Something that's...

Paula Mejia was a junior at George Washington University.

When she walked into her first creative writing class

with professor and author, H.G. Ace Carillo.

It was one of those classes that students buzzed about.

When I heard that there was this professor

who had this really distinct way of teaching creative writing

and that he was going to kick your ass a little bit

and that you become a better writer, I said, sign me up.

For the eight years Carillo taught creative writing

and Latin American literature at George Washington,

he influenced countless students.

He was demanding with his writing exercises,

pushing students to understand what they were trying

to capture on the page and why.

He earned a reputation for making writing accessible.

I mean, have you seen Dead Poets Society?

People described him as, like, Robin Williams' character.

Like, he would get up on the desk, like, to prove a point

because it felt relevant to the text.

And every single day before class he expected you as a class

to put the desks in a circle.

...