Sigma Tau Delta Honor Society Members Present Original Work At Convention March 19-22

Members of Liberty University’s chapter of Sigma Tau Delta Honor Society, Zeta Tau, presented their essays and original poems at the Sigma Tau Delta International Convention from March 19-22 at the Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh Downtown hotel in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  

A multitude of English and writing students had the opportunity to present essays and hear from speakers from different universities around the U.S. They also were encouraged to engage in discussions about literature during the convention and seek professional guidance regarding potential career paths.  

Liberty’s team took a bus to Pittsburgh, driven by professor of English Matthew Towles. Aside from attending the convention, the group also browsed the Carnegie Museum of Art, the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Botanic Garden.  

Carolyn Towles serves as the faculty advisor for Liberty’s Zeta Tau Chapter of the English Honor society. This was her first year attending the convention.  

She noted that she felt proud of the work that the students put into their presentations and acknowledged the importance of sharing Christ in an atmosphere of diverse views and opinions.  

“Our students, especially during the question-and-answer period after the presentations, spoke of redemption, hope and about the place of faith in their lives,” Towles said.  

Towles also highlighted the keynote speaker that came to the convention.  

“Natalie Diaz read some of her poetry and hearing her was inspiring,” Towles said. “Her passion really was apparent through her words.” 

Senior Hannah Bunch presented her fictional piece titled “Seasons,” which was based on her life growing up in a military family and how she navigated her father’s deployment overseas.  

Bunch said she valued the presence of Christian voices at the gathering.

“I think it really impressed on me the importance of Christians attending the conference,” Bunch said.  

As she listened to the speakers, she noticed how her fellow Liberty peers thoughtfully approached sensitive topics while embracing the message of finding hope in Christ.   

“Some of the pieces I was very surprised by, like how much hope there was and how they focused on the good things, but a lot of people were just really sad, and it really made me understand that it was important to be at the conference,” Bunch said.  

Junior Alvaro Larrea presented a paper he wrote based on a novel. 

“It was on the book “The Assault” by Harry Mulisch and how the main character’s experience with memory and trauma serves as a mirror to the experience of Holocaust survivors,” Larrea said.  

During his time at the convention, he noted the congregation of various perspectives and how it made for a unique learning experience. 

“I loved seeing all of the different ideas that were being shared from people all over the country,” Larrea said.  

Like Bunch, Larrea also noted the biblical worldview Liberty’s chapter of Sigma Tau brought to the event and expressed his thankfulness for the opportunity to represent Christ.  

“It was definitely interesting to see how unique our perspective is coming from a Christian university because, definitely in some of the works and the thoughts and answers that people shared during their panels, you can kind of see that there’s a lot of darkness and anger in the world that people don’t know how to deal with sometimes,” Larrea said.  

Liberty’s Zeta Tau Chapter will be returning to the convention in New Orleans next year, to not only represent their school, but also Christ through their presentations and discussions.  

For more information about Zeta Tau, visit its Instagram @lu_sigmatau.  

Sanford is a news reporter for the Liberty Champion.