Meet the Student Representatives (SRs) and Associate Student Representatives (ASRs)
Eastern Region
Amy Woody - Student Representative (SR)
Westfield State University
Westfield, MA
Email: sigmatd.e@gmail.com
Amy Woody will graduate in May 2011 with a B.A. in English including a concentration in writing. She will begin a master's program at Westfield State in the fall. She hopes to one day earn her Ph.D. in Composition and Rhetoric. Her literary interests range from narrative theory to eighteenth century satire. She loves anything ever written by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Amy has been studying Mandarin Chinese for two years and hopes to one day be able to study Chinese poetry in its native form.
Amy is also a mother of two. If she's not doing homework, she can probably be found reading, coloring, or cooking with her children. She is lucky to have a husband who is always willing to listen to her crazy literary rants. She is thrilled to be serving as the Student Representative for the Eastern Region. She is hoping to get the Eastern Region's Literary Magazine, Mind Murals, going again, and is looking forward to helping facilitate inter-chapter communication.
Vacant - Associate Student Representative (ASR)
Far Western Region
Sarah Faulkner - Student Representative (SR)
Chapman University
Orange, CA
Email: sigmatd.fw@gmail.com
Sarah Faulkner is a senior at Chapman University in Orange, CA, studying English Literature and minoring in Art History. She is originally from the beautiful, rainy state of Washington. At Chapman, Sarah is the President of her Sigma Tau Delta Chapter. She works in Student & Campus Life, is a Chapman Ambassador, on the Executive Board of the Kappa Alpha Theta Fraternity, and has almost earned a second degree in not sleeping but still smiling. Sarah has a great passion for nineteenth century authors and hopes to complete her postgraduate studies in Victorian Literature in the United Kingdom after graduating from Chapman. Her other interests include: cooking, yoga, hiking, antique shopping, quoting Lord of the Rings, listening to indie-acoustic music, writing poetry, going to Disneyland, and going on adventures with friends! Balance, knowledge, and community are three of Sarah's core values, all of which she is happy to find within Sigma Tau Delta.
Joseph Asbury (ASR) - Associate Student Representative (ASR)
Utah State University
Logan, UT
Email: sigmatd.fw2@gmail.com
Joseph Asbury currently studies English Education at Utah State University in lovely Logan, Utah. He enjoys reading, watching films, cooking, and spending time with his wife. He often indulges in mystery shows and novels. He currently serves as the President of the Rho Tau Chapter at Utah State. He ran for the position of ASR in the Far Western Region because he feels there are so many opportunities for Sigma Tau Delta to expand in the west. He plans on making Sigma Tau Delta better known throughout his region. There are so many advantages for members of Sigma Tau Delta, and he wants others to share in them.
High Plains Region
Janine Brooks - Student Representative (SR)
University of Omaha
Omaha, NE
Email: sigmatd.hp@gmail.com
Janine Brooks is a graduate student at the University of Omaha working on a master's degree in English, Early British Literature and an Advanced Writing Certificate. She hopes to continue on at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, to earn her Ph.D. in Women's Studies. Although teaching is a consideration, Janine is primarily interested in research as she wants to rebuild the lives of women who have been lost in the old texts. Oh, and she desires to write epic fantasies. A nontraditional student, Janine graduated from the College of St. Mary in 2008, summa cum laude, and as one of its distinguished scholars. When not focused on school or her work, Janine advocates for change in the state of Nebraska when it comes to the care of children with profound mental illness; she also soap-boxes for adults-with-autism to receive services that would allow them to live independently in the state. Presently, she serves as the secretary to Alphabet Soup Kids, Inc. (ASK). Janine also serves as secretary to the Faculty Women's Council at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. She also works as the UNO Chemistry Department's staff assistant. Janine says, "As ASR, I want to encourage better communication among the chapters of the High Plains Region so we may readily support each other on a regional level."
Nick Miller - Associate Student Representative (ASR)
Chadron State College
Chadron, NE
Email: sigmatd.hp2@gmail.com
Nick Miller is a junior at Chadron State College (CSC) in Chadron, NE, where he is working on his B.A. in Literature with a minor in Comparative Philosophy. He is the President of the Sigma Beta Chapter of Sigma Tau Delta where, with the help of the other members, he works on several events such as bi-weekly open mic nights for music and spoken word poetry and various other activities that promote literature. Outside of the classroom (and when he is not frantically running around trying to set up those activities), he can most likely be found working in CSC's tutoring center or working at the local coffee shop. When he is not studying or working, Nick can most likely be found practicing with his band (named Bless Me Ultima after his favorite magical realism novel) or writing. As ASR, he hopes to help bring members in the vast High Plains Region together more often to build a sense of camaraderie among chapters.
Midwestern Region
Ashlyn Wells - Student Representative
University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire
Email: sigmatd.mw@gmail.com
Ashlyn Wells is co-webmaster of the Theta Zeta Chapter at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, where she is double-majoring in Creative Writing and Spanish. An avid writer, she often gives office supply stores a wide berth so as to avoid having to explain to Hector, her blue Crowntail Betta, why the plastic bags are filled with blank journals instead of toys. Ashlyn also enjoys crocheting in her free time and has amassed a number of gently used scarves and handbags over the years. She now has been to three Sigma Tau Delta conventions, and after having fallen in love with the organization and its members, she is looking forward to serving as the Midwestern Student Representative.
