The panelists for our inaugural “Spotlight on Students” (9 April 2026)
On Thursday, April 9, 2026, the English community had an opportunity to come together, enjoy snacks, and hear about the many activities and accomplishments of some outstanding students affiliated with the English Department.
This inaugural event, Spotlight on Students, culminated the Spotlight series for the Spring 2026 semester, which began with a spotlight on faculty in February and was followed by a spotlight on undergraduate faculty mentors in March.
Featured student panelists included Emmett Spaw (English Minor and Film Studies Certificate ’26), Hannah Wittmayer (English Minor ’26), Allison Meerian (English BA ’26), Mia McCormick (English BA and Linguistics Certificate ’27), and Griffin Fergerson (English MA and Technical Writing and Professional Communication Certificate ’26) — showcasing the many pathways that students can pursue within English.
Complementary to their English studies, students shared some of their other campus involvement: from working at the Writing Center as a peer tutor (Griffin), to working as an editorial assistant for the journal Kansas History (Mia), serving on the Student Governing Association’s Judicial Board and working in University Archives and Special Collections (Allison), performing in Collegium Musicum and tutoring student athletes (Hannah), and producing a play about President Dwight D. Eisenhower in celebration of America 250 (Emmett).
Several panelists remarked on the interdisciplinary nature of English studies and its real-world applications.
Reading Caribbean diasporic literature has sparked Allison’s interest in immigration law, whereas reading widely and practicing different writing strategies has developed Emmett’s ability to tell compelling stories on film (which has resulted in three consecutive audience choice wins at K-State’s annual 48-Hour Film Challenge). Griffin has written about the lesser prairie-chicken as an intern for the Audubon of Kansas (Allison has also interned with them). Hannah is doing an Honors independent study with Dr. Phillip Marzluf on grammar in preparation to teach more accessibly the mechanics of writing. For Emmett, his writing craft has gone from simply what is this piece of writing to what is this piece of writing trying to do, underscoring the agentive power of the writing arts. Moreover, panelists emphasized how much fun they have had in English classes.
One audience member sums up the event nicely: “It was super cool and I am glad I went!”
— Tom Sarmiento, Associate Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies
K-State English 