• C3WP Advanced Institute on Argument Writing
• NeWP Rural Youth Civic Journalism Camp Coordinator 2024

Jon Graff has spent the past 30 years teaching English in Southwest Nebraska. Working in an isolated, rural environment, he quickly realized how lasting an effect each teacher had on not only the students, but also the larger community. Today’s students become tomorrow's citizens. After three decades of teaching, Jon encounters former students every time he leaves the house. Knowing how large an impact a teacher could have gave the work of teaching a heightened significance. English had always held the natural place as the most important subject a student could learn, for it held the keys to all other forms of learning, but now the subject took on new significance.

Jon first became involved in the Nebraska Writing Project during the summer institute in the early 2000s. The institute’s philosophy on the importance of writing as fundamental to living a meaningful and productive life fit perfectly with what Jon was learning about how his teaching could impact his students' lives. Following the first institute, writing took on a larger role in his classroom. “The institute really cemented for me the central role writing needed to have in my curriculum.” Whether for self awareness, self advocacy, self promotion or self defense, the better he prepared his students as writers, the better they could positively impact their lives.  
The summer institute reinforced his belief that teaching students through the power of writing was his highest calling. Subsequent work with NeWP and C3WP has only strengthened this belief. “I have always been blown away by the passion and skill of everyone involved in the Nebraska Writing Project. So many good people working hard to improve the lives of their students, I am honored to be associated with it.”