Under new president Kennedy Lora's initiative and guidance, FSU's English Honor Society opens membership to more students

By Griffin Hayes

Florida State University English-Creative Writing major Kennedy Lora initially joined Sigma Tau Delta, the International English Honor Society, to become more involved with the campus community and to meet other students within her major.

“I feel like it’s hard to find clubs and groups to make friends,” she says. “I Googled the FSU English department and came across Sigma Tau Delta, and I joined in the fall of 2022.”

A few months after connecting with the organization, Lora was president.

“I became president at the end of the Spring 2023 semester and started to work on creating the book clubs, writing groups, movie nights, and trivia nights,” she says. “It’s been a lot of work, but it’s been really fun.”

An FSU graduate student typically holds the chapter’s president position, but the advisory board saw Lora’s contributions to the organization and asked her to lead the university’s International English Honor Society.

“Last spring, the former graduate student advisor of FSU’s chapter of Sigma Tau Delta and I noticed that no one had thrown their name in the ring to run for president, so we reached out to Kennedy to ask her if she’d consider running,” says Gwen Niekamp, an FSU doctoral candidate in English-Creative Writing.

Niekamp was the president during the 2022-23 academic year, and she is currently the graduate student advisor to the group.

“Kennedy’s enthusiasm, energy, and desire to build community within the English Department stood out to us; as soon as Kennedy joined Sigma Tau Delta, she participated in our events and had ideas of her own,” Niekamp says. “Most importantly, though, Kennedy is also open to new ideas from members. She’s dedicated to making IEHS into the organization that our members want it to be.

“It’s really been a joy to work alongside Kennedy, not least because of her creative vision and problem-solving.”

One of Lora’s first official acts was to make membership easier for all undergraduates. She was instrumental in opening the organization to more students who wanted to join but could not afford the membership fee. FSU has administered the Rho Epsilon chapter of Sigma Tau Delta for over fifty years, according to Niekamps, but to be eligible to join, students had to be upperclassmen, pay dues, and maintain a certain GPA.

“While we absolutely admire the mission of Sigma Tau Delta, Kennedy was concerned that certain barriers—financial, academic, etc.—might prevent some FSU students who love literature and language from finding community here,” Niekamp says. “She thus brainstormed the creation of IEHS, an FSU Recognized Student Organization, so that any student—regardless of GPA, financial circumstances, or official membership in Sigma Tau Delta—could participate in free, inclusive events.”

Lora was instrumental in opening the organization to more students, but she also has reinvigorated student engagement by increasing the number and scale of events. In the summer of 2023, before the creation of IEHS, Niekamp says FSU’s Sigma Tau Delta chapter had 52 members. As of November 2023, IEHS has 169 members, 59 of whom are also full, dues-paying members of Sigma Tau Delta.

IEHS provides members with more than a vibrant community of like-minded students.

“Being that I am an English major, I wanted to join an organization that would help me get involved more in the English department, and IEHS has helped with that,” new member, FSU senior [major?] Kayla Miles says. “Because of this organization, not only have I met new people, but I also have access to numerous scholarship and internship opportunities.”

Lora’s leadership is not limited solely to an increase in involvement but also in members’ experiences. In addition to various ongoing activities, such as the book club, movie viewings, and study sessions, the group has gathered for more seasonal events, such as Halloween Trivia Night and Friendsgiving.

Miles says Lora’s interactions with the group are always positive.

“Kennedy is the best—she lights up any room she walks in,” Miles says. “She is super hilarious, and I love her personality and the way she treats the members. If we have questions, she is very helpful and willing to answer anything even if the questions have nothing to do with IEHS. She does an amazing job as president.”

Undergraduates interested in joining IEHS can read about the process on the organization’s Instagram account @iehsfsu, under the bio/LinkTree, in addition to other necessary contact information to get involved. The executive board is also active on X, formerly known as Twitter. Students can always find IEHS events posted on bulletin boards around the Williams Building.

“I hope that people will join—the energy at all our meetings is very fun,” Lora says.

Griffin Hayes is an English major on the editing, writing, and media track, with a minor in economics.

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