Houghton Professor Discusses Importance of WRIT 101 Assignment

While some writing assignments require a prompt or an initial idea to get the ball rolling for college students, some require a little more than the courage to sit down and talk with a complete stranger. Susan Bruxvoort Lipscomb, Ph.D.’s WRIT 101 students recounted their conversations with members of ENCORE, Houghton University’s senior adult program. In speaking with people from different generations, these students gained experience and perspective, which they summarized in their essay.

“I spoke with a woman named Lillian,” said Melanie Cogan ‘27. “I got to hear about how she became a teacher, I got to hear about how she met her husband and how much they travel together and just everything about her life, and it was really interesting and she was very, very sweet…It was just nice to hear about someone’s experience and see life from a different perspective.” Cogan later drew upon her experience talking to Lillian when she wrote her essay for the class.

Talking to a stranger is a bit daunting, but I know that our ENCORE folks are kind and welcoming. I also think it’s good for students to have experiences interacting with people outside of their own generation. Most of them end up talking to a lot of other university students in their day-to-day experiences while living on campus. I wanted them to have an experience of making conversation with someone who was different from them.

Susan Bruxvoort Lipscomb

Having the opportunity to speak to those of another generation and incorporate their wisdom into an essay shows the importance of learning from one another in a Christ-centered community like Houghton.