Press Reporter accepted into O∆K
Senior Investigative Reporter, Shannon Taylor
Story by Senior Investigative Reporter Shannon Taylor
In her second year at Murray State University, Shannon Taylor was one accepted for membership into Omicron Delta Kappa, (O∆K) the National Leadership Honor Society. She is currently a graduate student in the MA-DA program of Literature/Pedagogy at Murray State University. She is in her second year of the program.
Membership into O∆K is a great honor — it is a testament to academic achievement and leadership excellence while in college, but this didn’t start in grad school.
Taylor graduated from The University of Tennessee at Martin Magna Cum Laude in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in English. While she attended UTM she worked for three years at the campus writing center: The Hortense-Parrish Writing Center where she worked as a writing tutor.
At UTM she was an officer of Author’s Anonymous, a club dedicated to writing of all kinds, an officer of BeanSwitch, the campus journal, the publicity coordinator for Sigma Tau Delta, an English honor society and she was also on the marketing committee, events committee and materials committee for the writing center.
While at UTM Taylor was published in BeanSwitch’s 2018, 2019, and 2020 editions. She presented at the Interdisciplinary Student Writing Conference in 2018, at the Southwestern Writing Center Association in 2018, at the Southeastern Writing Conference in 2018, at TuColla in 2018, at SWCA in 2019, at the Sigma Tau Delta Conference in 2019 and 2020 and I also presented at several roundtable events the writing center held from 2017-2020.
While at UTM Taylor was on the Chancellors roll every semester she attended until she graduated and was inducted into Psi Chi, the psychology honor society, Phi Eta Sigma, a national honor society, Gamma Beta Phi, a honors and service society, Phi Kappa Phi, an honor society for those in the top 10% of their class, and Sigma Tau Delta, an English honor society.
Taylor received the Kelle Jones Scholarship in 2017, 2019 and 2020. In 2020 she won the John E. McCluskey Undergraduate Scholarly Essay Award for 1st place and the Robert G. Cowzer Poetry Award for 1st place. She was also nominated to The National Society of Leadership and Success in 2020.
Upon graduation Taylor was accepted into Murray States MA-DA program and also started working as a Press Reporter for The Weakley County Press.
Taylor will graduate from the MA-DA program in 2027 and her plan is to become a Professor at a University teaching literature and writing and to also be the Director of her own writing center.
“It means a lot to me to be accepted to O∆K and to continue being the best I can be to set an example for my children. I am a first-generation college graduate and no one in my family has gone to grad school. I want to set an example for my children to work hard and be the best they can be and being a part of this society will help me do that and show them that anything is possible.”
O∆K, the National Leadership Honor Society, recognizes and encourages superior leadership and exemplary character. O∆K encourages collaboration among members across the five pillars of leadership celebrated by O∆K: academics and research, athletics, service to campus and community, communications, and creative and performing arts.
O∆K was founded in 1914 at Washington and Lee University and O∆K honors and develops leaders through scholarships, workshops, career development, leadership resources, and a lifelong connection to other members. The Society also champions its leadership values of collaboration, inclusivity, integrity, scholarship, and service.
As a member of ODK, Taylor hopes to continue learning and being a part of a group of like-minded individuals with the goal of succeeding. She hopes that her children will see her success as a testament to follow suit and be their best.
Taylor currently works full-time as the Senior Investigative Reporter for the Weakley County Press.
