Sydney Smithgall, student writer for the Iowa Reading Research Center (IRRC), was recognized as a category winner for the University of Iowa’s Student Employee of the Year award.
Each year, the UI Pomerantz Career Center partners with the National Student Employment Association (NSEA) to recognize students who go above and beyond in their work on campus. Supervisors nominate students who they believe exemplify competencies such as critical thinking, communication, and professionalism, among others.
As an English and creative writing major, Smithgall applied for the student writer position at the IRRC in the summer of 2023 as an opportunity to hone their professional writing skills.
“I'm passionate about literature's importance to both academic and social development, and I was drawn by the prospect of supporting the IRRC's mission of improving student literacy outcomes across Iowa,” Smithgall says.
In their role, Smithgall supports writing and communications efforts for the center. Although Smithgall’s primary interest is creative writing and poetry, they leverage their writing abilities to improve the IRRC's website language, write blog posts and news articles, create engaging eLearning content, develop useful literacy resources for families, and provide informative feedback on writing.
“Collaborating with Sydney on IRRC projects is always a fruitful experience,” says Communications Coordinator Olivia Tonelli. “Whether we’re brainstorming together in a meeting or providing editorial support to an IRRC publication, Sydney offers invaluable ideas and insights that help our projects reach the level of clarity, accuracy, and usefulness that our team strives for.”
Outside of the IRRC, Smithgall is a peer writing fellow through the UI Writing Fellows Program and the executive editor for New Moon magazine, a student literary publication. After graduating this May, Smithgall plans to pursue an MFA in poetry at University of Massachusetts Amherst.
“As a research center housed on the campus of University of Iowa, talented and hard-working students like Sydney help us communicate to all of Iowa and beyond,” says IRRC Director Shawn Datchuk.
