Some of the most useful work I have done as an English major has happened far from a classroom.
I have revised public flyers, listened to residents describe their experiences at government meetings, explained unfamiliar political processes, and worked with historical records that could easily have been forgotten. In each setting, I have returned to the same lesson: language shapes who feels welcome, who understands what is happening, and whose experience becomes part of the record.
English majors are often asked, “What are you going to do with your degree?”
The question has begun to feel strangely dated. Artificial intelligence can now produce pages of prose in seconds. Public institutions still need people who can judge whether those words are honest, clear, humane, and appropriate for the people receiving them. Technology can generate language. Human beings remain responsible for its consequences.
That responsibility has followed me into public service.
On the City of College Park’s Restorative Justice Commission, I have learned that words such as harm, repair, responsibility, and reconciliation cannot be treated casually. They carry different histories for different people. A public body can use the correct terminology and still fail to make someone feel heard. The work requires close attention to tone, silence, memory, and power.
Those are also the habits I developed through studying literature.
Close reading taught me to slow down when a sentence appears simple. Literary analysis taught me to ask who is speaking, who is absent, and what assumptions shape the text. Writing courses taught me to revise with an audience in mind.
These skills have helped me understand public service as a form of interpretation. Before institutions can respond to people well, they have to understand what people are saying.
I have seen the same truth in electoral work. At 20, I was elected to the Prince George’s County Democratic Central Committee. During the campaign, I spoke with residents who knew local politics closely and others who had never heard of the committee. I could recite the duties of the office, yet that information had little value unless I could explain why the office affected their community.
That experience changed how I think about clarity. Clear writing is a form of respect. It recognizes that people should not need insider knowledge to understand a public process. It also recognizes that residents bring knowledge of their own, even when they do not use the vocabulary of government or academia.
Sigma Tau Delta members already possess skills that communities need. A chapter can help a local organization revise confusing materials, record oral histories, support young writers, preserve neighborhood archives, or assist residents preparing public testimony. The work can begin with one relationship and grow from there.
These experiences also give English students a stronger answer to the familiar question about what we plan to do with our degrees.
We can point to people reached, records preserved, documents clarified, and communities served. We can show that our education has prepared us to read carefully and act responsibly.
I still love literature for the reasons that first drew me to it. I love the attention it gives to voice, memory, conflict, and possibility. Public service has shown me where those lessons can go.
English belongs wherever people are trying to make meaning together. Where could your chapter begin?
Kevin Lopez Cruz
Nu Nu Chapter
Bowie State University, Bowie, MD
Sigma Tau Delta
Sigma Tau Delta, International English Honor Society, was founded in 1924 at Dakota Wesleyan University. The Society strives to
- Confer distinction for high achievement in English language and literature in undergraduate, graduate, and professional studies;
- Provide, through its local chapters, cultural stimulation on college campuses and promote interest in literature and the English language in surrounding communities;
- Foster all aspects of the discipline of English, including literature, language, and writing;
- Promote exemplary character and good fellowship among its members;
- Exhibit high standards of academic excellence; and
- Serve society by fostering literacy.
With over 900 active chapters located in the United States and abroad, there are more than 1,000 Faculty Advisors, and approximately 9,000 members inducted annually.
Sigma Tau Delta also recognizes the accomplishments of professional writers who have contributed to the fields of language and literature.
