Morgan Johnson came to Southern Arkansas University knowing that she was going to major in English and that she was going to teach someday. She did not know, however, that she was going to become so involved in campus life.
“The more I explored the different groups and communities at SAU, the more I wanted to be involved,” said Johnson.
Johnson, a junior from Bentonville, Ark., is the president of SAU’s chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, the International English Honor Society. She has also earned the position of being the Southwestern Region representative for the organization on the national level.
“The Southwest Region includes Arkansas, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and Oklahoma. I am the student voice for all the chapters in the states I represent,” said Johnson. “I love being a part of this. It’s a community of people who are as passionate about English as I am.”
Johnson admits with a smile that books are more than a hobby to her – they are more of a “scary devotion.”
As such, she will be front and center sharing her passion for books during Sigma Tau Delta’s annual book sale from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on October 15-17 in the Reynolds Center foyer across from Java City.
According to Dr. Shannin Schroeder, associate professor of English faculty advisor for Sigma Tau Delta, the book sale at SAU dates back more than ten years. She said that all of the books have been donated to the organization, and most are for sale at $3 or less with many only being a quarter.
“Our books include all genres such as biographies, cookbooks, anthologies, children’s books, romance, science fiction, and textbooks; we often have the hottest authors and the most recent best sellers thanks to donors from the community,” said Schroeder. “The Sigma Tau Delta book sale allows us to support such endeavors as the Angel Tree, which we co-coordinate with Lamdba Alpha Beta each year.”
Schroeder is the current secretary/treasurer for the national Sigma Tau Delta organization. Johnson said Schroeder has had a definite influence on her college years.
“But every single professor in the English department has made me want to be involved as much as I am. None of my professors have ever made me feel bored. In fact, all of my professors have encouraged me to excel,” said Johnson.
In fact, drawing inspiration from her teachers is not new for Johnson, who said that she is “set on teaching” because of her Bentonville High School AP Literature teacher Mr. Kelly Davis.
“I sat down in his class with an appreciation for books, but within the first few weeks he taught me what it meant to be passionate about literature rather than just to like books,” said Johnson.
Johnson has also become an accomplished author through her studies and association with Sigma Tau Delta. Her collection of eight personal poems, “Moments,” was accepted at the national conference last spring and she was asked to present them. She said she also won second place in last year’s English department writing contest for the student literary journal, “Emergence.”
She said hopes to continue to develop her personal writing skills while sharing her talent as a writing consultant at the SAU Writing Center, where she assists fellow SAU students with their writing assignments.
