Senior English major, Daelin Tripp, recently won the English award for graduating seniors. In addition, Tripp is Editor-in-Chief for the school’s literary journal, Snow Island Review.
Snow Island Review Volume 33 will be hosting its release party on April 18, which is co-sponsored by the English honors society, Sigma Tau Delta.
Tripp decided to be an English major because she felt appreciated by the professors in the department and therefore became more confident.
“I decided to major in English because I felt appreciated as a student compared to my previous major,” Tripp said. “Each of my English professors came to me privately and suggested I change my major to not waste any potential for myself. After a long and hard decision, I decided on a whim one day to just change my major to English. Since then, I have been much happier and confident in myself.”
Tripp’s favorite part about being an English major is the supportive faculty and staff, who have helped her develop as a writer and as a person.
“My favorite part about being an English major is the professors and English faculty,” Tripp said. “I have met so many educators in the department that have truly changed my life with their support and care for me. I can’t imagine where I would be without their push for me to pursue English. I am so, so much happier to have such a supportive group of educators. It really does make a huge difference,” Tripp said.
Initially, Tripp wasn’t sure if she wanted to join Snow Island Review. However, with a little push from Landon Houle, associate professor of English, she joined, and it became her most treasured project.
“I joined, after months of pushing by Dr. Landon Houle, in October 2021,” Tripp said. “I was hesitant to join as I had not yet found my voice and confidence in reviewing creative work. After the tenth application form landed in my hands, I decided, once again, on a whim, to just apply. I remember feeling an extreme sense of fear and dread after submitting my staff application. Obviously, this is now one of my most treasured projects of my entire life.”
As Editor-in-Chief, Tripp balances the many needs of Snow Island Review and has to make the final decisions.
“As Editor-in-Chief, I delegate tasks to others and review and finalize decisions,” Tripp said. “For example, during the fall semester I send out a weekly packet of student submissions to my editors, collect them at the end of the week, then average them out and assess what to do with them further. I spend much of my time trying to reach out to other organizations and students on campus to attempt to expand Snow Island Review.”
Tripp’s favorite part about being Editor-in-Chief is seeing contributors get published.
“I am always, always most excited for contributors to come up and read their published work,” Tripp said. “It is so special to see other students so happy and proud of themselves for such an amazing accomplishment, and are able to present that work in their own voice to the community. Art and writing are so closely tied to the soul, so I think of it as the most pure form of nudity, in a way. It takes a lot of trust in yourself and in others to share works from the heart.”
After graduation, Tripp will be attending Ohio University for her Masters of the Arts in English.
“I will be attending Ohio University for an M.A. in English starting May 15th, 2024,” Tripp said. “After that, I have two roads: work for a university with my M.A. and contracting to help pay for my doctorate or just go straight for my doctorate afterward. Depends on the job market.”