COLUMBIA, Ky. – A group of Lindsey Wilson College students recently made a big impression on the national stage.
The seven students were among a 10-member delegation from Lindsey Wilson that participated at the 2025 convention of Sigma Tau Delta, the international honor society for students of English, held March 19-22 in Pittsburgh.
The students and professors presented their work, sat on panels, and exchanged ideas with students and professors from other colleges and universities throughout the United States.
“I was so impressed and proud of all of our students, because not only did they do an amazing job presenting but they were also very impressive during the question-and-answer sessions,” said Lindsey Wilson English professor Karolyn Steffens, one of three faculty members who attended the conference. “The Q&A is the unscripted part – you can’t really prepare for that, because you don’t know what kind of questions you’re going to get. Our students blew that segment out of the park.”
As a result, Steffens said the Lindsey Wilson students “consistently received some of the tougher questions from faculty members at the convention, because they saw the rigor of their argumentation.”
And a big reason for that was because of who prepared the Lindsey Wilson students for the conference.
“Our professors are why we were so prepared,” said Chloe Taylor ’26, an education major from Columbia who sat on a teaching panel and presented a paper “Masculinity in Hemingway and House.” “The way that our professors structure their classes is very much a back-and-forth experience. Our whole class is a discussion. That teaches us to critically think about what we’re saying and how to apply our ideas to the literature without having to sit down and write it out. We can just talk about it. Our classes have a very conversational, constructive environment.”
Lindsey Wilson has had a Sigma Tau Delta chapter for more than 20 years. By attending the Sigma Tau Delta national conference, students are not only exposed to new ideas but the experience also informs the rest of their college education.
Megan Whitson ’26 presented at last year’s conference, which was held in St. Louis, and saw the impact that had on her work the rest of last school year as well as this school year.
“Presenting at Sigma Tau Delta gives you such valuable professional experience,” said Whitson, an English and communication double major from London, Kentucky. “When you field questions about your work, that gets you to think more deeply about your work.”
At this year’s Sigma Tau Delta conference, Jesse LaGrange ’27 was an observer, which he said inspired him to consider presenting work at the 2026 meeting.
“It was also interesting to see other English majors and enthusiasts from across the country,” said LaGrange, an English major from Burkesville, Kentucky. “It was almost like a sample image of the discipline as a whole.”
That’s happened for Zachariah Lawson ’26. The English and Christian ministries double major from Williamsburg, Kentucky, attended the St. Louis convention as an observer, then chaired a panel this year and presented his own critical essay on human rights in literature.
“A big thing our professors teach us is that the life skills we learn in our major will help us a great deal in everyday life,” said Lawson.
While at the conference, the students also took in Pittsburgh’s cultural sites, such as the August Wilson African American Cultural Center, and rubbed shoulders with literary giants, including Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Natalie Diaz, who gave a reading at the conference.
Morgan Bryant ’26 stood in line for nearly two hours to speak with Diaz and have her sign one of her books.
“It was an incredible, almost surreal experience,” said Bryant, an English and history double major from Shelbyville, Kentucky. “You hear about these people, you read about these people, you hold their book in your hand. Then to see them in person, let alone 20 inches away”
Bryant, who served on a creative writing panel, said that attending the convention also gave her valuable career advice.
“It made me realize there are so many career options for you when it comes to English, such as working in publishing,” she said. “It was very eye-opening, how diverse the options can be for an English major.”
PHOTO – Members of the Lindsey Wilson College English department attended the 2025 convention of Sigma Tau Delta, the international honor society for students of English, held March 19-22 in Pittsburgh. From left: professor Rachel Carr; professor Kendall Sewell; Zachariah Lawson ’26 of Williamsburg, Kentucky; Chloe Taylor ’26 of Columbia; Morgan Bryant ’26 of Shelbyville, Kentucky; Lilly Streeval ’26 of Columbia; Kylie Jackson ’25; Aven Sanders ’26 of Perryville, Kentucky; Jesse LaGrange ’27 of Burkesville, Kentucky; and professor Karolyn Steffens.
PHOTO – Members of the Lindsey Wilson College English department gather along the Allegheny River while attending the 2025 convention of Sigma Tau Delta, the international honor society for students of English, held March 19-22 in Pittsburgh. Pictured, alphabetically: Morgan Bryant ’26 of Shelbyville, Kentucky; professor Rachel Carr; Kylie Jackson ’25 of Columbia; Jesse LaGrange ’27 of Burkesville, Kentucky; Zachariah Lawson ’26 of Williamsburg, Kentucky; Aven Sanders ’26 of Perryville, Kenutcky; professor Kendall Sewell; Lilly Streeval ’26 of Columbia; professor Karolyn Steffens; and Chloe Taylor ’26 of Columbia.
(Duane Bonifer – Lindsey Wilson College)