This spring I have had the opportunity to embark on a wild, beautiful adventure to the heart of Limerick, Ireland. I am incredibly grateful to have had the support of Sigma Tau Delta’s Long-Term Study Abroad Scholarship to give me the firm foundation I needed to travel across the world. With my home in Virginia just a thirty minute drive away from my studies at Hollins University, I had never had the experience of on-campus living, traveling abroad, or even stepping foot on an airplane! Yet for years I had been surrounding myself with Irish storytelling, myth, and music, all as my core inspirations for becoming an author. From that inspiration came a dream of studying abroad in Ireland—having a chance to see the place I had written about bloom to life from the pages. The support I received from Sigma Tau Delta was so generous and encouraging!
Since that moment, I’ve seen my own novels placed in the front window of an Irish bookstore, trekked the rocky coast of Inisheer with a collie as my tour guide, and relished in the chilly embrace of the Connemara Mountains. I’ve learned an cúpla focal (a few words) of Irish Gaelic, braved wind and sleet on the Cliffs of Moher, and perhaps most importantly: found a home away from home. I cannot think of a better place to have lived on my own, let alone traveled abroad, for the first time. In the inevitable face of homesickness I found comfort in the growth of my own writing: the very thing that makes me so passionate about Irish Culture.
Ireland is a country rich in literary tradition and a culture of storytelling, as well as one of the leading countries in Europe in entrepreneurship. As a published author with plans to pursue a career in the fields of creative writing and marketing, there is so much to learn from in Ireland! I had the exciting opportunity to attend seminars featuring some of the country’s most innovative and creative voices in business. The University of Limerick also hosts a creative writing festival every spring. Attending it to listen to authors Marian Keyes and Joseph O’Connor speak was an unforgettable experience. Following a heartwarming conversation with both of them, I left with a writer’s dream souvenir: a signed book.
If you are lucky enough to get to meander around Limerick, you’ll find fragments of poetry scattered around the community like Easter eggs. The beautiful words of W. B. Yeats are inscribed across the University of Limerick’s campus, and from a downtown bridge on the River Shannon you’ll see the words it will rise with the moon. I still carry those words with me, as they seem to describe the way my experience in Ireland has felt: like a gentle rising of my inner self, and all my passion and self-determination being realized.
As I write this now, I only have a couple of weeks until I return home. Before I leave, I will have the exciting opportunity to hike the Beara Peninsula of Ireland, the birthplace of my novels’ main character. The inspiration from this trip will be incredibly rewarding as I begin to write my next novel taking place in Beara. I feel so grateful to have had Sigma Tau Delta’s support through every step I’ve taken across Ireland!
Rachel Edwards
Long-Term Study Abroad Scholarship Recipient, Fall 2024
Alpha Omicron Lambda Chapter
Hollins University, Roanoke, VA
Study Abroad Scholarships
The scholarship provides funding for the purpose of studying in a program that furthers the applicant’s engagement with Sigma Tau Delta’s mission. Students may apply for either a Long-Term or Short-Term scholarship. Applicants should demonstrate academic scholarship and chapter service; they also must explain the relevance of their study abroad program and activities to fostering the discipline of English, including literature, language, writing, or literacy.
Long-Term Study Abroad Scholarship
The Long-Term Study Abroad Scholarship provides up to $3,000 for students studying for a full academic term or year in a certified, undergraduate program outside the country in which the nominating chapter is located.
Short-Term Study Abroad Scholarship
The Short-Term Study Abroad Scholarship provides up to $1,500 to support participation in an undergraduate study-abroad program of less than an academic term. The program must be a certified, undergraduate program outside the country in which the nominating chapter is located.
Scholarship Eligibility Criteria
- Currently an undergraduate student
- Plan to study abroad in a certified undergraduate program for all or part of an academic term
All applications will be submitted via the AwardSpring Online submission process.
Application Deadline: October 13 through November 3, 2025, 4:00 p.m. CT
Past Study Abroad Scholarship Recipients
Pura Vida: My Four Months Studying Abroad in Costa Rica
Fulfilling a Fantasy Dream with a Study Abroad
English Connections through Arcades and Gachapon Shops during a Study Abroad
Lo Spirito Impressa: A Study Abroad Experience
Publishing, Passion, and Paris: My Study Abroad Experience in Paris
Studying Abroad: From Museums to Host Moms
Study Abroad, Or How to Succeed during the Unexpected
Study Abroad Scholarship Sparks Creativity in Nottingham
Study Abroad Scholarship: English Education in Maastricht
Study Abroad Scholarship: Royal Holloway-University of London
Study Abroad and Diversify Your College Experience
On Studying Abroad
Summer Stories from Abroad
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.