Karisa Hernandez - Associate Student Representative (ASR)
Rockhurst University
Kansas City, MO
Email: sigmatd.mw2@gmail.com
Karisa Hernandez is a cat person--and a junior at Rockhurst University. Although now living in Kansas City, her heart belongs to Texas, where she was born. Her major is English, in which she has discovered a love for 1920's literature. Her new favorite author is Earnest Hemingway. Besides reading, Karisa enjoys being involved in theatre. She has done many shows in her life, both on the acting side and the technical side, with a preference towards technical. She plans to direct two staged readings her senior year in conjunction with "Plays in Progress," a program that allows playwrights to hear their work aloud before being sent out for publication. Karisa is excited to share her love of literature with fellow Sigma Tau Delta members. She hopes during her tenure as ASR for the Midwestern Region to be able to connect students to form a larger English-loving community.
Southern Region
MeKoi Scott - Student Representative (SR)
Auburn University, Montgomery
Montomery, AL
Email: sigmatd.s@gmail.com
MeKoi Scott is currently attending Auburn University Montgomery in Montgomery, AL. After first starting his college career as an accounting major, then moving to New York City for nine years, he has returned to Auburn University Montgomery as an English major and will eventually pursue a Ph.D. in English. Along with his passion for the English language, he is also fervently enamored with philosophy, history, and science. Currently, MeKoi is the President-elect for Auburn University Montgomery's Omicron Psi Chapter. He hopes to encourage and foster a love for the written word, as well as the spoken word. Like Stephen Fry, he believes that language is our birthright, and that we should revel, bask, and wallow in its capability to enchant, delight, and inspire.
Allie Martin - Associate Student Representative (ASR)
Free-Hardeman University
Henderson, TN
Email: sigmatd.s2@gmail.com
Allie Martin is a senior English major at Freed-Hardeman University in Henderson, TN. Hailing from Killen, AL, she attended Brooks High School, graduating salutatorian. While attending college, Allie has served as an executive officer for the Student Alumni Association and worked as a writer for the school's Office of Marketing and University Relations. She keeps connected with her fellow English majors and Sigma Tau Delta members by participating in creative writing readings and the English major intramural team, "Total English Move." Allie fills her spare time with cooking, ultimate Frisbee, and various philanthropic efforts through her school and church. In addition to her love for books, she is an ardent music and film lover, citing The Avett Brothers as her favorite band and "Clue" as her favorite movie. After graduation, Allie hopes to enter into the publishing industry, attend graduate school, or teach overseas in China. She is thrilled to have been elected the Southern Region's ASR and looks forward to working with the SR to encourage involvement from even more southern Sigma Tau Delta members.
Southwestern Region
Jolie Hicks - Student Representative (SR)
Southwestern Oklahoma State University
Weatherford, OK
Email: sigmatd.sw@gmail.com
Jolie Hicks is the Southwestern Student Representative for the 2011-2012 term. She is a senior at Southwestern Oklahoma State (SWOSU), working on a B.A. in English Literature with a minor in History. After graduation she will pursue alternative certification in education in order to open the door of opportunity to teach English overseas. Each summer she travels to different countries, promoting literacy among grade school students by giving each child a personal copy of The Book of Hope. She is also involved in Chi Alpha Campus Ministries, where she enjoys connecting and equipping students in an effort to promote and foster a successful college experience.
Jolie has an amazing, superstar husband, Nate, and three beautiful children, Dylon, Brooklyn, and Addyson, whom she feels honored to serve every day. She spends her weekends cheering loudly on the sidelines at her kids' soccer games and spends her free time reading, singing, and watching NASCAR (shh, that's her best kept secret). Her greatest passion involves helping people of all ages, doing what she can to make this world a better place, which is summed up in her favorite quote by the famous author Ralph Waldo Emerson. It says, "The definition of success--To laugh much; to win respect of intelligent persons and the affections of children; to earn the approbation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to give one's self; to leave the world a little better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to have played and laughed with enthusiasm, and sung with exultation; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived--this is to have succeeded." This is truly what it means to live!
Katherine Williams - Assistant Student Representative (ASR)
Arkansas Tech University
Russellville, AR
Email: sigmatd.sw2@gmail.com
Katherine Williams is a senior at Arkansas Tech University in Russellville, AR, where she is pursuing a B. A. in English and a B. F. A. in Creative Writing. She is the President of the Omicron Tau Chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, and Associate Student Representative for the Southwest Region. She is also the editor for the university's literary journal Nebo, and the co-founder of Arkansas Tech's first Vegetarian Club. Katherine's goals as ASR include an attention to smaller chapters like her own, and the combined efforts with other student organizations to accomplish community service projects--while convincing a few skeptics that veggie burgers are indeed delicious.