Students present at international English convention

Two CSC students presented at the convention. Erin Hayhurst of Scottsbluff, Neb., presented Funeral Songs, a creative nonfiction piece, and Abigail Swanson of Grand Island, Neb., read Another Calls You Beautiful, a collection of poetry. Hannah Pfeifly of Stromsburg, Neb., Rebeka Scheiderer of Hotchkiss, Colo., Vernon Plenty Bull of Allen, S.D., and adviser Dr. Mary Clai Jones also attended the convention.

“The conference gave me an opportunity to find my voice and embrace it to explore different writing methods. I am a Criminal Justice major, but Creative Writing is my chosen minor,” Plenty Bull said.

Along with paper presentations, the conference also included round tables and presentations exploring careers in English.

“Hearing from experienced editors gave me clarity and will help me decide on my career path after graduation,” Scheiderer said.

Students had opportunities to network with peers, share ideas, and explore ways to improve campus involvement in their chapters.

“My favorite part of the trip was getting to meet people with similar interests from all over. I loved being able to represent a smaller community at this large event,” Hayhurst said. “During the panel, the other writers and I received many thoughtful and interesting questions. That really inspired me, seeing people interested in something I'd worked on.”

Pfeifly said the conference had a lot of value for her as a student and looking into the future beyond graduation.

“It was an eye-opener to what I could do career-wise, academically, and creatively,” she said. “I listened to fantastic writers and they encouraged me that I am better than I thought. If I could go again, I 100-percent would.”