Testimonials 

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I had the pleasure of being taught by Nick Wong as a student at San Francisco Waldorf High School. The Senior Essay Writing class was particularly pivotal for me, as it was during this course that I completed my college essay.

     Nick’s emphasis on connection characterizes his teaching style. He focuses on how a student perceives a topic, personally connects to it, and expresses that connection through their writing. He gives his feedback through conversation, asking questions to dig deeper into one’s thought processes. He then makes considered suggestions on specific areas of the written piece that could be expanded or refined. 

     Nick promotes one’s own creative instincts, and this gave me the courage to become a more creative writer. This creativity served me greatly while earning a BA in Politics and Government with an emphasis in International Relations and a minor in Global Development Studies from the University of Puget Sound.

     In my first year Intro to International Relations course, we were challenged to apply political paradigms - Realism, Liberalism, and Constructivism - to a made-up world called Oceania, similar to a Model UN simulation. I found that writing papers titled “The Role of Human Rights in Oceania” and “The Non-Use of Nuclear Weapons in Oceania” came easily to me. I was confident in my ability to link real world dynamics to a fantastical realm, and unembarrassed to fully embrace the perspective from which I was writing. This backfired as my professor assigned me increasingly difficult roles in subsequent years!

Olivia Leonard, San Francisco CA

Graduate student at George Washington University

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Nick Wong recently helped me develop and refine a memoir written initially for my own adult children. He highlighted sections in an initial draft that were the strongest illustrations of my points, enabling me to recognize other parts that were redundant or distracting from my main message. Going deeper, he suggested that I think through the interests of the audience for my piece and encouraged me to link my ideas to the experiences of my prospective future readers.

     Nick guides the student far beyond the simple choice of words and concepts. He helps one see through the tangle of initial drafts, and this allows to slowly arrive at more competent and complete written pieces.  Through finely honed questions and observations, he helped me develop my writing skills to express more fully and concisely what I am trying to say.

     Although Mr. Wong is an excellent, accomplished author himself, his extensive teaching experience enables him to avoid simply offering re-writes or imposing his own ideas. He helps develop ones ideas and does not offer re-writes or impose his own ideas.

I highly recommend him to professional and amateur writers of every age

Ann Gressani, Oakland, CA

Former Consultant to Non-Profit housing organizations

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I cannot express enough gratitude for the exceptional writing support I received from Nicholas Wong during my English 1A course at Santa Rosa Junior College. English 1A focuses on college level writing, particularly expository and argumentative prose. As someone returning to the classroom after nearly 20 years, I found the course deeply challenging. I was struggling with a severe case of writer’s block and often felt overwhelmed and extremely frustrated.

     Nick offered much more than just guidance. He provided encouragement and clarity that truly transformed my skills. One of the most memorable breakthroughs came while I was sitting with him at the kitchen table with a lit candle. Nicholas shared a powerful metaphor, explaining that as the wax melts and begins to flow, so too will your thoughts. He reminded me not to force the process, but to trust that one idea would lead to another. That moment has stayed with me and became a turning point in my writing.

     Nick’s calm presence, patient support, and creative techniques made a tremendous impact relaxing all the anxiety I had built up. With his help, I overcame my writing struggles and gained the confidence to find my voice. By the end of the semester, I not only completed the class successfully, but I also finished at the top.

     With meticulous attention to detail, insightful feedback (generally in the form of a question the reader of my writing would want answered) Nick helped bring new depth and clarity to my writing. He showed me how to shape my ideas with purpose and that made everything fall into place in a way that felt natural.

Chanielle Donegan, Santa Rosa CA

Community Officer, former mature student

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As a younger student, I gravitated to math and science over the humanities, but over the course of high school that changed. I found fulfillment in writing! In the Senior Essay class with Nick Wong, I became a more adept and flexible writer than most of my classmates.

     With the current rise of large language models doing more and more of the “writing” we interact with every day, it is more important than ever to invest in being a curious and individual writer, not a formulaic one.  The way Nick teaches and guides is the furthest thing from formula.  He encourages you to explore the many seams of thought within the totality of words on paper.

     Majoring in Human and Organizational Development at Vanderbilt University, I continued to develop as a writer in social sciences such as sociology and political science, as well as in creative writing electives.  I was able to organize my thoughts in challenging scientific contexts and express myself creatively.  This brought academic excellence as well as times of joy during what could’ve been an overwhelming college experience

     Today, as a political communications and messaging consultant, I write press releases, draft copy for advertisements, and edit the writing of others. I like to think that working with Nick back in high school helped push me beyond my comfort zone – and has made my writing stand out in the work I produce.

Daniel Anderson, San Francisco CA

​Political Communications and Messaging Consultant