Denise Claire (Pebbles) Calungsod
My name is Denise Claire Calungsod, but I am more commonly known as Pebbles after the subject of Calculus. (Despite this and the fact that I am majoring in Construction Engineering Technology at City Tech, my Calculus skills are subpar.) I was born in the Philippines but was raised in Brooklyn. I am the second eldest of five children, and you will often times find me on adventures with one or more of them, most especially my two sisters. I am an avid illustrator and hope to one day write and illustrate a children’s book. I have also painted a few murals in a couple of schools and a hospital in NYC. I love learning languages and have a goal of honing my Spanish and Filipino skills and learning Korean. My ultimate goal in life is to bake the greatest chocolate chip cookie in existence. I have thus far failed.
In conjunction with this, I am active on campus as the President of the American Society of Civil Engineers as well as the Vice President of the American Institute of Steel Construction. I am also a part of the Perkins Peer Advisement Program as a peer advisor and a peer leader for the elementary engineering course of Statics.
Sarah Cocozzello D’Arienzo
I was born and raised on Long Island to an Italian-American family. Ever since I was young I have had a fascination with language and mathematics, so in college I chose to study both. I have a BA in philosophy with a specialization in language and logic from Boston University, and am currently a graduate student in linguistics at the CUNY Graduate Center. My specialization is in formal semantics, which involves translating natural languages—like English—into the formal language of mathematics. I believe the most important aspect of any academic study is writing, since oftentimes writing is how we can best communicate our ideas. As a tutor, I am passionate about helping students clearly define the logic of their arguments.
Jessica Guerra
I was born in New York City to immigrant parents and grew up in a very loving and nurturing environment. At the age of 3 I read my first book and was equally fascinated with the text as well as the illustrations. During my school years, I explored art in various forms and media, prompting me to pursue a degree in Communication Design at City Tech. It was here where I produced my award-winning essay “The Williamsburg Renaissance” which has now been printed in various publications including The Place Where We Dwell: Reading and Writing About New York City and In Conversation: An ENG 1101 OER Reader.
As a writing tutor, I bring my enthusiasm and love of learning, as well as patience and positive attitude to students who visit the Learning Center. When I’m not tutoring, I continue to work on my own narrative and poetry, while also producing artwork for apparel items, small businesses, independent authors, and social media platforms. I recently accomplished a lifelong goal of mine: to paint a mural. My next goal is to publish a book full of my own writing and illustrations.
Benny Murdochowitz
I was born in the Bronx, but my family moved from there to Queens, and from there to Nassau County, where I lived most of my life. I have been writing my own fiction since the age of twelve, and received my BA in Creative Writing at Hunter College and my MFA in Creative Writing at Columbia University. At Hunter, I co-founded and edited a student comic book anthology and went on from that to oversee the operations of all student publications, which included the college newspaper, literary magazine, fashion and culture magazine, nursing student press, and psychology newsletter. While at Columbia, I worked as a Writing Group Instructor for the National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI) in midtown and recently helped run an afterschool writing club at Concord Village Elementary School in the Bronx.
I am passionate about creative writing but believe strongly in the importance of helping people express themselves through any kind of writing they require in daily life. This ranges from helping students figure out how to improve their essays and reports, to helping people understand how to make a great personal statement, to providing feedback on someone’s latest personal poem or story. My father always told me that, as a doctor, he tried to make medicine as understandable as possible for the patient. So I too try to make writing as comprehensible as possible for students. When I’m not teaching writing, I work on my own fiction and poetry. I currently have two novels I’m editing, and I have recently begun writing a collection of short stories.
Nick Smith
I was born in Portland, Maine and grew up there. My father was a teacher and social worker for special needs children, and from an early age, I observed him tutoring students. I feel that some of his ability may have influenced me. Another big influence was my eighth grade English teacher, William Ackley, who introduced me to great literature and instilled in me the importance of writing well. Another major influence was my Hindustani music instructor, Kinnar Sen.  From him, I learned much about the psychology of tutoring. I graduated from Boston University with a degree in anthropology, and my areas of expertise are grammar and literature. Another area of interest is the nexus of language and culture.
In addition, under my nom de plume of Dino Blyer, I am a novelist and short story writer. I have published short stories on the literary website catapult.com and have also published the novel Joe the Neanderthal. Another novel tentatively entitled The Intricacies of Dog Shows is pending. I am a three time winner in the fiction category of the City Tech Literary Arts Festival, once as a student and twice as an employee.
