The 鈥淔inding Your Arc鈥� writing seminar for undergraduate students at the University
of South Florida not only addresses how to write application essays for national scholarships
and other opportunities, but also teaches how language can lead to meaningful action.
The course incorporates philosophy and reflective exercises to teach students how
to write clear, concise, and compelling prose.
The director of the Office of National Scholars (ONS), Sayandeb Basu, started the
series in fall 2022, initially collaborating with Judy Genshaft Honors College student
Audra Nikolajski, who was driven by her goal to help students of all ages authentically
express themselves through writing.
In a presentation on the seminar, Nikolajski said, "Students who took the course found
it impactful to turn their vague aspirations into personal mission statements, which
they then leveraged into actions.鈥�
Avani Sanghvi and Sayandeb Basu lead a Finding Your Arc workshop session.
After Nikolajski graduated, Avani Sanghvi, a current Honors junior majoring in English
and philosophy, took over as the student instructor for the series, alongside Basu.
Sanghvi was selected for the Fulbright UK Summer Institute Program after working with
ONS as a first-year student and attending Finding Your Arc herself.
鈥淭his seminar singlehandedly changed the course of my undergraduate career,鈥� said
Sanghvi. 鈥淧aying attention to language and using it to direct my life led me to the
Fulbright UK Summer Institute in Bristol.鈥�
The University of Bristol鈥檚 Arts, Activism, and Social Justice Institute introduced
Sanghvi to a path filled with creative writing, discussions around artificial intelligence,
and philosophical exploration. She is currently bringing insights from the program
and the application process into her teaching.
鈥淚 ended up adding philosophy as a second major partly because I found the philosophy
of language so fascinating. I'm excited to continue teaching this class, and I hope
I can impact future students' lives the way this course impacted my own," said Sanghvi.
Why We Write
At its core, Finding Your Arc combines learning the mechanics of effective writing
with self-reflection to produce impactful pieces and action-driving applications.
鈥淯nlocking agency through writing is mostly unheard of, as we tend to treat writing
as an additional activity we do. To turn the object of language inward to excavate
thoughts 鈥� to eventually think better and act better 鈥� is the purpose of the course,鈥�
said Basu.
Finding Your Arc is offered during fall and spring. The fall 2025 iteration of the
series begins Thursday, Sept. 11 and will continue every Thursday through Nov. 13.
Interested students can find more information on the ONS website鈥檚 workshops page.