BW English majors Caroline Dugan ‘15 and Nicole Campeotto ’15, are attending the International Sigma Tau Delta English Honor Society convention held in Albuquerque, New Mexico this March.
Students were selected out of thousands of applicants for their exceptional essays specific to a certain theme and are eligible to win a scholarship.
Dugan, a senior expecting a BA in English and education this May, wrote an analysis of the intimate relationships in Homer’s famous epic the Odyssey, titled, “The Odyssey: Dream-Like Wanderings & Realities.”

Her work is categorized within the “Fantasy, Fairytale and Enchantment” theme, and more specifically placed in the “Love, Marriage and Matters of the Heart” section. She hopes to share her ideas about the Odyssey at the convention and later with her potential students when she begins teaching English after graduation. The Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Studies generously provided Dugan with a round trip ticket to Albuquerque.
“I owe a lot of gratitude to my parents for their continued support, Dr. Dolzani for the lecture that encouraged this paper, the BW English Department, and my fiancé for inspiring this particular piece,” said Dugan.
Campeotto, also a senior and a recipient of several BW English awards and The Mill’s student editor, had her paper, “Border Theory and the Gendered Self,” selected for the convention. Categorized under the theory, “Borderlands: Various Takes,” Campeotto discusses gender associated with the limits of cultural border. The “Borderlands: Various Takes” category elaborates on fabulism and modern fairytales.
Campeotto is an English: Creative Writing Major and has continuously been on the Dean’s List.
The Sigma Tau Delta English Honor Society annually recognizes excellence for the best essays submitted by awarding applicants with thousands of dollars in scholarship money.
During March 18-21, candidates attend various special presentations and workshops, participate in an open mic night, discuss critical job prospects relative to English majors, and enhance essential critical and creative writing skills. Many professional writers and speakers are speaking in addition to English teachers from across the country.
The Sigma Tau Delta English Honor Society convention chose Albuquerque as its host this year because of the landscape (prairies, high planes and mountains) that borders the large city. The landscape aids in the illustration of the convention’s main theme chosen for this year: Borderlines and Enchantments.
The theme of the conference, chosen by Sarah Dangelantonio, the convention chair for this year’s conference, was not only chosen to reflect the regional situation of New Mexico; for the content of the conference, according to Dangelantanio’s statement on the theme, will be a jumping off point for discussion about the “dualities of literature, like the border between collections of stories and novels, lyric poetry and prose poems, realism and magical realism.”
The Sigma Tau Delta convention has been recognized by students as a wonderful opportunity to learn more about their area of study and to meet others with similar interests. Both Dugan and Campeotto are excited for the chance to present their material and to see what the trip will entail.