MSSU junior named Sigma Tau Delta Midwestern student representative

(From Southern News Service)

Myranda Morse, a junior English-literary studies major at Missouri Southern State University, has been appointed to serve as Sigma Tau Delta’s Midwestern Student Representative for 2020-21.

Established in 1924, the international honor society recognizes high achievement in English language, literature and writing. There are more than 900 chapters in the United States and abroad. Missouri Southern’s Lambda Xi chapter was founded in 1978.

“I was inducted (into MSSU’s chapter) last spring,” says Morse. “It’s a great organization … it’s small, but there’s a lot of unity within it, and there’s a lot of opportunity to grow and become a leader.”

She had a paper accepted to Sigma Tau Delta’s international conference, which had been set to take place in Las Vegas last month. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, the event took place online.

“Normally, student representatives would have been voted on at the conference,” said Morse. “There were not a lot of people applying and my adviser came to me and said it would be a great opportunity to get more involved and do some networking.”

She was notified of her appointment last week by Professor Timothy Helwig, of Western Illinois University and Sigma Tau Delta’s Midwestern Regent. In his email, he told Morse that he was “impressed with your well-written application, your enthusiastic commitment to the position, and your significant volunteer work.”

Morse, who is also a senior Bible and interdisciplinary studies major at Ozark Christian College, has held a leadership role in the children’s minister volunteer program at Seneca’s Hornet Christian Church since 2017. She also serves as a life group leader at OCC.

As the Midwest regional representative, she will work to promote the organization’s Common Reader – a book selected for all Sigma Tau Delta members to read – promote and write for the organization’s publication and blog, and communicate regional chapters’ needs to the larger organization.

“Myranda has impressed me with her outgoing, positive attitude and her proactive responses, whether being asked to chair a convention panel practice session for our local chapter or to submit an application for a position in the national organization,” said Dr. Amy Gates, assistant professor of English and the MSSU chapter’s adviser. “I’m looking forward to working with her and learning alongside her in the coming year.”