Luther College students attend “incredibly inspiring” Sigma Tau Delta convention

DECORAH, IOWA— Five Luther College seniors attended the annual Sigma Tau Delta Convention in St. Louis from April 3–6. The students, all English majors or minors and members of the Sigma Tau Delta English honor society, presented work on topics like George Eliot’s “Middlemarch” and queer identity in literature, in addition to original fiction and poetry.  

Five Luther seniors attended the Sigma Tau Delta Conference in April. From left to right: Mia Irving, Scott Rust, Ashley Imdieke, Ethan Kober, Amy Webb.

The five students who attended were:

• Ashley Imdieke, of Northfield, Minnesota
• Mia Irving, of Coralville, Iowa
• Ethan Kober, of Cedar Falls, Iowa
• Scott Rust, of Hudson, Wisconsin
• Amy Webb, of Waverly, Iowa

Each year, the international conference brings college students and faculty from different institutions to present their work and celebrate undergraduate writers. Students also learn about career and graduate school opportunities for English majors and minors. They also have the opportunity to earn awards for outstanding work. 

Webb received an honorable mention in the Stemmler Dennis LGBT award category for her critical essay “Stone Fruit: Inner Wildness and Queer Identity.”

“The Sigma Tau Delta convention gathers a supportive and dynamic community brimming with creativity and new ideas,” Webb said. “I enjoyed discovering the diverse ways my English minor can be applied in different careers, exploring various interpretations of literature and multimedia and listening to a variety of original poetry and prose by my peers. Overall, it was an incredibly inspiring experience.”

“Luther should be very proud of the quality and professionalism of these students’ presentations,” said Marie Drews, associate professor of English and faculty advisor to Sigma Tau Delta. “In their participation at the conference, the students proved fine ambassadors of a Luther education.”

“I found that this conference was very valuable for me personally, as it gave me the opportunity to meet and learn more about the career paths of professionals in writing and editing jobs,” Imdieke said. “Additionally, I enjoyed the experience of presenting an academic paper that I wrote this year; it was a great opportunity to further develop my public speaking skills and to meet students from all across the country.”

About Luther College

At Luther College in beautiful Decorah, Iowa, students explore big questions and take action to benefit people, communities and society. Our academic programs, experiential approach to learning and welcoming community inspire students to learn actively, live purposefully and lead courageous for a lifetime of impact. Learn more at luther.edu.