Ferrum College Celebrates 2024 Sigma Tau Delta Inductees

FERRUM, VA, April 25, 2024 – The Alpha Upsilon Iota chapter of Sigma Tau Delta recently welcomed Ferrum College seniors DJ Dungee, Taylor Seal, and Kiana Somerville into their society. Sigma Tau Delta is an international English honor society, established in 1924 at Dakota Wesleyan University. With over 850 chapters, it is one of the most active and largest academic organizations. Students have the opportunity to apply for scholarships, internships, and publication in the society’s journals.

Dr. Allison Harl complemented each of the inductees on their accomplishments and pointed out that while they may not all be English majors, they excelled as English students. “DJ’s talents as a musician were highlighted in ENG 338: Digital Rhetoric last semester as he created a personal website advertising his personal accomplishments and academic performances.

“Taylor is Criminal Justice major with a Criminology emphasis and a minor in psychology. She has excelled in the classroom with a 3.6 GPA. She excelled in ENG 461: Professional Writing course, which will help hone her communication skills as she launches into her profession.

“And Kiana is Criminal Justice major with a Forensic Investigation emphasis. She has excelled in the classroom with a 3.5 GPA. She worked with the Iron Blade, learning the importance of ethics in journalism.”

Dr. John Kitterman delivered the keynote speech at the ceremony. He was a full-time professor at the College for 22 years and also taught at other colleges and universities in Virginia. During his tenure at Ferrum, he led an e-term class that built a replica of Henry David Thoreau’s cabin, served as an advisor for Brother 4 Brother, and introduced the Literary and Performing Arts Coffeehouse. Currently, Kitterman remains a member of the English faculty at Ferrum as an adjunct professor.

Kitterman opened his remarks by sharing some of the different jobs he had before becoming a professor and how a degree in English provides skills that are useful in many settings. “[The job] was outside of my field, but I had the skills to get along well with people. As English people, you can be trained to do anything,” Kitterman shared.

Kitterman also encouraged students to utilize their skills and other talents while looking for future employment. “Be confident in the skills you have. No one can take those skills away from you once you have them, and you can adapt them in any situation,” he said.

Photo Caption: L-R: Ferrum College seniors DJ Dungee, Kiana Somerville, and Taylor Seal were all inducted into Sigma Tau Delta on Sunday, April 21.