Bacon Academy Writing Center (Colchester, CT)
By: Kylie Boerenko, Benjamin Buyniski, Madeline Ives, Kaylee Manning, Karah Pensa, Cora Rago, Jillian Snow, Toheed Usman, Matthew Vilardo
Bacon Academy’s Writing Center is beyond grateful to be a 2026 SSWCA travel grant award recipient! We used the funding to support our attendance at the 20226 National SSWCA Conference at UConn. The opportunity to attend and present at this conference was an invaluable experience for our tutors and center as a whole. Our program had the opportunity to learn from and collaborate with like-minded individuals from across the country, which has inspired exciting new initiatives and growth at our school since attending.
Leading up to this conference the students of Bacon Academy’s Writing Center Practicum course, an early college experience class focused on the pedagogy and implementation of writing center practices, compiled and produced a presentation of past outreach initiatives in our community. Having a multitude of experience with writing contests, college essay workshops, and community events ourselves, we hoped to share our unique perspective with other tutors and professionals and gain knowledge from their backgrounds as well.
During the conference, our students divided up the presentations to take notes and shared our thoughts with each other at the end. We heard from so many great speakers who enriched our conference experience overall. Additionally, we took a trip to the UConn Writing Center which gave us a taste of what tutoring can look like at the college level. With the help of the travel grant award to transport us to this conference, our perspectives were broadened and our drive to expand our center was intensified.
Our tutors were incredibly appreciative of the experience they gained in attending this conference. Read their reflections on the conference below!
“As an incoming freshman to the UConn academic program, my experiences on the campus during the SSWCA conference played an important role in my decision to come to UConn. Experiencing UConn in a genuine way, not just as a prospective student on a guided tour, but as a participant immersed in campus life showed me exactly the kind of environment I want to spend my next four years in. ”
– Ben Buyniski
“Meeting with tutors from around the country gave me a unique insight into tutoring as a philosophy and opened my eyes to the best strategies to collaborate with all kinds of learners on an individual level.”
– Cora Rago
“The keynote speaker’s presentation about Artificial Intelligence was one of my favorite parts of the conference. At my table we had great conversations about the use of AI in learning environments, and I really enjoyed how we all could connect through talking about the future of our centers.”
– Jillian Snow
Albemarle High School Writing Center (Charlottesville, Virginia)
Travel Grant Recipients Albemarle High School from Charlottesville, Virginia attended the 2026 SSWCA Conference with 19 student members. Second year tutor Melina Zimet writes about our experiences.
Attending the 2026 SSWCA Conference was a really interesting and rewarding experience for me. One of the highlights was presenting on mental health. It was exciting to speak about an issue that affects so many students and to hear different perspectives from people attending the conference. Presenting helped me become more confident sharing my ideas and discussing important topics with others.
I also enjoyed attending sessions and listening to students and educators talk about ways they have used their own experiences, interests, and talents to address larger issues in their schools and communities. It was inspiring to see how many different approaches people take to helping others and creating positive change.
One thing the conference reinforced for me was that peer tutoring is not dependent on any one person. Strong programs are built by communities of students, teachers, and leaders who are all working toward the same goal. Seeing so many schools come together to share ideas reminded me how much we can learn from one another.
Traveling with such a large group from Albemarle High School made the experience even more memorable. It was fun to learn together, explore a new place, and strengthen relationships with people I may not have gotten to know otherwise. Some of my favorite moments happened outside the sessions, simply talking with other students and hearing about their experiences.
Overall, we are very grateful for the opportunity to attend the 2026 SSWCA Conference and for the travel grant that helped make it possible. We collectively left with new ideas, greater confidence, and a deeper appreciation for the role that peer tutoring and student leadership can play in supporting others.
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