English students present at international conference

Created: April 25, 2018  |  Last Updated: December 19, 2019  |  Category:   |  Tagged:

WASHINGTON, PA (April 25, 2018)—Two Washington and Jefferson College (W&J) English majors presented their work at the international convention for the English honor society, Sigma Tau Delta, held in Cincinnati, Ohio, from March 22 to 24.

Holly Sauer ’19 presented a paper on “Maternity and Loss in Carr and Joyce,” while Kayla Marasia ’19 presented her paper on “Joyce and Heaney’s Redefinition of Sexuality” and was also a member of a roundtable on “Frankenstein’s Creature at the Bicentennial (1818-2018).”

“Presenting my paper to such a diverse audience made me feel very excited because I’ve never done it before. It also made me think about the power literature has to connect people from around the world with different backgrounds,” Holly said. “I enjoyed hearing other people’s papers on works that I enjoy, too. It made it easy to talk to people because we were all there to learn more about literature.”

Kayla also enjoyed the experience, and she stressed the importance of W&J offering opportunities like this one to students.

“It was incredible to be surrounded by fellow English majors who are also passionate about literature and criticism,” she said. “Conferences like these are crucial to professional and personal development. It is invaluable to be able to network with those who have similar academic interests, and nothing compares to the feeling of presenting your own research to a supportive critical audience.”

About Washington & Jefferson College

Washington & Jefferson College, located in Washington, Pa., is a selective liberal arts college founded in 1781. Committed to providing each of its students with the highest-quality undergraduate education available, W&J offers a traditional arts and sciences curriculum emphasizing interdisciplinary study and independent study work. For more information about W&J, visit washjeff.dev, or call 888-W-AND-JAY.